Exodus 1 Study Notes
General
What kinds of work does Exodus 1:13-14 say the Egyptians forced on the Israelites?
Answer: Making bricks and mortar, plus every sort of field labor
When the first wave of oppression fails, the Egyptians press harder. They force the Israelites to serve without mercy, making their lives miserable with the making of bricks and mortar and all kinds of labor in the fields (1:13-14). The repeated emphasis on harshness shows how heavy the burden became. This suffering is not ignored by God. The Israelites will eventually cry out (Exodus 2:23), and God will announce that He has seen their misery and knows what they are going through (Exodus 3:7). Israel later remembered that the LORD heard them and saw their oppression (Deuteronomy 26:7).
- Exodus 1:13-14 (BSB)“They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 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.”Egypt intensifies the labor, making Israel's lives bitter with brickmaking and field work.
- Exodus 2:23 (BSB)“After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.”The long bondage eventually drives Israel to groan and cry out to God.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”God declares that He has seen His people's affliction and knows their sufferings.
- Deuteronomy 26:7 (BSB)“So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression.”Israel later confesses that the LORD heard their voice and saw their toil and oppression.
Theological
How does Exodus 1:13-14 describe the intensified bondage, and how does God respond to it later in Exodus?
Answer: As ruthless labor in brick, mortar, and fields that embittered their lives, which God sees and answers
The narrator piles up terms for harsh servitude: Israel is worked ruthlessly, and their lives are made bitter with brick, mortar, and every kind of field labor (1:13-14). The escalation shows the oppressor's determination after the first measures fail. Yet the affliction is not beyond God's notice. Israel's groaning rises to God (Exodus 2:23), and at the bush the LORD declares that He has seen their affliction and knows their sufferings (Exodus 3:7), which Israel's creed later confesses (Deuteronomy 26:7). The bondage becomes the backdrop against which God reveals Himself as Redeemer.
- Exodus 1:13-14 (BSB)“They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 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.”Egypt intensifies the labor, making Israel's lives bitter with brickmaking and field work.
- Exodus 2:23 (BSB)“After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.”The long bondage eventually drives Israel to groan and cry out to God.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”God declares that He has seen His people's affliction and knows their sufferings.
- Deuteronomy 26:7 (BSB)“So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression.”Israel later confesses that the LORD heard their voice and saw their toil and oppression.
General
What final order does Pharaoh give at the end of Exodus 1?
Answer: He commands all his people to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile
Having failed through the midwives, Pharaoh no longer works in secret. He orders all his people to throw every Hebrew baby boy into the Nile, while daughters may live (1:22). The whole nation is now enlisted in the killing. This decree sets the stage for Moses' birth in the next chapter, where his parents hide him by faith, not intimidated by the royal decree (Hebrews 11:23). Stephen calls this a policy of forcing parents to give up their babies to die (Acts 7:19). There is a sobering reversal later in Exodus: Egypt, which sent Hebrew boys to die in the water, sees the whole army of a later Pharaoh covered by the sea (Exodus 14:28).
- Exodus 1:22 (BSB)“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.””Pharaoh broadens the decree to all his people: every Hebrew son must be thrown into the Nile.
- Hebrews 11:23 (BSB)“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.”Moses' parents hid him by faith, unafraid of this edict.
- Acts 7:19 (BSB)“He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.”Stephen describes the decree as forcing Israel to abandon their infants to die.
- Exodus 14:28 (BSB)“The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.”The waters later close over Pharaoh's army, a reversal of Egypt's decree sending Hebrew sons to death in the water.
Theological
What is the final, public form of Pharaoh's genocidal policy in Exodus 1:22?
Answer: A command to all his people that every Hebrew son be cast into the Nile
The covert strategy through the midwives having failed, Pharaoh makes the policy public and national: all his people are to cast every Hebrew son into the Nile, sparing the daughters (1:22). The chapter thus ends at the darkest point, with the river of Egypt made an instrument of death. Yet the next chapter shows faith defying the edict (Hebrews 11:23), and Stephen summarizes the decree as compelling Israel to expose its infants (Acts 7:19). The narrative later records a fitting reversal, when the waters cover the whole army of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:28).
- Exodus 1:22 (BSB)“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.””Pharaoh broadens the decree to all his people: every Hebrew son must be thrown into the Nile.
- Hebrews 11:23 (BSB)“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.”Moses' parents hid him by faith, unafraid of this edict.
- Acts 7:19 (BSB)“He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.”Stephen describes the decree as forcing Israel to abandon their infants to die.
- Exodus 14:28 (BSB)“The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.”The waters later close over Pharaoh's army, a reversal of Egypt's decree sending Hebrew sons to death in the water.
General
According to Exodus 1:20-21, what did God give the midwives, and why?
Answer: Households of their own, because they feared God
God treats the midwives kindly, and the Israelite population keeps growing (1:20). The text then gives the reason for their special reward: because they feared God, He established households for them (1:21). There is a beautiful fit here. Women who protected other families' children are themselves given families. God later declares that He honors those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30), and Proverbs promises that reverence for the LORD gives security and a refuge for one's children (Proverbs 14:26-27). Children themselves are called a gift from the LORD (Psalm 127:3).
- Exodus 1:20-21 (BSB)“So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.”God deals well with the midwives, Israel keeps multiplying, and because the midwives feared God He gives them households.
- 1 Samuel 2:30 (BSB)“Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.”God declares that He honors those who honor Him, as He honors the God-fearing midwives.
- Proverbs 14:26-27 (BSB)“He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”The fear of the LORD brings security and a refuge for one's children.
- Psalm 127:3 (BSB)“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”Children are a gift and reward from the LORD, the kind of blessing given to the midwives.
Theological
What ground does Exodus 1:21 give for God establishing households for the midwives?
Answer: Their fear of God
The narrator states that God dealt well with the midwives and that Israel continued to multiply (1:20), then specifies the ground of their personal reward: since the midwives revered God, He made households for them (1:21). The reward corresponds to their deed, for those who preserved Israel's sons are granted families. This exemplifies the principle God later announces through a man of God sent to Eli's house, that He honors those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30), and the wisdom teaching that reverence for the LORD yields security and refuge for one's children (Proverbs 14:26-27), children being His reward (Psalm 127:3).
- Exodus 1:20-21 (BSB)“So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.”God deals well with the midwives, Israel keeps multiplying, and because the midwives feared God He gives them households.
- 1 Samuel 2:30 (BSB)“Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.”God declares that He honors those who honor Him, as He honors the God-fearing midwives.
- Proverbs 14:26-27 (BSB)“He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”The fear of the LORD brings security and a refuge for one's children.
- Psalm 127:3 (BSB)“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”Children are a gift and reward from the LORD, the kind of blessing given to the midwives.
General
What happened to the Israelites in Egypt after Joseph and his whole generation died (Exodus 1:6-7)?
Answer: They grew so rapidly that the land became full of them
Joseph, his brothers, and everyone of that generation die (1:6), yet the family does not fade away. Instead, the Israelites become extremely numerous, so much so that they fill the whole region (1:7). The wording deliberately recalls the blessing God spoke at creation, when He told humanity to increase and spread across the world (Genesis 1:28), and the promise He gave Jacob that a nation would come from him (Genesis 35:11). Stephen, in the New Testament, explains this growth as God's promise to Abraham coming closer to being fulfilled (Acts 7:17).
- Exodus 1:6-7 (BSB)“Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.”After Joseph's generation dies, the Israelites grow so numerous that they fill the land.
- Genesis 1:28 (BSB)“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.””The creation blessing uses the same language of being fruitful, multiplying, and filling, which Exodus 1:7 echoes.
- Genesis 35:11 (BSB)“And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.”God commanded and promised Jacob fruitfulness and a nation descending from him, fulfilled in Israel's growth in Egypt.
- Acts 7:17 (BSB)“As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.”Stephen explains Israel's increase in Egypt as the promise God made to Abraham drawing near to fulfillment.
Theological
How does Exodus 1:6-7 present Israel's growth after Joseph's generation passed away?
Answer: As the fulfillment of the creation blessing and the patriarchal promise, with Israel filling the land
The death of Joseph's whole generation (1:6) closes the patriarchal era, but the covenant line does not die with it. The piled-up description of Israel's increase in 1:7 deliberately echoes the creation mandate (Genesis 1:28) and the promise to Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 35:11). Israel is thus presented as the bearer of God's blessing for humanity, flourishing even in a foreign land. Stephen reads the same growth as the approach of the time God had fixed for fulfilling what He pledged to Abraham (Acts 7:17), showing that the increase was God's doing, not mere demographic chance.
- Exodus 1:6-7 (BSB)“Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.”After Joseph's generation dies, the Israelites grow so numerous that they fill the land.
- Genesis 1:28 (BSB)“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.””The creation blessing uses the same language of being fruitful, multiplying, and filling, which Exodus 1:7 echoes.
- Genesis 35:11 (BSB)“And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.”God commanded and promised Jacob fruitfulness and a nation descending from him, fulfilled in Israel's growth in Egypt.
- Acts 7:17 (BSB)“As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.”Stephen explains Israel's increase in Egypt as the promise God made to Abraham drawing near to fulfillment.
General
According to Exodus 1:1-5, how many descendants of Jacob does the text count as belonging to his family in Egypt?
Answer: Seventy, with Joseph counted though he was living there before them
Exodus begins where Genesis ended. It lists Israel's sons who came down to Egypt with their father Jacob, each bringing his household, and gives the family's total as seventy, noting that Joseph was in Egypt already (1:1-5). Genesis 46:27 gives the same number. The point of starting small is to set up what comes next: God had promised Jacob that He would make him a great nation in Egypt (Genesis 46:3), and Israel later remembered that their ancestor went down as a small clan and became mighty and numerous there (Deuteronomy 26:5).
- Exodus 1:1-5 (BSB)“These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.”Exodus opens by listing Jacob's sons who came down to Egypt and gives the family's total as seventy, with Joseph already there.
- Genesis 46:27 (BSB)“And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.”Genesis gives the same total of seventy for Jacob's household in Egypt, tying Exodus directly to the end of Genesis.
- Genesis 46:3 (BSB)““I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.”God had told Jacob that He would make him into a great nation in Egypt, the growth Exodus is about to describe.
- Deuteronomy 26:5 (BSB)“and you are to declare before the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous.”Israel's later confession recalls that its father went down to Egypt few in number and became a great nation there.
Theological
What function does the opening family list of Exodus 1:1-5, with its total of seventy, serve?
Answer: It links Exodus to Genesis and fixes a small starting point from which God's promise of a great nation will visibly unfold
The roll of Jacob's sons and the total of seventy, with Joseph already present in Egypt (1:1-5), reprise Genesis 46:27 and bind the two books into one continuous account. The small figure is deliberate: it is the seed from which God, true to His word at Beersheba that He would make Jacob a great nation in Egypt (Genesis 46:3), will grow a people. Israel's own later creed rehearses exactly this movement from few to many (Deuteronomy 26:5), so the chapter's opening already frames what follows as covenant promise being kept.
- Exodus 1:1-5 (BSB)“These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.”Exodus opens by listing Jacob's sons who came down to Egypt and gives the family's total as seventy, with Joseph already there.
- Genesis 46:27 (BSB)“And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.”Genesis gives the same total of seventy for Jacob's household in Egypt, tying Exodus directly to the end of Genesis.
- Genesis 46:3 (BSB)““I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.”God had told Jacob that He would make him into a great nation in Egypt, the growth Exodus is about to describe.
- Deuteronomy 26:5 (BSB)“and you are to declare before the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous.”Israel's later confession recalls that its father went down to Egypt few in number and became a great nation there.
General
When Pharaoh demanded to know why the boys were still alive, what explanation did the midwives give (Exodus 1:18-19)?
Answer: They said Hebrew women were so vigorous that they delivered their babies before a midwife could get there
Summoned and questioned, the midwives tell Pharaoh that Hebrew women are unlike Egyptian women: they are strong and deliver their babies before any midwife can reach them (1:18-19). The text does not say whether this was wholly true, partly true, or a deliberate deception, and Bible teachers have long disagreed. Some see it as a justified deception meant to rescue innocent lives from a murderer, in line with the command to deliver people who are being dragged off to die (Proverbs 24:11), and compare Rahab, whose faith is praised (Joshua 2:4-6; Hebrews 11:31). Others hold that Scripture's condemnation of lying (Proverbs 12:22) still applies, and that God blessed the midwives' fear of Him rather than their words. What the text makes clear is that they protected the boys because they feared God.
- Exodus 1:18-19 (BSB)“So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.””Pharaoh questions the midwives, and they reply that Hebrew women give birth before a midwife arrives.
- Proverbs 24:11 (BSB)“Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.”Scripture commands rescuing those led away to death, the duty the midwives were fulfilling.
- Proverbs 12:22 (BSB)“Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”Scripture also declares that lying lips are detestable to the LORD, while those who deal faithfully are His delight.
- Joshua 2:4-6 (BSB)“But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” (But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)”Rahab's protection of the spies raises a closely similar question about misleading those seeking to kill.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews commends Rahab's faith in welcoming the spies without commenting on her words to the king's men.
Theological
What reply do the midwives give when Pharaoh interrogates them in Exodus 1:18-19?
Answer: That Hebrew mothers are vigorous and deliver before the midwife arrives
Under interrogation the midwives answer that Hebrew women, unlike Egyptian women, are vigorous and deliver before a midwife comes (1:18-19). The narrator neither commends nor condemns this answer as such, and its ethics are disputed. Many interpreters regard it as a justified deception, since the questioner was bent on murder and Scripture enjoins rescuing those led to slaughter (Proverbs 24:11), a case often compared with Rahab's concealment of the spies (Joshua 2:4-6), whose faith Hebrews 11:31 commends. Others, stressing that lying lips are an abomination to the LORD (Proverbs 12:22), hold that God rewarded the midwives' fear of Him despite, not because of, any falsehood. The text itself locates the ground of their action and their blessing in their fear of God (1:17, 21).
- Exodus 1:18-19 (BSB)“So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.””Pharaoh questions the midwives, and they reply that Hebrew women give birth before a midwife arrives.
- Proverbs 24:11 (BSB)“Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.”Scripture commands rescuing those led away to death, the duty the midwives were fulfilling.
- Proverbs 12:22 (BSB)“Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”Scripture also declares that lying lips are detestable to the LORD, while those who deal faithfully are His delight.
- Joshua 2:4-6 (BSB)“But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” (But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)”Rahab's protection of the spies raises a closely similar question about misleading those seeking to kill.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews commends Rahab's faith in welcoming the spies without commenting on her words to the king's men.
General
Why did the midwives refuse to carry out Pharaoh's order (Exodus 1:17)?
Answer: Because they feared God
The text gives a single, clear reason: the midwives revered God, so they disobeyed the king and let the baby boys live (1:17). To fear God means to honor Him with reverent respect as the One whose will matters most. Their choice matches the principle the apostles later stated, that God must be obeyed rather than people (Acts 5:29), and the courage of Daniel's friends before King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:17-18). Proverbs 29:25 describes the contrast: fearing people traps us, but trusting the LORD keeps us secure.
- Exodus 1:17 (BSB)“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.”The midwives fear God and refuse the king's order, letting the boys live.
- Acts 5:29 (BSB)“But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.”The apostles state the principle the midwives acted on: God must be obeyed rather than men.
- Daniel 3:17-18 (BSB)“If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.””Daniel's friends likewise refuse a king's command out of loyalty to God, whatever the cost.
- Proverbs 29:25 (BSB)“The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.”Fear of man is a snare, while trust in the LORD brings security, the contrast the midwives embody.
Theological
What motive does Exodus 1:17 give for the midwives' refusal of Pharaoh's command?
Answer: The fear of God
Exodus 1:17 grounds the midwives' civil disobedience in one motive: they feared God, and therefore they refused the king's command and preserved the boys. Their conduct anticipates the apostolic principle that when human authority commands sin, God must be obeyed rather than men (Acts 5:29), and it parallels the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:17-18). Proverbs 29:25 names the spiritual dynamic: dread of people ensnares, while trust in the LORD sets one on high. Reverence for God freed two ordinary women to defy the most powerful man in their world.
- Exodus 1:17 (BSB)“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.”The midwives fear God and refuse the king's order, letting the boys live.
- Acts 5:29 (BSB)“But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.”The apostles state the principle the midwives acted on: God must be obeyed rather than men.
- Daniel 3:17-18 (BSB)“If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.””Daniel's friends likewise refuse a king's command out of loyalty to God, whatever the cost.
- Proverbs 29:25 (BSB)“The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.”Fear of man is a snare, while trust in the LORD brings security, the contrast the midwives embody.
General
Why did the new king of Egypt decide to deal harshly with the Israelites (Exodus 1:8-10)?
Answer: He feared their growing numbers and strength and worried they might side with an enemy in war and leave
A new ruler comes to power who has no regard for Joseph or what he had done for Egypt (1:8). Looking at the Israelites, he sees a people grown too large and strong, and he fears that in wartime they could join Egypt's enemies and then depart (1:9-10). So he proposes a cunning plan to keep them down. Scripture does not treat this as an accident of politics. Long before, God had told Abram that his descendants would be enslaved and abused in another land (Genesis 15:13), and Psalm 105:24-25 says that God both made His people fruitful and turned the Egyptians' hearts to hate them, though that hatred was still the Egyptians' own sin.
- Exodus 1:8-10 (BSB)“Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us. 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.””A new king who has no regard for Joseph fears Israel's numbers and plans to deal shrewdly with them.
- Acts 7:18-19 (BSB)“Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.”Stephen recounts this king's rise and his exploitation of Israel, including the attack on their infants.
- Psalm 105:24-25 (BSB)“And the LORD made His people very fruitful, more numerous than their foes, whose hearts He turned to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.”The psalm traces both Israel's increase and the Egyptians' hatred to God's sovereign hand.
- Genesis 15:13 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.”God had foretold to Abram that his descendants would be enslaved and mistreated in a foreign land.
Theological
What motive does Exodus 1:8-10 give for the new Pharaoh's hostility, and how does Scripture elsewhere frame it?
Answer: Fear of Israel's size and potential disloyalty in war, a hostility that Psalm 105 places under God's sovereign ordering
The new king's ignorance of Joseph (1:8) signals a break with the goodwill Israel had enjoyed. His reasoning is political fear: Israel is too numerous and strong, and in a war they might join Egypt's enemies and leave (1:9-10). His response is calculated oppression. Scripture sets this human scheming within God's larger purpose. The enslavement had been foretold to Abram (Genesis 15:13), and Psalm 105:24-25 attributes both Israel's multiplication and the Egyptians' hatred to the LORD, without making God the author of their malice. Stephen recounts the same king's rise and cruelty (Acts 7:18-19).
- Exodus 1:8-10 (BSB)“Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us. 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.””A new king who has no regard for Joseph fears Israel's numbers and plans to deal shrewdly with them.
- Acts 7:18-19 (BSB)“Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.”Stephen recounts this king's rise and his exploitation of Israel, including the attack on their infants.
- Psalm 105:24-25 (BSB)“And the LORD made His people very fruitful, more numerous than their foes, whose hearts He turned to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.”The psalm traces both Israel's increase and the Egyptians' hatred to God's sovereign hand.
- Genesis 15:13 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.”God had foretold to Abram that his descendants would be enslaved and mistreated in a foreign land.
General
True or False: According to Exodus 1:12, the harder the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, the more the Israelites increased.
Answer: True
This is true. Pharaoh's plan was meant to shrink Israel, but it had the opposite effect: the harsher the affliction, the greater their growth and spread, and Egypt grew afraid of them (1:12). The text shows that no king can stop what God has promised. Psalm 105:24 says it was the LORD who made His people so fruitful. The same pattern appears in Joseph's story, where human evil was overruled by God for good (Genesis 50:20), and Psalm 2 pictures rulers plotting against God in vain while He remains in control.
- Exodus 1:12 (BSB)“But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.”Oppression backfires: the more Israel is afflicted, the more it grows, and Egypt comes to dread them.
- Psalm 105:24 (BSB)“And the LORD made His people very fruitful, more numerous than their foes,”The psalm attributes Israel's fruitfulness, even beyond their foes, to the LORD.
- Genesis 50:20 (BSB)“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”Joseph's words show God turning evil intentions toward His good purpose, the same pattern at work here.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”The rulers of the earth plot against the LORD in vain, as Pharaoh's scheme proves futile.
Theological
True or False: Exodus 1:12 reports that Egyptian oppression succeeded in slowing Israel's growth for a time.
Answer: False
This is false. The text reports the opposite: the more Israel was oppressed, the more it multiplied and spread, so that Egypt came to dread them (1:12). Pharaoh's shrewd policy is frustrated from its first stage. Psalm 105:24 credits the LORD with the fruitfulness. The principle Joseph voiced, that God turns evil intent to serve His good purpose (Genesis 50:20), is visibly at work here as well. Psalm 2:1-4 captures the scene: earthly rulers conspire against God and His Anointed, and their plots come to nothing before the heavenly King who laughs at them.
- Exodus 1:12 (BSB)“But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.”Oppression backfires: the more Israel is afflicted, the more it grows, and Egypt comes to dread them.
- Psalm 105:24 (BSB)“And the LORD made His people very fruitful, more numerous than their foes,”The psalm attributes Israel's fruitfulness, even beyond their foes, to the LORD.
- Genesis 50:20 (BSB)“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”Joseph's words show God turning evil intentions toward His good purpose, the same pattern at work here.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”The rulers of the earth plot against the LORD in vain, as Pharaoh's scheme proves futile.
General
What did Egypt's king order the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to do (Exodus 1:15-16)?
Answer: Kill every Hebrew baby boy at birth but let the girls live
When forced labor fails, Pharaoh turns to murder. He speaks to two Hebrew midwives, named Shiphrah and Puah, and orders them to watch as Hebrew mothers deliver: any boy is to be killed, while girls may live (1:15-16). Stephen later sums up this policy as forcing Israel to give up their infants to die (Acts 7:19). Centuries later King Herod did something similar when he had Bethlehem's baby boys killed (Matthew 2:16). Pharaoh was trying to destroy what Scripture calls a gift from the LORD (Psalm 127:3).
- Exodus 1:15-16 (BSB)“Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “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.””Pharaoh commands the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill newborn sons and spare daughters.
- Acts 7:19 (BSB)“He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.”Stephen summarizes Pharaoh's policy as forcing Israel to abandon their infants so they would die.
- Matthew 2:16 (BSB)“When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.”Herod's slaughter of Bethlehem's boys repeats Pharaoh's pattern of a king ordering the killing of infant boys.
- Psalm 127:3 (BSB)“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”Children are a heritage and reward from the LORD, the very gift Pharaoh tries to destroy.
Theological
What command does Pharaoh give Shiphrah and Puah in Exodus 1:15-16?
Answer: To kill male Hebrew infants at birth while sparing the females
Pharaoh escalates from forced labor to covert infanticide, instructing the midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill Hebrew sons at the moment of birth and let daughters live (1:15-16). Targeting the males aims at Israel's future strength. Stephen describes the policy as compelling Israel to expose their infants (Acts 7:19). The pattern recurs when Herod slaughters Bethlehem's boys (Matthew 2:16), so that the infant Moses and the infant Jesus each survive a king's massacre. Pharaoh sets himself against children, whom the LORD calls His heritage (Psalm 127:3).
- Exodus 1:15-16 (BSB)“Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “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.””Pharaoh commands the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill newborn sons and spare daughters.
- Acts 7:19 (BSB)“He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.”Stephen summarizes Pharaoh's policy as forcing Israel to abandon their infants so they would die.
- Matthew 2:16 (BSB)“When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.”Herod's slaughter of Bethlehem's boys repeats Pharaoh's pattern of a king ordering the killing of infant boys.
- Psalm 127:3 (BSB)“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”Children are a heritage and reward from the LORD, the very gift Pharaoh tries to destroy.
General
What did the Israelites build under the forced labor imposed by Egyptian taskmasters (Exodus 1:11)?
Answer: The supply cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh
The Egyptians set slave drivers over Israel to wear them down with forced work, and the Israelites build storage cities named Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh (1:11). The name Rameses is significant: Joseph had once given his family property in the region called Rameses, the choicest area of Egypt (Genesis 47:11). The name that once recalled their welcome now marks their hard service, which Israel later confessed as the mistreatment they suffered in Egypt (Deuteronomy 26:6). It is also from Rameses that Israel will eventually set out when God brings them out (Exodus 12:37).
- Exodus 1:11 (BSB)“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.”Egypt puts taskmasters over Israel, who are forced to build Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh.
- Deuteronomy 26:6 (BSB)“But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor.”Israel's confession remembers the Egyptians' mistreatment and the hard labor laid on them.
- Genesis 47:11 (BSB)“So Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.”Joseph had settled his family in the district of Rameses, a name that now belongs to a city built by Israel's forced labor.
- Exodus 12:37 (BSB)“The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.”Rameses later becomes the starting point of Israel's departure from Egypt.
Theological
What does Exodus 1:11 record as the concrete result of Egypt's policy of forced labor?
Answer: Israel constructed the royal supply cities of Pithom and Rameses
Egypt's plan takes the form of taskmasters and compulsory labor, and its fruit is the construction of two royal supply cities, Pithom and Rameses (1:11). The irony is sharp: Rameses is the name of the district Joseph had secured for his family as the choicest of Egypt (Genesis 47:11), and now the family's descendants are conscripted to build a city bearing it. Deuteronomy 26:6 preserves this in Israel's liturgical memory as the affliction of hard labor. Rameses later marks the starting point of the exodus (Exodus 12:37), so the place of bondage becomes the place from which redemption begins.
- Exodus 1:11 (BSB)“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.”Egypt puts taskmasters over Israel, who are forced to build Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh.
- Deuteronomy 26:6 (BSB)“But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor.”Israel's confession remembers the Egyptians' mistreatment and the hard labor laid on them.
- Genesis 47:11 (BSB)“So Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.”Joseph had settled his family in the district of Rameses, a name that now belongs to a city built by Israel's forced labor.
- Exodus 12:37 (BSB)“The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.”Rameses later becomes the starting point of Israel's departure from Egypt.