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Exodus 1

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The Children of Israel Settle and Grow 1–7

1
Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which 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
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. ​
6
And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7
And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. ​

The Israelites Oppressed 8–14

8
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. ​
9
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10
Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. ​
12
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. ​
13
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
14
And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Pharaoh Attempts Genocide 15–22

15
And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: ​
16
And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. ​
17
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. ​
18
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
19
And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
20
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21
And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. ​
22
And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 1

Verse 1

the names of the children of Israel — The book opens with the words of Gen 46:8, 'these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt', and so continues Genesis. The Hebrew title, Shemoth, is 'names'. Verses 2–4 name eleven sons; Joseph, already in Egypt, comes in v.5.

Verse 5

seventy souls — The 'seventy souls' that 'came out of the loins' (yarek, thigh) of Jacob are the total of Gen 46:27, which includes Joseph and his two sons born in Egypt. Moses recalls the number in Deut 10:22: 'Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.'

Verse 7

fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied — Four verbs of blessing in one verse: parah, sharats (swarm; 'bring forth abundantly' in Gen 1:20 and 9:7), rabah and atsam, 'waxed mighty'. They carry the command of Gen 1:22 and the promise to Jacob of 'a great nation' there (Gen 46:3); Gen 47:27 has Israel in Egypt that 'grew, and multiplied exceedingly'.

Verse 8

knew not Joseph — Stephen cites the verse, 'another king arose, which knew not Joseph' (Acts 7:18). Yada, to know, covers acknowledging as well as having heard of. Joseph had been set 'over all the land of Egypt' (Gen 41:41); this king did not acknowledge him, and what follows (vv.9–10) is a plan against Joseph's kinsmen.

Verse 11

taskmasters to afflict them — The verb anah, to afflict, is that of the LORD's word to Abram, 'they shall afflict them four hundred years' (Gen 15:13). The 'taskmasters' are literally princes of burdens (sare missim). 'Treasure cities' (miskenoth) are store cities, and Rameses is also the name of the land in which Joseph settled his family (Gen 47:11).

Verse 12

the more they multiplied and grew — Parats, to break out. The affliction of v.11 is the one foretold in Gen 15:13, and Ps 105:24 says of it that the LORD 'increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies'. 'Grieved' is quts, dread or loathing, the word for Moab 'distressed' by Israel in Num 22:3.

Verse 15

Shiphrah… Puah — The two midwives are named, and their story is told before that of Moses. 'Hebrew' (ibri) is how Egyptians speak of Israel's people (Gen 39:14; 41:12). Pharaoh sends first to them (vv.15–16), and when they refuse (v.17) he turns to all his people (v.22).

Verse 16

upon the stools — Obnayim, literally 'two stones', occurs only here and in Jer 18:3, where the potter 'wrought a work on the wheels'; it is the seat on which a woman gave birth. The order spares the daughters and kills the sons, and the river of v.22 is the one by which Moses is laid (2:3).

Verse 17

the midwives feared God — Abraham had once said of a city, 'the fear of God is not in this place' (Gen 20:11); here that fear keeps two women from doing 'as the king of Egypt commanded'. Peter and the apostles state the principle: 'We ought to obey God rather than men' (Acts 5:29). The boys are saved 'alive'.

Verse 21

he made them houses — Bayith is a household, a family line. To make a house is the LORD's language of blessing for a family: 'the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house' (2 Sam 7:11). The reason is stated: 'because the midwives feared God', as v.20 says, 'God dealt well with the midwives'.

Verse 22

cast into the river — Yeor, the Nile (the Egyptian word for the river), where every son is to be thrown. Stephen describes the decree: 'they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live' (Acts 7:19). Moses' parents were 'not afraid of the king's commandment' (Heb 11:23) when they hid him (2:2).