Genesis 46:26

26 And all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, who came out of his loins, besides the wives of the sons of Jacob, all the souls were sixty-six.

Genesis 46:26 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 46:26

All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt
These are in parcels before mentioned, but here they are brought to a sum total; and by this phrase are excluded those that died before, as Er and Onan, and those that were in Egypt before, as Joseph and his two sons; and I should think also all that were born in Egypt afterwards, even while Jacob was living: those reckoned are only such, which came out of his loins:
such as were his seed and offspring. This is observed for the sake of what follows, and to exclude them: besides Jacob's sons' wives;
these do not come into the account, because they did not spring from him: all the souls [were] threescore and six;
thirty two of Leah's, leaving out Er and Onan, sixteen of Zilpah's, fourteen of Rachel's, and seven of Bilhah's, make sixty nine; take out of them Joseph and his two sons, who were in Egypt before, and you have the exact number of sixty six.

Genesis 46:26 In-Context

24 And the sons of Nephthalim; Asiel, and Goni, and Issaar, and Sollem.

25 These the sons of Balla, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, who bore these to Jacob; all the souls, seven.

26 And all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, who came out of his loins, besides the wives of the sons of Jacob, all the souls were sixty-six.

27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in the land of Egypt, were nine souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob who came with Joseph into Egypt, were seventy-five souls.

28 And he sent Judas before him to Joseph, to meet him to the city of Heroes, into the land of Ramesses.

Footnotes

• [a]. Gr. thighs.