בראשית, פרק מ״ו, פסוק כ״ז

The descent of Jacob's family into Egypt marks a defining moment in the formation of the nation of Israel, with their total number summarized as seventy. Their destination is not necessarily the Egyptian capital, but rather the land of Egypt as a whole, specifically the region of Goshen [רד״ק]. Although Joseph and his sons were already living in Egypt and did not travel down with the rest of the family, they are included in the group of those arriving. This is because the narrative speaks according to the majority, and the vast majority of the family did indeed make the journey from the land of Canaan [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. The wives of Jacob's sons are excluded from this specific tally; the only women counted are Dinah, Serah, and Jochebed [חזקוני, ברטנורא].

Within this count, Joseph and his family are detailed with unique phrasing. The birth of Joseph's sons is described using a singular expression, which suggests that Ephraim and Manasseh were twins born in a single birth, and are thus considered as one unit [הכתב והקבלה]. Furthermore, Joseph and his sons are grouped together numerically as two individuals rather than three. This hints that Joseph stands in a category of his own and is not counted simply alongside his sons, reflecting his elevated status as the firstborn in Egypt [העמק דבר]. The broader use of the singular term for a soul to describe Jacob's entire large family serves to highlight their profound spiritual unity. Because they all served one God, they are considered a single entity. This stands in sharp contrast to the family of Esau, which consisted of only six people but is described with a plural term for souls because they worshipped multiple deities [הדר זקנים].

A central complexity in the narrative arises from the mathematical count itself. A detailed tally of the named individuals going down to Egypt yields only sixty-nine people, prompting various explanations to identify the missing seventieth person. The primary approach among commentators is that Jacob himself is included in the tally, completing the number to seventy. Another tradition suggests that the seventieth person is Jochebed, who was conceived during the journey and born precisely as the family passed through the walls of Egypt [תורה תמימה, חזקוני]. However, this view faces sharp criticism. If Jochebed were born at that exact moment, she would have been one hundred and thirty years old when she gave birth to Moses. Critics argue that the Torah would never conceal such a massive miracle, which would be even greater than Sarah giving birth to Isaac at the age of ninety [אבן עזרא, הטור הארוך]. Other perspectives suggest that Dinah had an unnamed son or daughter from Shechem who was included in the count [הטור הארוך, מחוקקי יהודה]. Alternatively, some propose that seventy is simply a round number, as it is a common biblical style to round to tens and overlook a single missing unit [תורה תמימה, הטור הארוך], though others strongly reject the idea of such an imprecise count [אבן עזרא].

Beyond the literal counting of individuals, the number seventy carries deep symbolic weight. A profound conceptual approach suggests that the seventieth member of the group is not a human being at all, but rather the Divine Presence, or God Himself, who is counted among the family and goes down into exile with them [הטור הארוך, הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים]. The number seventy represents divine perfection, paralleling the seventy elders, the seventy nations of the world, and the seventy angels that surround the Throne of Glory. Just as God completes His heavenly court to a total of seventy-one, Jacob and his family serve as an earthly reflection of this divine perfection [רבנו בחיי].