Deuteronomy 10:22

Authorized King James Version

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Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Original Language Analysis

בְּשִׁבְעִ֣ים with threescore and ten H7657
בְּשִׁבְעִ֣ים with threescore and ten
Strong's: H7657
Word #: 1 of 12
seventy
נֶ֔פֶשׁ persons H5315
נֶ֔פֶשׁ persons
Strong's: H5315
Word #: 2 of 12
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
יָֽרְד֥וּ went down H3381
יָֽרְד֥וּ went down
Strong's: H3381
Word #: 3 of 12
to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); cau
אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ Thy fathers H1
אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ Thy fathers
Strong's: H1
Word #: 4 of 12
father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
מִצְרָ֑יְמָה into Egypt H4714
מִצְרָ֑יְמָה into Egypt
Strong's: H4714
Word #: 5 of 12
mitsrajim, i.e., upper and lower egypt
וְעַתָּ֗ה H6258
וְעַתָּ֗ה
Strong's: H6258
Word #: 6 of 12
at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive
שָֽׂמְךָ֙ hath made H7760
שָֽׂמְךָ֙ hath made
Strong's: H7760
Word #: 7 of 12
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
יְהוָ֣ה and now the LORD H3068
יְהוָ֣ה and now the LORD
Strong's: H3068
Word #: 8 of 12
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ thy God H430
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ thy God
Strong's: H430
Word #: 9 of 12
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of
כְּכֽוֹכְבֵ֥י thee as the stars H3556
כְּכֽוֹכְבֵ֥י thee as the stars
Strong's: H3556
Word #: 10 of 12
a star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם of heaven H8064
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם of heaven
Strong's: H8064
Word #: 11 of 12
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
לָרֹֽב׃ for multitude H7230
לָרֹֽב׃ for multitude
Strong's: H7230
Word #: 12 of 12
abundance (in any respect)

Analysis & Commentary

Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons—the exact number recorded in Genesis 46:27 and Exodus 1:5. The Hebrew shiv'im nefesh (שִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ) literally means 'seventy souls,' emphasizing the smallness of Jacob's household. Now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude—fulfilling God's covenant promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:5). The census in Numbers 1:46 recorded 603,550 fighting men, suggesting a total population over two million.

This verse climaxes Moses's rehearsal of God's faithfulness (10:12-22). From seventy to millions in four centuries demonstrates God's power to multiply what He blesses. The astronomical metaphor recalls both Abraham's promise and the impossibility of the fulfillment apart from divine intervention. Israel's existence itself was proof of covenant fidelity.

Historical Context

Moses delivered this sermon circa 1406 BC on the plains of Moab, forty years after the Exodus. The original seventy who went to Egypt (circa 1876 BC) included Jacob's sons and their families during the severe famine. The multiplication occurred during 430 years in Egypt (Exodus 12:40), initially prosperous under Joseph's influence, then oppressive under pharaohs who 'knew not Joseph.'

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