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.

The Children of Israel Settle and Grow

1
These are the names of the sons of Isra'el who came into Egypt with Ya'akov; each man came with his household: ​
2
Re'uven, Shim'on, Levi, Y'hudah,
3
Yissakhar, Z'vulun, Binyamin,
4
Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher.
5
All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya'akov; Yosef was already in Egypt. ​
6
Yosef died, as did all his brothers and all that generation.
7
The descendants of Isra'el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them. ​

The Egyptians Oppress Israel

8
Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef ​
9
but said to his people, "Look, the descendants of Isra'el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us.
10
Come, let's use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they'll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether."
11
So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra'amses. ​
12
But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra'el ​
13
and worked them relentlessly,
14
making their lives bitter with hard labor -digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.

Pharaoh Attempts Genocide

15
Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu'ah. ​
16
"When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth," he said, "if it's a boy, kill him; but if it's a girl, let her live." ​
17
However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn't do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live. ​
18
The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?"
19
The midwives answered Pharaoh, "It's because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women -they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives."
20
Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful.
21
Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families. ​
22
Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls 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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