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Research Paper | Synapse

March 14, 2026

Jacob’s Family Goes to Egypt: Varying Portraits of Unity and Disunity in the Textual Traditions of Exodus 1:1–5

Key Points

This research examines the textual variants in Exodus 1:1–5 and their implications for understanding Jacob's family dynamics.
Comparative analysis of textual variants from MT, SP, 4QExodb, and LXX
Close reading of variant narratives
Identification of themes in family representation
Variants highlight a fractured portrayal of Jacob's family in MT and SP
Contrasting narratives in 4QExodb and LXX emphasize family unity
Textual variants suggest deeper significance in family dynamics in Exodus

Abstract

Abstract Several textual variants are present in the various witnesses to the text of Exod 1:1–5 (MT, SP, 4QExodb, LXX). Although at first glance most of these variants seem unrelated and unimportant, a close reading of the text suggests that they are neither. One stream of tradition (MT, SP) contains variants that, taken together, stress the fractured nature of Jacob's family. Another stream of tradition (4QExodb, LXX) seeks to downplay the family differences.

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Authors

A

Andrew E. Steinmann

Concordia University Chicago

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Institutions

Ashland University

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Cite this study

Andrew E. Steinmann (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69b4adc718185d8a39801b7a — DOI: https://doi.org/10.15699/tc.2.1997.04