Exodus 1:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves

NIV: and worked them ruthlessly.

NASB: The Egyptians used violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor;

CSB: They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

NLT: So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.

KJV: And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

NKJV: So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.

The first phase of Pharaoh's oppression was ineffective in stopping Israeli population growth (Exodus 1:12). Therefore, he started a second phase of oppression. The "ruthless" increase in enslavement goes beyond servitude to a new level of mistreatment.

This is a crucial point when interpreting the Bible's stance on slavery. The terms "slave" and "slavery," as used in Scripture, include a wide variety of arrangements. Most people in the ancient world were some type of "slave" of another person. The slavery described here is racial, permanent, hereditary, and inhuman. This is sometimes referred to as "chattel slavery," infamously associated with the Atlantic slave trade and the American Civil War. This type of bondage is abhorred by God, as made clear later in the book of Exodus.

Specific aspects of this forced labor included the drudgery of making mortar and bricks, and backbreaking field labor (Exodus 1:14). The Jews who moved into Egypt formerly served as shepherds, watching sheep and likely other livestock in the land of Goshen during Joseph's lifetime (Genesis 46:33–34; 47:5–6). Now the Hebrews were kept from caring for their own livestock and fields to build store cities and work the fields of the Egyptians. This work arrangement would have resulted in women and children caring for herds and housing. Education and health care would suffer; long hours would result in no time for learning, more sickness, and more injury. Pharaoh hoped to control population growth through harsh physical treatment. Though brutal, his efforts would soon move toward even more violent actions in the following verses.

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.