Acts 7:14-16
And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Stephen, echoing the Greek translation of Scripture common in his day, gives a count of seventy-five people. This subtle difference from the Hebrew text, which lists seventy, highlights how Scripture can be passed down and understood in various ways, each carrying its own insights. The core message remains: God's promises are unfolding, and His people, through every generation and variation in counting, are being gathered.
Stephen is recounting the history of Israel, highlighting God's faithfulness even when his people struggled. He's just spoken of Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and his subsequent rise to power in Egypt. In this passage, Joseph finally reveals himself and brings his entire family, including his father Jacob, to Egypt to escape the famine.
Stephen is recounting God's history with Israel, and he wants to emphasize that God’s promises extend to the entire family. What does this verse reveal about God's intention for His people?
God's Commitment to the Full Family
When God called Abraham, His promises were never just for one person, but for his descendants. In Acts 7:14, Stephen highlights this by stating that Joseph summoned not just his father Jacob, but 'all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.'
This number might seem like a small detail, but it’s significant. While the Hebrew text in Genesis often lists seventy, the Greek translation (which Stephen quotes) gives seventy-five. This difference points to the inclusive nature of God's covenant. Whether seventy or seventy-five, the emphasis is on the completeness of the family being gathered. God wasn't just bringing Jacob; He was bringing the entire lineage, including extended family, solidifying them as a people under His care.
This shows us that God's plan for redemption is inherently communal. He calls us into relationship with Him, and also into relationship with one another as part of His family.
You might notice a slight difference in numbers between the Old Testament and Stephen's account here. How does Stephen's use of Scripture challenge us to think about the Bible's reliability?
Trusting the Text, Even with Nuances
Stephen, a Hellenistic Jew, quotes the number seventy-five in Acts 7:14, which aligns with the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) rather than the Hebrew text of Genesis, which lists seventy. This might raise a question: Is the Bible contradictory?
Not at all! Think of it this way: Stephen is speaking to a predominantly Greek-speaking audience who would be most familiar with the Septuagint. His use of this number demonstrates his deep understanding of the Scriptures as they were commonly read and understood by his audience. It highlights the vibrant, living nature of Scripture, where different translations and traditions carried the same core message of God’s faithfulness.
Understand the original words
syngeneia · Greek Noun
A generic term used here to describe a person's relatives or household, emphasizing the family unit through which God preserves His covenant promises.
c. 1805 BC— this verse
Jacob's Family Moves to Egypt
Responding to Joseph's call, Jacob and his entire household, numbering seventy-five souls according to the Septuagint version of Scripture, relocate to Egypt due to a severe famine.
c. 1805 BC - 1446 BC
Israelites Reside in Egypt
Jacob's family settles in the land of Goshen. While initially welcomed, their descendants eventually face enslavement over centuries.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites, now a vast multitude numbering over 600,000 men (excluding women and children), leave Egypt after centuries of bondage, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham.
This passage details the number of Jacob's direct descendants who went to Egypt, providing a foundational count that Stephen's verse then expands upon or interprets differently.
Exodus 1:1This verse reiterates the total number of Jacob's descendants in Egypt, setting up a comparison with the specific number Stephen cites and highlighting the potential for different enumerations in Scripture.
Deuteronomy 10:22Similar to Exodus, this verse provides another count of Jacob's descendants in Egypt, offering another point of comparison to Stephen's figure and prompting reflection on how Scripture numbers things.
Numbers 26:26-37This chapter provides a detailed census of the tribes of Israel, which scholars suggest may have informed the expanded number of 75 in the Septuagint version of Genesis that Stephen likely used.
ellicottActs 7:14: "Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls."
(14) Threescore and fifteen souls. —Seventy is given as the number, including Jacob, Joseph, and his sons, in Genesis 46:27 ; Exodus 1:5 ; Deuteronomy 10:22 . Here, however, Stephen had the authority of the LXX. of Genesis 46:27 , which gives the number at seventy-five, and makes it up by inserting the son and grandson of Manasseh, two sons and a grandson of Ephraim. With them i…
barnesActs 7:14: "Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls."
All his kindred - His father and family, Genesis 45:17-28 ; Genesis 46:1-26 . Threescore and fifteen souls - Seventy-five persons. There has been much perplexity felt in the explanation of this passage. In Genesis 46:26, Exodus 1:5, and Deuteronomy 10:22, it is expressly said that the number which went down to Egypt consisted of 70 persons. The question is, in what way these acc…
Stephen, echoing the Greek translation of Scripture common in his day, gives a count of seventy-five people. This subtle difference from the Hebrew text, which lists seventy, highlights how Scripture can be passed down and understood in various ways, each carrying its own insights. The core message remains: God's promises are unfolding, and His people, through every generation and variation in counting, are being gathered.
Stephen is recounting the history of Israel, highlighting God's faithfulness even when his people struggled. He's just spoken of Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and his subsequent rise to power in Egypt. In this passage, Joseph finally reveals himself and brings his entire family, including his father Jacob, to Egypt to escape the famine.
Stephen is recounting the history of Israel, highlighting God's faithfulness even when his people struggled. He's just spoken of Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and his subsequent rise to power in Egypt. In this passage, Joseph finally reveals himself and brings his entire family, including his father Jacob, to Egypt to escape the famine.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Acts 7:14-16 is available in the Sola app.
The key takeaway isn't the exact number, but the event Stephen is describing: the gathering of Jacob’s entire family into Egypt, a crucial step in God’s redemptive history. The Spirit inspired Luke to record Stephen’s words, showing that God’s message can be faithfully conveyed through different, yet historically connected, textual traditions. It encourages us to trust the overarching message of God's Word, even when we encounter textual variations that were understood within their historical and linguistic contexts.
"And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bo…" — Stephen, echoing the Greek translation of Scripture common in his day, gives a count of seventy-five people. This subtle difference from the Hebrew text, which lists seventy, highlights how Scripture…
