Exodus 1:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:

NIV: These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:

NASB: Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came, each one with his household:

CSB: These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; each came with his family:

NLT: These are the names of the sons of Israel (that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family:

KJV: Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

NKJV: Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

The first seven verses of Exodus describe the rapid growth of the Hebrew people during their time in Egypt. It begins with a review of Jacob's twelve sons. These "sons of Israel" were mentioned four times in Genesis prior to this verse (Genesis 42:5; 45:21; 46:5; 50:25), each time in reference to Jacob's sons. In Exodus, the phrase "sons of Israel" will expand to encompass the entire nation of Israel. As explained in the book of Genesis, these men went to Egypt to buy food during a famine at the request of their aged father Jacob (Genesis 42:1–2). On their second journey to Egypt, Joseph, the younger brother whom they had sold into slavery (Genesis 37:26–27) and who was now second only to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:41–43), revealed himself (Genesis 45:1–3). At Pharaoh's request, Jacob and his sons and their households moved to Egypt and settled in the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:1–12).

The next verses describe the eleven sons of Jacob who moved to Egypt (Exodus 1:2–4), Joseph's family (Exodus 1:5), and the death of that generation (Exodus 1:6). Yet their death will not be the end of Israel. Instead, it will become the start of an entire nation (Exodus 1:7). God fulfills His promise to Abraham to turn his descendants into a nation of people He would bless (Genesis 12:1–3).

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.

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.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.