Genesis 46:27 and the Seventy vs. Seventy-Five Souls

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Introduction: The Textual Discrepancy in Genesis 46:27

Genesis 46:27 provides a crucial numerical summary of Jacob’s family members who migrated to Egypt during the time of Joseph. The Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) reads:

וּבְנֵי֙ יֹוסֵ֣ף אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֻלַּד־לֹ֣ו בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם נֶ֣פֶשׁ שְׁנָ֑יִם כָּל־הַנֶּ֛פֶשׁ לְבֵ֥ית יַעֲקֹ֖ב הַבָּ֣אָה מִצְרַ֑יְמָה שִׁבְעִֽים׃

Literal Translation (UASV):
“And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.”

This passage, however, presents a significant textual variant when compared to the Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The LXX reads:

Greek (LXX):
καὶ υἱοὶ Ἰωσὴφ οἱ γεγενημένοι αὐτῷ ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ψυχαὶ ἐννέα· πᾶσαι ψυχαὶ οἴκου Ιακωβ αἱ εἰσελθοῦσαι εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἑβδομηκονταπέντε.

Translation of the LXX:
“And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in the land of Egypt were nine souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob who entered into Egypt were seventy-five.”

This divergence is repeated in Acts 7:14, where Stephen, in his defense speech before the Sanhedrin, states:
“And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five souls in all.”
This follows the LXX rather than the MT.

This study will conduct a meticulous textual comparison and historical analysis to evaluate this variation, giving special attention to the implications for our understanding of the transmission and preservation of the Hebrew text.

The Masoretic Text (MT) Reading: Seventy Souls

The Hebrew reads:

נֶ֣פֶשׁ שְׁנָ֑יִם — “two souls”
שִׁבְעִֽים — “seventy”

This represents the total number of Jacob’s family who entered Egypt, including Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The MT has been preserved with exceptional accuracy by the Masoretes and is supported by other internal Hebrew references such as Genesis 46:26 and Exodus 1:5, both of which also support the number seventy:

Genesis 46:26 (MT):
“All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.”

Genesis 46:27 (MT):
“And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.”

The calculation is as follows:

66 (Jacob’s descendants who came with him to Egypt)
+2 (Ephraim and Manasseh)
+1 (Joseph himself)
+1 (Jacob)
= 70

This arithmetic, consistent in the Hebrew text, was foundational to Jewish tradition and preserved in the Masoretic tradition.

The Septuagint (LXX) Reading: Seventy-Five Souls

The Greek Septuagint, however, reads nine souls for Joseph’s descendants and seventy-five total. The LXX figure appears to include not only Ephraim and Manasseh but also Joseph’s grandsons or other descendants found in 1 Chronicles 7:14–20. This passage lists additional descendants of Joseph through both Ephraim and Manasseh.

1 Chronicles 7:14–20 outlines:

Descendants of Manasseh: Asriel, Machir, Gilead, etc.
Descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Ezer, Elead, etc.

It is possible the LXX translators drew upon this genealogical tradition or a Hebrew Vorlage (a Hebrew source text) that included these extra individuals.

Textual Considerations: Evaluating the Variants

The textual discrepancy requires assessing manuscript evidence:

1. Masoretic Manuscripts
The reading of “two souls” and “seventy souls” is firmly supported by all major Masoretic witnesses, including the Aleppo Codex and the Codex Leningradensis (B 19A).

2. Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)
Fragments of Genesis among the DSS are fragmentary for this passage. However, where legible, they do not contradict the MT in Genesis 46. The DSS consistently support the MT’s genealogical framework elsewhere in Genesis.

3. Septuagint Manuscripts
Major LXX codices (e.g., Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus) all read “seventy-five” and “nine souls.” This reading may reflect a different Hebrew Vorlage or an interpretative addition meant to harmonize Genesis 46 with the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 7. Notably, the LXX includes these numbers consistently in Exodus 1:5 as well.

4. Samaritan Pentateuch
The Samaritan text in Genesis 46:27 also follows the MT reading of seventy souls, showing agreement with the Masoretic tradition, not the LXX.

5. Targums and Peshitta
The Targums Onkelos and Jonathan reflect the traditional Jewish view and also align with the Masoretic reading. The Syriac Peshitta also reflects “seventy,” lending additional weight to the MT reading across diverse textual traditions.

Harmonizing Acts 7:14 with Genesis 46:27

Stephen’s statement in Acts 7:14 is consistent with the LXX reading of “seventy-five.” This does not represent an error but a reliance on the LXX, which was the predominant version of the Hebrew Scriptures among Hellenistic Jews in the first century. Luke, the author of Acts, was writing for a Greek-speaking audience, and he naturally quoted from the Septuagint.

This reflects textual accommodation to audience rather than a contradiction. It does not imply the MT is in error but illustrates the usage of a variant textual tradition prevalent in the apostolic period. The apostles were not making a theological point about numerics; rather, they were communicating history using the version familiar to their audience.

Conclusion: The Textual Priority of the Masoretic Tradition

Despite the LXX’s reading, the Masoretic Text remains the superior witness due to:

Internal consistency within Genesis and Exodus.
Harmony with the genealogical framework of the Torah.
Support from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Targums, and Peshitta.
The LXX appears to reflect interpretative expansions or variant genealogical traditions.

Thus, the correct number in Genesis 46:27, according to the best-preserved Hebrew tradition, is seventy souls, with two souls specifically referring to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

The Reading Culture of Early Christianity

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).