R. Hiya, as he was once studying with R. Simeon, asked him: ‘Why does the Torah, in this passage (Ex. 1, 1-5), besides giving the total number of seventy souls, enumerate the twelve tribes by name? And further, why seventy?’ R. Simeon replied: ‘In order to bring out the contrast between the one nation and the seventy nations of the Gentiles in the world.
What is more,’ he went on, ‘the principalities that preside over the seventy nations issue from twelve axes that stretch out to all points of the compass. This is the significance of the words, “He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deut. 32, 8), and “For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven” (Zech. 2, 6): as the world cannot be without the four cardinal points, so cannot the nations be without Israel.
ר' חִיָּיא הֲוָה יָתִיב קָמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, אֲמַר לֵיהּ, מַה חָמָת אוֹרַיְיתָא לְמִמְנֵי בְּנוֹי דְּיַעֲקֹב, דְּאִינּוּן תְּרֵיסָר בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וּלְבָתַר כֵּן שִׁבְעִים דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשית מ״ו:כ״ז) כָּל הַנֶּפֶשׁ לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב הַבָּאָה מִצְרַיְמָה שִׁבְעִים. וּמַאי טַעְמָא שִׁבְעִים וְלַא יַתִּיר. אָמַר לֵיה, לְקָבֵּיל ע' אוּמִין, דְאִינוּן בְּעָלְמָא, וְאִינוּן הַווּ אוּמָה יְחִידָאָה לְקַבֵּל כֻּלְהוֹן.
R. Hiya, as he was once studying with R. Simeon, asked him: ‘Why does the Torah, in this passage (Ex. 1, 1-5), besides giving the total number of seventy souls, enumerate the twelve tribes by name? And further, why seventy?’ R. Simeon replied: ‘In order to bring out the contrast between the one nation and the seventy nations of the Gentiles in the world.
וְתּוּ אָמַר לֵיה, תָּא חָזֵי, קַלְדִיטִין דְנַהֲרִין (גוברין) עֲנַפִין יַתְבִין בְּמַטְלְנֵיהוֹן, (נ"א במטולהון) מְמַנָן עַל שִׁבְעִין עַמָמִין, נָפְקִין מִתְּרֵיסָר גְּלִיפִין קְטוּרִין דְּאִסְתַּחֲרָן בְּמַטַּלְנֵיהוֹן, לְמִתְקְלָן לְאַרְבַּע רוּחֵי עָלְמָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (דברים ל״ב:ח׳) יַצֵּב גְּבוּלוֹת עַמִּים לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב, (זכריה ב׳:י׳) כִּי כְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם פֵּרַשְׂתִּי אֶתְכֶם, לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּאִינּוּן קַיְימִין בְּגִין יִשְׂרָאֵל. בְּאַרְבַּע לָא נְאֱמַר, אֶלָּא כְּאַרְבַּע. כְּמָה דְּאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְעָלְמָא בְּלא אַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת כַּךְ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְעָלְמָא בְּלא יִשְׂרָאֵל.
What is more,’ he went on, ‘the principalities that preside over the seventy nations issue from twelve axes that stretch out to all points of the compass. This is the significance of the words, “He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deut. 32, 8), and “For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven” (Zech. 2, 6): as the world cannot be without the four cardinal points, so cannot the nations be without Israel.