Exodus 1

Exodus 1 is the first chapter of the book of Exodus. It continues the account of what became of the descendants of Jacob who remained in Egypt after the death of Joseph in Genesis 50. The chapter provides the background for the story of the Exodus, in which Israel departs from Egypt.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: The names of the sons who came down to Egypt with Jacob are listed, and Jacob's descendants are said to have numbered seventy persons in all.
• Verses 6–7: Even after Joseph's entire generation has died, the children of Israel multiply greatly and fill the land.
• Verses 8–14: A new king who did not know Joseph regards Israel as a threat. He sets taskmasters over the Israelites and lays heavy burdens on them. Israel builds the treasure cities (cities for storing the nation's supplies) of Pithom and Raamses and is worn down by hard labor in mortar, brick, and the field. Yet the more they are afflicted, the more they multiply.
• Verses 15–21: The king commands the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill the male infants. The midwives fear God and do not obey the order. God deals well with the midwives and establishes their households.
• Verse 22: Pharaoh commands all his people to cast every newborn son into the river (the Nile).

Key Verses

• Exodus 1:8 "Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph": This marks the turning point at which the favor of Joseph's day ends and oppression begins.
• Exodus 1:12 "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew": This shows the paradox of a people increasing even under oppression.
• Exodus 1:17 "But the midwives feared God": This verse is often cited as an example of placing the fear of God above the command of a king.

People and Places

• Pharaoh: The title of the king of Egypt. The text does not give this king's name.
• The sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, along with Joseph, who was already in Egypt. Their descendants form the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Shiphrah and Puah: The Hebrew midwives who did not obey the king's order.
• Pithom and Raamses: The treasure cities that Israel built.

Points for Reflection

• Seventy or seventy-five: Verse 5 gives the number of Jacob's descendants as seventy. In Acts 7, however, Stephen speaks of seventy-five. Stephen's figure is generally understood to follow the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament).
• The new king and chronology: The text does not identify the new king. Scholarly estimates differ as to who this king was and when the Exodus took place.
• The midwives' deception: In verse 19 the midwives give the king an answer that is not true. Interpretations of this answer differ. Some hold that what God rewarded was the midwives' reverence for Him, not the lie itself. Others regard it as legitimate resistance undertaken to preserve life.
• The meaning of "Hebrew midwives": Interpreters are also divided over whether the phrase refers to midwives who were Hebrews or to (Egyptian) midwives who attended Hebrew women.
• Connections to the New Testament: The words "fruitful" and "multiplied" in verse 7 recall the blessing of Genesis 1. In the New Testament, Stephen summarizes the events of this chapter in Acts 7. The statement in Acts 5:29, "We ought to obey God rather than men," is often mentioned alongside the midwives' actions.

In the Korean Church

In Sunday schools, this chapter is taught as the background to the account of Moses' birth in Exodus 2. In preaching, the midwives Shiphrah and Puah are frequently presented as examples of God-fearing faith.