Verse 14: “Joseph sent to call his father Jacob and all of his relatives, 75 souls that went down.”

Sent to call: Jacob thought that Joseph was dead. The purpose of him being called to Joseph shows him being called to witness a type of resurrection.

75 souls: Genesis 46v27 tells us that there were 70 people who went to Egypt, so why does it say 75 here?

There are two traditions, or primary textual manuscripts, of the Torah. The Old Testament (as we know it today) is based on the Masoretic text and our New Testament is based on the Septuagint.

1. The Masoretic text was completed in +- 700AD. In the Masoretic text it speaks of 70 souls – 66 + Joseph + Jacob+ Ephraim + Manasseh = 70

2. The Dead Sea Scrolls (written in Hebrew) were written around the time of Messiah’s birth (completed much earlier than the Masoretic text). These are in closer agreement with the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Bible, and it is a better manuscript than the Masoretic one. This is the translation that the New Testament writers based their writings and quotes on. In the Dead Sea Scrolls the
number of people who went to Egypt agrees with Stephen – 75 in all. 66 souls + Jacob +Joseph +Ephraim+ Manasseh + 5 of Joseph’s grandsons (born in Egypt, as per the LXX) = 75 in total.

Verse 15: “And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he died, and also our fathers.”

Our fathers: Referring to the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel (The sons of Jacob).

Verse 16: “And they were transferred into Shechem, and they were put in the tomb which Abraham bought with the price of silver (money) from the sons of Hamor at Shechem.”

They were transferred: μετετέθησαν This word means to set something with something else, alongside, or side by side.

Abraham bought: In Genesis 23, we read that Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah in Hebron from Ephron the Hittite (Machpelah means ‘multiplying’ or ‘doubling’ – The cave of the doubles). Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah are buried in these caves. This verse is not referring to that transaction.

Joseph was buried in Shechem – Joshua 24v32 (and what this verse is alluding to was that the 12 sons of Jacob were also all buried in Shechem)

A piece of land had been purchased from Hamor at Shechem by Jacob (Joshua 24v32). Why then does it say that Abraham purchased it?
Many times, in Judaism, out of respect, people will do something in the name of someone else (in memory of them, like a memorial).
Shechem was the first place that Abraham stopped, after leaving Haran, to offer a sacrifice to the L-rd (Genesis 12v6-7). Jacob (in Genesis 33v18-19) either redeemed this land in Shechem because Abraham had purchased it at an earlier time, or he purchased the land in memory of his father. Either way, Jacob took ownership of land that God had promised to Abraham for his descendants (Genesis 12v7)

Verse 17: “As the time of the fulfilment of the promise came about (drew near), as God swore to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt.” The people: The Jewish people Grew and multiplied: They did so in a supernatural way.

Verse 18: “There arose another king who did not know Joseph.”

Verse 19: “This one dealt treacherously with our kindred. He did evil to our forefathers at the time that there was the throwing of their children (into the Nile) in order that they would not live.”

Dealt treacherously: The word used here has ‘wisdom’ in it, but also means to put something down. This king dealt in an intelligently underhanded way, cunningly, deceitfully.

Our kindred: The Jewish race That they would not live: He wanted to destroy the seed of Abraham, as he saw the anointing of God on the people.