Exodus 1:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.

NIV: So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.

NASB: So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.

CSB: So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous.

NLT: So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.

KJV: Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

NKJV: Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.

Verses 20 and 21 note several positive developments in the midst of Pharaoh's persecutions. First, God responds to the dangerous choice made by the midwives, in defying Pharaoh's evil order. They had protected the young lives of Israel's sons, risking their own lives in the process. God blessed them as a result. This likely included Shiphrah and Puah, as well as other Jewish midwives who protected young lives. Second, "the people multiplied." Despite Pharaoh's repeated efforts to limit population growth, the Jews continue to grow in number.

Third, the result of these events was a nation of Israel that continued to threaten the Egyptians due to their size. Pharaoh would soon choose even more drastic measures to kill newborn Jewish males (Exodus 1:22). This command is given to all of Egypt, specifically to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile river.

Ironically, in the context of this wicked command, God allowed a baby boy to be literally "cast into" the Nile, yet protected and raised up within Pharaoh's own household, becoming the rescuer of the people of Israel (Exodus 2:1–10). This child would be known by his name: Moses, meaning "draw out," based on Pharaoh's daughter drawing him out of the water.

Exodus 1:15–22 describes the Egyptian king's third, most drastic attempt to curb Israeli population growth. After enslavement and brutality, the Hebrews are still growing. Out of political fears and racial disgust, 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.

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.