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
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): ​
2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5
All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already. ​
6
Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
7
The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. ​

The Egyptians Oppress Israel

8
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. ​
9
He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10
Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land.”
11
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. ​
12
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel. ​
13
The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
14
and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

Pharaoh Attempts Genocide

15
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, ​
16
and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ​
17
But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive. ​
18
The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?”
19
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
20
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21
Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. ​
22
Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.” ​

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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