Exodus 1:1-7

Exodus 1:1-7

[1] Now these are the names  of the children  of Israel,  which came  into Egypt;  every man  and his household  came  with Jacob.  [2] Reuben,  Simeon,  Levi,  and Judah,  [3] Issachar,  Zebulun,  and Benjamin,  [4] Dan,  and Naphtali,  Gad,  and Asher.  [5] And all the souls  that came out  of the loins  of Jacob  were seventy  souls:  for Joseph  was in Egypt  [6] And Joseph  died,  and all his brethren,  and all that generation.  [7] And the children  of Israel  were fruitful,  and increased abundantly,  and multiplied,  and waxed exceeding  mighty;  and the land  was filled  with them.

What does Exodus 1:1-7 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The purposes of this section are three at least.
1.These verses introduce the Israelites who are the focus of attention in Exodus.2.They also tie the Israelites back to Jacob and explain their presence in Egypt.3.They account for the numerical growth of the Israelites during the360 years that elapsed between Genesis and Exodus following Joseph"s death and preceding Moses" birth.
Moses used the round number70 for the number of Jacob"s descendants when the patriarch entered Egypt ( Exodus 1:5; cf. Genesis 46:27). [1] The writer"s purpose was to contrast the small number of Israelites that entered Egypt with the large number that existed at the time Exodus begins ( Exodus 1:8 ff.), about two million individuals (cf. Exodus 12:37; Exodus 38:26; Numbers 1:45-47). It is quite easy to prove mathematically that Jacob"s family of70 that moved into Egypt could have grown into a nation of two million or more individuals in430 years. [2]
The fruitfulness of the Israelites in Goshen was due to God"s blessing as He fulfilled His promises to the patriarchs ( Exodus 1:7).