John Gill Commentary Exodus 1

Now these are the names of the children of Israel which
came down into Egypt

Of the twelve patriarchs, the sons of Jacob, who were heads of the twelve tribes, whose names are here given; since the historian is about to give an account of their coming out of Egypt, and that it might be observed how greatly they increased in it, and how exactly the promise to Abraham, of the multiplication of his seed, was fulfilled:

or, "and these are the names" ^F2 this book being connected with the former by the copulative "and"; and when this was wrote, it is highly probable there was no division of the books made, but the history proceeded in one continued account:

every man and his household came with Jacob ;
into Egypt, all excepting Joseph, and along with them their families, wives, children, and servants; though wives and servants are not reckoned into the number of the seventy, only such as came out of Jacob's loins: the Targum of Jonathan is, ``a man with the men of his house,'' as if only male children were meant, the sons of Jacob and his grandsons; and Aben Ezra observes, that women were never reckoned in Scripture as of the household or family; but certainly Dinah, and Serah, as they came into Egypt with Jacob, are reckoned among the seventy that came with him thither, (Genesis 46:15Genesis 46:17Genesis 46:27) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F2: (hlaw) "et haec", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah .
] The first sons of Jacob by Leah.

Issachar, Zebulun
The other two sons of Jacob, by Leah:

Benjamin ;
the youngest of all Jacob's sons is placed here, being his son by his beloved wife Rachel. Joseph is not put into the account, because he did not go into Egypt with Jacob.

Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher .
] Who are last mentioned, being sons of the concubine wives.

And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were
seventy souls
"Souls" are put for persons; of the number seventy, and how reckoned, (See Gill on Genesis 46:27). This was but a small number that went down to Egypt, when compared with that which went out of it; and that it should be compared with it is the design of its being mentioned, see (Exodus 12:37) :

for Joseph was in Egypt already ;
and is the reason why he is not reckoned among the sons of Jacob, that came thither with him; though rather it may be better rendered, "with Joseph who was in Egypt" ^F3 ; for he must be reckoned, and indeed his two sons also, to make up the number seventy; therefore Jonathan rightly supplies it,

FOOTNOTES:

• F3: (Poyw) "cum Josepho qui erat in Aegypto", Junius & Tremellius, Ainsworth, Noldius, No. 1197. p. 273. so the Arabic version, Kimchi, and Ben Melech.