GOD BLESSED THE PEOPLE TO INCREASE
Key verse: 20
NIV
The Israelites Oppressed
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel(A) who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.(B) 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy[a] in all;(C) Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,(D) 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers(E) and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.(F) 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous(G) for us.(H) 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly(I) with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”(J)
11 So they put slave masters(K) over them to oppress them with forced labor,(L) and they built Pithom and Rameses(M) as store cities(N) for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly.(O) 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor(P) in brick(Q) and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.(R)
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,(S) whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”(T) 17 The midwives, however, feared(U) God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;(V) they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”(W)
20 So God was kind to the midwives(X) and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared(Y) God, he gave them families(Z) of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile,(AA) but let every girl live.”(AB)
Footnotes
- Exodus 1:5 Masoretic Text (see also Gen. 46:27); Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14 and note at Gen. 46:27) seventy-five
Cross references
- Exodus 1:1 : S Ge 46:8
- Exodus 1:4 : Ge 35:22-26; Nu 1:20-43
- Exodus 1:5 : S Ge 46:26
- Exodus 1:6 : Ge 50:26; Ac 7:15
- Exodus 1:7 : ver 9; S Ge 12:2; Dt 7:13; Eze 16:7
- Exodus 1:8 : Jer 43:11; 46:2
- Exodus 1:9 : S ver 7
- Exodus 1:9 : S Ge 26:16
- Exodus 1:10 : Ge 15:13; Ex 3:7; 18:11; Ps 64:2; 71:10; 83:3; Isa 53:3
- Exodus 1:10 : Ps 105:24-25; Ac 7:17-19
- Exodus 1:11 : Ex 3:7; 5:10, 13, 14
- Exodus 1:11 : S Ge 15:13; Ex 2:11; 5:4; 6:6-7; Jos 9:27; 1Ki 9:21; 1Ch 22:2; Isa 60:10
- Exodus 1:11 : S Ge 47:11
- Exodus 1:11 : 1Ki 9:19; 2Ch 8:4
- Exodus 1:13 : ver 14; Ge 15:13-14; Ex 5:21; 16:3; Lev 25:43, 46, 53; Dt 4:20; 26:6; 1Ki 8:51; Ps 129:1; Isa 30:6; 48:10; Jer 11:4
- Exodus 1:14 : Dt 26:6; Ezr 9:9; Isa 14:3
- Exodus 1:14 : S Ge 11:3
- Exodus 1:14 : Ex 2:23; 3:9; Nu 20:15; 1Sa 10:18; 2Ki 13:4; Ps 66:11; 81:6; Ac 7:19
- Exodus 1:15 : S Ge 35:17
- Exodus 1:16 : ver 22
- Exodus 1:17 : ver 21; Pr 16:6
- Exodus 1:17 : 1Sa 22:17; Da 3:16-18; Ac 4:18-20; 5:29
- Exodus 1:19 : Lev 19:11; Jos 2:4-6; 1Sa 19:14; 2Sa 17:20
- Exodus 1:20 : Pr 11:18; 22:8; Ecc 8:12; Isa 3:10; Heb 6:10
- Exodus 1:21 : S ver 17
- Exodus 1:21 : 1Sa 2:35; 2Sa 7:11, 27-29; 1Ki 11:38; 14:10
- Exodus 1:22 : S Ge 41:1
- Exodus 1:22 : ver 16; Ac 7:19
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt
1 (A)These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the descendants of Jacob were (B)seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then (C)Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 (D)But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
Pharaoh Oppresses Israel
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, (E)who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, (F)the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 (G)Come, (H)let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them (I)to afflict them with heavy (J)burdens. They built for Pharaoh (K)store cities, Pithom and (L)Raamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel (M)work as slaves 14 and (N)made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives (O)feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 (P)So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, (Q)he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, (R)“Every son that is born to the Hebrews[a] you shall cast into (S)the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 1:22 Samaritan, Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew lacks to the Hebrews
Cross references
- Exodus 1:1 : For ver. 1-4, see Gen. 35:23-26; 46:8-26
- Exodus 1:5 : Gen. 46:27; Deut. 10:22
- Exodus 1:6 : Gen. 50:26
- Exodus 1:7 : Deut. 26:5; Acts 7:17; [Gen. 46:3]
- Exodus 1:8 : Cited Acts 7:18
- Exodus 1:9 : Ps. 105:24
- Exodus 1:10 : Ps. 83:3, 4
- Exodus 1:10 : Ps. 105:25; Acts 7:19
- Exodus 1:11 : ch. 3:7; Gen. 15:13; Deut. 26:6
- Exodus 1:11 : ch. 2:11; 5:4, 5; 6:6, 7; Ps. 81:6
- Exodus 1:11 : [2 Chr. 16:4]
- Exodus 1:11 : [ch. 12:37; Gen. 47:11]
- Exodus 1:13 : See ch. 5:7-19
- Exodus 1:14 : [ch. 2:23; 6:9; Num. 20:15; Acts 7:19, 34]
- Exodus 1:17 : Prov. 16:6; [Dan. 3:16-18; 6:13; Acts 5:29]
- Exodus 1:20 : [Eccles. 8:12]
- Exodus 1:21 : [1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 7:11, 27; 1 Kgs. 2:24; 11:38; Ps. 127:1]
- Exodus 1:22 : Acts 7:19
- Exodus 1:22 : Gen. 41:1
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
Exodus Introduction
Exodus continues the story of Genesis, telling how God fulfilled his promises to Abraham (Ge 12:2; 15:13-14). To do so God calls Moses (1-3), redeems his people from slavery through plagues on the Egyptians and the Passover (4-13), leads his people to cross the Red Sea and journey in the wilderness to Mt. Sinai (14-18), where he establishes with them the covenant of the Law (19-24) and gives them plans to build the Tabernacle, so they may be a God-centered community to worship (25-4
).
Exodus 19:4-6 reveals God's purpose in delivering these people and calling them to himself: to be his people, his treasured possession – a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. How are they to live as his people? By obeying and keeping his Covenant of Law, such as the well-known Ten Commandments. He shows them how to live in community with God at the center, through the Tabernacle, priesthood, and sacrificial system, as well as festivals and Sabbaths. Taken alongside the book of Hebrews, all these point us to Jesus.
In this way Exodus echoes the salvation we have in Jesus, our Passover lamb (1Co 5:7). Although our context is different, God's grace of redemption, his love and hope, continue to inspire us and call us to live out his desire for justice, mercy, and worship in our day. We learn how to live as his chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, declaring the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light (1Pe 2:9).
1. Pharaoh feared the Israelites increasing (1-14). Seventy immigrant descendants of Jacob became exceedingly numerous, increasing for hundreds of years. They lived separately, but at peace with Egypt, until a new king appeared. He no longer saw Joseph as a national hero, but rather began to fear how fast the Hebrews multiplied. He used his political power to enact systemic policies of abuse against God's people, enslaving them as laborers. The lives of God's people became bitter and harsh under ruthless masters. Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied.
2. Midwives feared God (15-22).
How was it possible for them to keep increasing? One reason was two midwives who defied the Pharaoh's order to kill baby boys. They did this because they feared God more than people (Pr 29:25), and God blessed them with families of their own. This story shows God was with his people, faithfully fulfilling his promise to Abraham (Ge 22:17). But fear of people drove Pharaoh to genocide: throw all the baby boys into the Nile.
Prayer: Father, you were with your people and caused them to increase even in hardship and oppression. Help me to fear you as the midwives, and be blessed and a blessing to your people.
One Word: God blesses his people to increase
