These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse, by beginning with "names" and focusing on each "household," emphasizes that this vast nation didn't just appear; it started with specific individuals and their families. It’s a reminder that God’s grand plans are always rooted in personal connections and the intimate details of people's lives.
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse begins the book of Exodus by listing the names of Jacob's descendants who migrated to Egypt, setting the stage for their future miraculous multiplication and eventual deliverance. It bridges the end of Genesis, which recounts Joseph's life and family's arrival in Egypt, with the unfolding national history of Israel. The initial focus is on the relatively small family unit that entered Egypt, highlighting the humble beginnings from which God would build a mighty nation.
Exodus begins with a surprising repetition of information found in Genesis. Why does Moses do this?
The very first verse of Exodus, 'These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household,' acts as a deliberate bridge. Moses, the author, is connecting the end of the Genesis narrative (the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's family) with the beginning of the Exodus narrative (the story of the nation of Israel).
A Smooth Transition
This isn't just a casual mention; it's a crucial literary device. By starting with this familiar list, Moses reminds readers of the foundational family – the twelve sons of Jacob and their descendants – setting the stage for their incredible growth and eventual deliverance. It ensures that the story of the nation doesn't feel like it starts out of nowhere, but flows logically from the history of the patriarchs.
Just a small family, right? How could this group become a whole nation?
Exodus 1:1 introduces us to the 'sons of Israel,' along with their 'households.' This phrase, 'each with his household,' is significant. It implies not just immediate family, but extended family, servants, and dependants.
From Family Unit to Multiplied People
While the exact number who came to Egypt is debated (around 70 souls including Jacob), this verse highlights that they weren't just individuals, but were already structured units. This small, close-knit group was the 'seed' from which God would grow an enormous nation, fulfilling His promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. This verse is a humble beginning, a quiet foundation for a future marvel.
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Understand the original words
yisra'el · Hebrew Proper Noun
A personal designation used by God for the patriarch Jacob, symbolizing the covenantal identity of the people chosen by God to be His own nation. It represents the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and Isaac.
mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
Refers to the land of the Nile, frequently serving in Scripture as a place of both refuge and oppression for God's people, often symbolizing the world from which God redeems His children.
ya'aqob · Hebrew Proper Noun
The name given by God to the grandson of Abraham, later renamed Israel; he is the primary patriarch through whom the twelve tribes were established. His life serves as a model of God's sovereign grace and the development of the covenant family.
beythow · Hebrew Noun
A term often translated as 'house' or 'family,' denoting not just a building but the entire kinship group, lineage, and structure of familial authority and belonging under the patriarch.
This opening verse grounds the grand narrative of Israel's liberation in the specific, humble beginnings of Jacob's family migrating to Egypt. It highlights how God's vast promises to Abraham began with a small, vulnerable group, setting the stage for a miraculous multiplication to come.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham's Covenant
God promises Abraham an innumerable offspring and an ancestral land, establishing the foundational covenant with his lineage.
c. 1700 BC— this verse
Jacob's Family Moves to Egypt
Jacob and his extended family, numbering around 70 individuals, relocate to Egypt seeking refuge and sustenance during a famine, settling in the region of Goshen.
c. 1600 BC - 1500 BC
Israelite Sojourn in Egypt
The descendants of Jacob live in Egypt, initially prospering but eventually facing growing subjugation and hardship as their numbers increase.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus
Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites depart from Egypt after generations of slavery, marking a pivotal moment of liberation and national formation.
This passage directly lists the names and households of the sons of Israel who accompanied Jacob into Egypt, serving as the foundational account for the statement in Exodus 1:1.
Deuteronomy 10:22This verse echoes the theme of Jacob's descendants going down into Egypt, and contrasts their small beginning with their future multitude, highlighting God's promise.
Acts 7:14Stephen's speech recounts the story of Israel's migration to Egypt, mentioning Joseph sending for Jacob and all his relatives, which provides a New Testament perspective on this event.
Psalm 105:23-24This psalm praises God for bringing His people out of Egypt and speaks of them multiplying greatly, directly reflecting the beginning of the events described in Exodus 1.
Isaiah 51:1-2This passage calls on the people to remember Abraham and Sarah as their ancestor, emphasizing their small, seemingly insignificant beginnings and God's multiplication, mirroring the situation of Jacob's family.
calvinExodus 1:1-7: "Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob."
- These are the names It is the intention of Moses to describe the miraculous deliverance of the people, (from whence the Greeks gave the name to the book;) but, before he comes to that, he briefly reminds us that the promise given to Abraham was not ineffectual, that his seed should be multiplied
"as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the…
clarkeExodus 1:1: "Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob."
These are the names - Though this book is a continuation or the book of Genesis, with which probably it was in former times conjoined, Moses thought it necessary to introduce it with an account of the names and number of the family of Jacob when they came to Egypt, to show that though they were then very few, yet in a short time, under the especial blessing of God…
This verse, by beginning with "names" and focusing on each "household," emphasizes that this vast nation didn't just appear; it started with specific individuals and their families. It’s a reminder that God’s grand plans are always rooted in personal connections and the intimate details of people's lives.
This verse begins the book of Exodus by listing the names of Jacob's descendants who migrated to Egypt, setting the stage for their future miraculous multiplication and eventual deliverance. It bridges the end of Genesis, which recounts Joseph's life and family's arrival in Egypt, with the unfolding national history of Israel. The initial focus is on the relatively small family unit that entered Egypt, highlighting the humble beginnings from which God would build a mighty nation.
This verse begins the book of Exodus by listing the names of Jacob's descendants who migrated to Egypt, setting the stage for their future miraculous multiplication and eventual deliverance. It bridges the end of Genesis, which recounts Joseph's life and family's arrival in Egypt, with the unfolding national history of Israel. The initial focus is on the relatively small family unit that entered Egypt, highlighting the humble beginnings from which God would build a mighty nation.
"These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher." — This verse, by beginning with "names" and focusing on each "household," emphasizes that this vast nation didn't just appear; it started with specific individuals and their families. It’s a reminder t…
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Last reviewed October 2026