And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
All the people who were descended from Jacob totaled seventy people, because Joseph was already living in Egypt.
This verse is counting the total number of Jacob's descendants who came to Egypt - seventy people in all, not counting Joseph who was already there.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is from the beginning of the Book of Exodus, which picks up the narrative from Genesis and describes the migration of Jacob's family to Egypt. It specifies that Jacob's descendants numbered 70 souls who joined Joseph, who was already in Egypt as a result of his earlier experiences of betrayal, slavery, and elevation to power. This sets the stage for the rapid growth of the Israelites into a nation and their subsequent enslavement under a new Pharaoh.
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