Exodus 1 - Printer Friendly

Exodus 1 consists of four main sections. The first section describes the context of the children of Israel after the death of Joseph (Genesis 50:26). The twelve sons become twelve tribes, rapidly expanding from seventy people plus Joseph's family already in Egypt (Exodus 1:7). The land was "filled" with the Jewish people. The Lord had blessed Abraham's line with many descendants just as He had promised (Genesis 12:1–3).

This book begins approximately four hundred years after the events at the end of Genesis. During this time, Egypt would have been perhaps the most powerful world kingdom, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. Pharaoh and his people lived with great wealth, power, and military strength compared to the surrounding nations (Exodus 1:1–7).

Later, a new Pharaoh over Egypt seeks to oppress the strengthening Jewish nation. This king is contrasted with the earlier Pharaoh in Genesis who knew Joseph and had appointed him to leadership. This new Pharaoh feared the large population of Jews would rebel against them in war, taking over the land. He oppresses and dominates Israel, treating them as chattel slaves. They are deliberately overworked (Exodus 1:11). The Jews are said to have built the cities of Pithom and Raamses. Their work included brickmaking and all kinds of fieldwork. Yet the more they are oppressed, the more the people multiply (Exodus 1:8–14).

After a period of oppression, the ruling Pharaoh sees that his strategy to curb Israeli growth is failing. So, he opts for a more direct approach. He commands the Jewish midwives Shiphrah and Puah to murder every newborn Jewish son. However, the midwives honor God and refuse to obey the Pharaoh's command. When confronted, they lie, claiming the Jewish women gave birth to the children before their arrival. Therefore, they did not know about many of the males that had been born. God would bless their desire to protect the Jewish children and provide the midwives with families of their own (Exodus 1:15–21).

Not to be thwarted, Pharaoh repeats his command. But now he expands it to all his people: to throw every newborn Jewish male into the Nile River. The entire kingdom is deputized to enforce this evil law. The entire Jewish nation was in turmoil. How would they survive this wicked ruler (Exodus 1:22)?

This fearsome context prepares the reader for the next chapter, in which Moses will be born, facing death from the start of his life.

Exodus 1:1–14 describes the explosive growth of the nation of Israel and the erosion of their relationship to Egypt. Joseph's efforts in the past saved Egypt from ruin, and his family was welcomed into the land. Generations later, the drastic increase in their population is seen as a threat to the Egyptian people. Motivated by a combination of fear and disgust, the king of Egypt brutally enslaves the people of Israel to reduce their numbers. This effort fails, and the following passage shows Pharaoh resorting to infanticide.

Exodus 1:15–22 describes the most drastic attempt to curb Israeli population growth. After enslavement and brutality, the Hebrews are still growing. Out of fear, the Egyptians seek other ways of reducing Israeli power. Here, Pharaoh will enact a program of infanticide: ordering Hebrew midwives to murder male Jewish babies. When they resist, Egypt's king extends this command to the Egyptian people in general. This backdrop of murder sets the scene for the rise of Moses, the eventual leader of the nation of Israel.

The children of Abraham and Jacob grow rapidly, forming a prosperous nation made up of twelve tribes, one for each son of Jacob. This inspires fear and hate from the Egyptians. Their king first tries to slow down the Hebrews' growth by enslaving them. Next, he increases the brutality of their work. Then, he tries to command Jewish midwives to kill their own people's newborn baby boys. When these all fail, he openly orders the murder of all Jewish infant boys. Inadvertently, this creates the very situation which leads to the rise of Israel's eventual leader, Moses.

Exodus chapter 1 establishes the difficult reality faced by the nation of Israel. At the end of Genesis, Abraham's descendants were finally safe. In this passage, they become prosperous and expand rapidly. This, however, results in fear and hatred from the native Egyptians, who enact a program of slavery and infanticide against the Hebrews. This sets the scene for the arrival of Israel's greatest leader, the prophet Moses, who will speak for God during this time of Israel's rescue. The next chapter explains Moses' dangerous childhood and exile in the desert.