There were more than 75 people in Jacob's extended family.
[Genesis 46:26 NASB] All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob's sons, [were] sixty-six persons in all,
- Only the direct decedents of Jacob
- Excluding the wives of Jacob's sons
- Comes to 66 persons DESCENDED from Jacob
- Plus Jacob (66+1 = 67)
[Genesis 46:27 NASB] 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, [were] seventy.
- to the 67 persons, add
- Joseph and 2 sons (67+3 = 70)
So 70 persons of the House of Jacob (plus the wives of his sons) traveled to Egypt.
[Act 7:14 NASB] 14 "Then Joseph sent [word] and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons [in all.]
- The Septuagint states that Joseph had 9 sons and 75 people went to Egypt.
- Since the figure of 70 in the Masoretic text clearly claims to exclude some people, there are multiple possibilities for how both the Septuagint and Stephen could have arrived at the figure of 75 persons.
- Start with 66 Decedents of Jacob and add some combination of the following:
- Jacob's wife and 2 concubines
- Joseph
- Joseph's wives
- Joseph's sons
- Jacob's daughters and granddaughters [except Dinah (Genesis 46:15) and Serah (Genesis 46:17) who were included in the 66].
- Jacob's son's wives
- Jochebed (daughter of Levi conceived before the trip and born in Egypt - Numbers 26:59)
(note that Jacob is excluded from the 75 since it was Jacob and 75 persons).
