“He was named Jacob.” For an overview of the chronology of Jacob, see commentary on Genesis 47:9.

“Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them.” Jacob was born when Isaac was 60 years old (Gen. 25:26), and lived 147 years (Gen. 47:28). The key to dating the events of Jacob’s life is that Jacob was 130 years old when he stood before Pharaoh (Gen. 47:9). This was the second year of the famine (Gen. 45:6 and 45:9). Joseph would have been 39 years old that same year. Thus the age of Jacob at Joseph’s birth was 91 years. Joseph was born in the last year of Jacob’s 14-year service for Laban (Gen. 30:25-26). So Jacob was 77 years old when he started working for Laban and 84 years old when he married Leah and Rachel. He was 97 when he returned from Haran to the land of Judah (Gen. 31:38-41). Given that Jacob had two wives and two concubines, he had 11 of his 12 sons in just seven years.^a