Jacob's Family Goes to Egypt:

Abstract

"These are the names of the sons of Israel who came with Jacob to Egypt, each with their families: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The total number of Jacob's descendants was seventy. (Joseph was already in Egypt.)--Exodus 1:1-5 1. In this way the book of Exodus begins its introduction, reacquainting readers with the family of Jacob. Verses 1-4 list the sons of Israel who went with Jacob to Egypt. In verse 5 two additional pieces of information are given: the total number of Jacob's descendants who went to Egypt and that Joseph was already in Egypt. A number of differences--some major, others minor--exist among the various traditions of Exod 1:1-5. These differences have often been discussed. Each one is treated as an isolated problem, and variants from the MT are typically classified as conscious or unconscious harmonizations, expansionist tendencies in various traditions, or, in the case of the Septuagint, stylistic preferences of the target language. 2. In this study I wish to compare the text of Exod 1:1-5 in what may be argued are the four most ancient traditions that preserve it: The Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, 4QExodb (all in Hebrew), and the Septuagint. While the variety of explanations given for the several variants in each tradition may in some part explain the origin of each variant, they ignore the cumulative effect of the variants in each tradition. Taken as a group, the variants in each tradition skew that tradition's view of the unity or disunity that existed in Israel as it entered Egypt. In other words, the several variants have a synergistic effect on the meaning of the text."(pg 1)