“¹Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: ²Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.”

– Exodus 1:1-4 (NKJV)

“Now these are the names of the children of Israel (a) (i.e. The People Of God, A Treasured Possession, The People of His [Old; First] Covenant; also literally, for the sake of the understanding of the hearers and writers of The Word within linear time, at that time: the biological children of [the man] Israel, once Jacob; and inasmuch as he – as the final establishing Patriarch of The Faith – represents the entire nation, so do each of his children represent its tribes, as is yet to be fully revealed within this foundational book. The image of The True [Heavenly] Father and His Beloved Children is here also firmly established as the nation will continue to be referred to as “the children of Israel” throughout the Old Covenant in harbinging preparation for the full revelation of God as Father and the perfect, ultimate reconciliation with Him worked on behalf of The Children by His Only Begotten Son, the Firstfruits and Eldest Son, Jesus The Christ. With the establishment of Fathers of The Faith and Jacob as biological father  with whom God equates Himself symbolically, God stoops low to reveal His character thróúgh His broken people fór  His broken people in a perfect expression of Divine Wisdom, Humility and Love) who came to Egypt (b) (The Book of Exodus also instantly re-introduces the imagery of exile, pilgrimage and sojourning in “the world” [1 John 5:19] – here represented by the historically pagan nation Egypt; a place utterly foreign to The True Home of The Children of God: The Promised Land. The phrase “came to” also bringing to remembrance the fall of man and consequent curse: “therefore the LORD God sent him out of  the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken” [Gen 3:23]); each man and his household came (c) (The Children Of Israel having already grown in number exponentially in accordance with The Promise given unto The First Patriarch, Abraham: “I will make you a great nation” [Gen 12:2], even whilst he was yet Abram. We see here that no man – “each ” & “and his household ” – is left behind for the sake of the ultimate and greatest measure of glory to God) with Jacob (d) (The human image-bearer of THE Father under whose tutelage, leading and provision – [read: “with ”] – the nation is established and comes]: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher (e) (Excludes Joseph, the set-apart son [Gen 49:26], for reasons soon to be revealed . . .).”