Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsGenesis 46

Came to the well of oath.

^◦ In this holy place (called Bersebee, that is, well of oath ) where Abraham and Isaac had confirmed by oath their league with the Kings of the country, and erected Altars, Jacob also consulted God about his going into Ægypt, and was commanded to go with all that he had.

• ◦ God revealeth his will in holy places.

Sixty six. 27. Seventy.

^[1] The difficulty in these two verses, concerning the number of Israelites that were at first in Ægypt with Jacob, is easily explicated, that just sixty six, of his own issue came in with him; and himself being counted maketh sixty seven, adding also Joseph (who was there before) and his two sons Manasses and Ephraim (born there) they were in all seventy.

But a far greater difficulty remaineth: for besides these seventy persons, the Septuagint Greek Interpreters number and name five more; to wit, a son and a nephew of Manasses (the first called Machir, the other Galaad,) and two sons of Ephraim (called Sutalaam, and Taam,) and one nephew (named Edem ) which number seventy five S. Steven also citeth ^[2], following the vulgar known Scripture of the Septuagint, rather than the Hebrew text. Now in what sense these five could be said to have entered into Ægypt with Jacob, being not then born, nay some of them not born during Jacob's life, for Jacob lived but seventeen years in Ægypt (chap. 47. v. 28.) and Joseph being married but nine years before (for this was the second dear year after the seven plentiful years) his sons could not exceed seven or eight years, when Jacob came to Ægypt; and so being but 24. or 25. years old at his death, could not then be grand fathers: how therefore these five named by the Septuagint, and some others, not then born, of the lines of Phares and Benjamin, recited here by Moyses, could be said to come with Jacob into Ægypt, S. Augustin findeth so insoluble, that he doubteth not to affirm, some great hidden mystery to be understood by the Septuagint Interpreters, in these numbers ^[3], not otherwise perhaps explicable according to the letter.

• 1 A difficulty how many Israelites came at first into Ægypt.
• 2 Act. 7.
• 3 Numbers mystical, sometimes not explicable in the literal sense.