Exodus1

Exodus 1 begins by listing Jacob's descendants who came into Egypt, noting their rapid multiplication after Joseph's death. A new Pharaoh, unaware of Joseph, feared their growing numbers and oppressed them with harsh labor. When this failed to curb their growth, he commanded Hebrew midwives to kill all male infants, but they defied him, leading Pharaoh to order all male babies cast into the river.
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The Children of Israel Settle and Grow

1
These are the names of the sons of Israel 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.
5
The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt. ​
6
Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
7
but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. ​

The Egyptians Oppress Israel

8
Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt. ​
9
“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.
10
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”
11
So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. ​
12
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. ​
13
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly
14
and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

Pharaoh Attempts Genocide

15
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ​
16
“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.” ​
17
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live. ​
18
So 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, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
20
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous.
21
And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own. ​
22
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.” ​

Study Notes for Exodus 1

Verse 1

This verse transitions the narrative from Genesis, establishing the foundational group (Jacob's household) that grew into the nation of Israel during the 400 years in Egypt.

Verse 5

The total number of 70 souls symbolizes completeness and marks the official beginning of the sojourn in Egypt, fulfilling the promise made to Jacob (Gen. 46:27).

Verse 7

The emphasis on Israel's rapid multiplication ('fruitful, increased, multiplied, waxed mighty') stresses the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:2; 17:6) and sets the stage for the conflict.

Verse 8

The phrase 'knew not Joseph' signifies not just historical ignorance, but a deliberate political choice by the new dynasty to disregard the debt owed to Joseph, justifying new policies of oppression.

Verse 11

The construction of Pithom and Raamses, likely storage or garrison cities, confirms the use of Israelite forced labor and provides a historical anchor for the setting of the oppression.

Verse 12

This reversal highlights a key theological theme: divine blessing overcomes human oppression, as Pharaoh's efforts to suppress Israel only resulted in greater growth.

Verse 15

Shiphrah and Puah are the first individuals named in Exodus who actively resist the tyranny of Pharaoh, introducing the theme of righteous civil disobedience.

Verse 16

Pharaoh's decree targets only male infants, a strategy aimed at eliminating the future leadership and military capacity of the Hebrews while preserving the females for assimilation or servitude.

Verse 17

The midwives’ 'fear of God' (reverence and obedience to divine law) superseded their fear of the king, setting a crucial precedent for resistance against unjust worldly power.

Verse 21

The phrase 'he made them houses' is an idiom signifying that God rewarded the midwives' faithfulness by granting them families, prosperity, or establishing their own enduring lineages.

Verse 22

This final, public decree shifts the responsibility for infanticide from specific professionals (midwives) to the entire Egyptian populace, escalating the conflict and confirming Pharaoh’s utter depravity.

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