19 And the midwives H3205 said H559 unto Pharaoh, H6547 Because the Hebrew H5680 women H802 are not as the Egyptian women; H4713 for they are lively, H2422 and are delivered H3205 ere H2962 the midwives H3205 come in H935 unto them.
And the woman H802 took H3947 the two H8147 men, H582 and hid H6845 them, and said H559 thus, There came H935 men H582 unto me, but I wist H3045 not whence H370 they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting H5462 of the gate, H8179 when it was dark, H2822 that the men H582 went out: H3318 whither the men H582 went H1980 I wot H3045 not: pursue H7291 after H310 them quickly; H4118 for ye shall overtake H5381 them. But she had brought them up H5927 to the roof H1406 of the house, and hid H2934 them with the stalks H6086 of flax, H6593 which she had laid in order H6186 upon the roof. H1406 And the men H582 pursued H7291 after H310 them the way H1870 to Jordan H3383 unto the fords: H4569 and as soon as they which pursued H7291 after H310 them were gone out, H3318 they shut H5462 the gate. H8179 And before they were laid down, H7901 she came up H5927 unto them upon the roof; H1406 And she said H559 unto the men, H582 I know H3045 that the LORD H3068 hath given H5414 you the land, H776 and that your terror H367 is fallen H5307 upon us, and that all the inhabitants H3427 of the land H776 faint H4127 because H6440 of you. For we have heard H8085 how the LORD H3068 dried up H3001 the water H4325 of the Red H5488 sea H3220 for you, H6440 when ye came out H3318 of Egypt; H4714 and what ye did H6213 unto the two H8147 kings H4428 of the Amorites, H567 that were on the other side H5676 Jordan, H3383 Sihon H5511 and Og, H5747 whom ye utterly destroyed. H2763 And as soon as we had heard H8085 these things, our hearts H3824 did melt, H4549 neither did there remain H6965 any more courage H7307 in any man, H376 because H6440 of you: for the LORD H3068 your God, H430 he is God H430 in heaven H8064 above, H4605 and in earth H776 beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear H7650 unto me by the LORD, H3068 since H3588 I have shewed H6213 you kindness, H2617 that ye will also shew H6213 kindness H2617 unto my father's H1 house, H1004 and give H5414 me a true H571 token: H226 And that ye will save alive H2421 my father, H1 and my mother, H517 and my brethren, H251 and my sisters, H269 and all that they have, and deliver H5337 our lives H5315 from death. H4194 And the men H582 answered H559 her, Our life H5315 for yours, H4191 if ye utter H5046 not this our business. H1697 And it shall be, when the LORD H3068 hath given H5414 us the land, H776 that we will deal H6213 kindly H2617 and truly H571 with thee. Then she let them down H3381 by a cord H2256 through H1157 the window: H2474 for her house H1004 was upon the town H7023 wall, H2346 and she dwelt H3427 upon the wall. H2346 And she said H559 unto them, Get H3212 you to the mountain, H2022 lest the pursuers H7291 meet H6293 you; and hide H2247 yourselves there three H7969 days, H3117 until the pursuers H7291 be returned: H7725 and afterward H310 may ye go H3212 your way. H1870 And the men H582 said H559 unto her, We will be blameless H5355 of this thine oath H7621 which thou hast made us swear. H7650 Behold, when we come H935 into the land, H776 thou shalt bind H7194 this line H8615 of scarlet H8144 thread H2339 in the window H2474 which thou didst let us down by: H3381 and thou shalt bring H622 thy father, H1 and thy mother, H517 and thy brethren, H251 and all thy father's H1 household, H1004 home H1004 unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever H834 shall go out H3318 of the doors H1817 of thy house H1004 into the street, H2351 his blood H1818 shall be upon his head, H7218 and we will be guiltless: H5355 and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, H1004 his blood H1818 shall be on our head, H7218 if any hand H3027 be upon him. And if thou utter H5046 this our business, H1697 then we will be quit H5355 of thine oath H7621 which thou hast made us to swear. H7650 And she said, H559 According unto your words, H1697 so be it. And she sent them away, H7971 and they departed: H3212 and she bound H7194 the scarlet H8144 line H8615 in the window. H2474 And they went, H3212 and came H935 unto the mountain, H2022 and abode H3427 there three H7969 days, H3117 until the pursuers H7291 were returned: H7725 and the pursuers H7291 sought H1245 them throughout all the way, H1870 but found H4672 them not. So the two H8147 men H582 returned, H7725 and descended H3381 from the mountain, H2022 and passed over, H5674 and came H935 to Joshua H3091 the son H1121 of Nun, H5126 and told H5608 him all things that befell H4672 them: And they said H559 unto Joshua, H3091 Truly H3588 the LORD H3068 hath delivered H5414 into our hands H3027 all the land; H776 for even all the inhabitants H3427 of the country H776 do faint H4127 because H6440 of us.
And the woman H802 took H3947 and spread H6566 a covering H4539 over the well's H875 mouth, H6440 and spread H7849 ground corn H7383 thereon; and the thing H1697 was not known. H3045 And when Absalom's H53 servants H5650 came H935 to the woman H802 to the house, H1004 they said, H559 Where is Ahimaaz H290 and Jonathan? H3083 And the woman H802 said H559 unto them, They be gone over H5674 the brook H4323 of water. H4325 And when they had sought H1245 and could not find H4672 them, they returned H7725 to Jerusalem. H3389
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 1
Commentary on Exodus 1 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Increase in the Number of the Israelites Their Bondage in Egypt - Exodus 1
The promise which God gave to Jacob in his departure from Canaan (Genesis 46:3) was perfectly fulfilled. The children of Israel settled down in the most fruitful province of the fertile land of Egypt, and grew there into a great nation (Exodus 1:1-7). But the words which the Lord had spoken to Abram (Genesis 15:13) were also fulfilled in relation to his seed in Egypt. The children of Israel were oppressed in a strange land, were compelled to serve the Egyptians (Exodus 1:8-14), and were in great danger of being entirely crushed by them (Exodus 1:15-22).
To place the multiplication of the children of Israel into a strong nation in its true light, as the commencement of the realization of the promises of God, the number of the souls that went down with Jacob to Egypt is repeated from Genesis 46:27 (on the number 70, in which Jacob is included, see the notes on this passage); and the repetition of the names of the twelve sons of Jacob serves to give to the history which follows a character of completeness within itself. “ With Jacob they came, every one and his house, ” i.e., his sons, together with their families, their wives, and their children. The sons are arranged according to their mothers, as in Genesis 35:23-26, and the sons of the two maid-servants stand last. Joseph, indeed, is not placed in the list, but brought into special prominence by the words, “ for Joseph was in Egypt ” (Exodus 1:5), since he did not go down to Egypt along with the house of Jacob, and occupied an exalted position in relation to them there.
After the death of Joseph and his brethren and the whole of the family that had first immigrated, there occurred that miraculous increase in the number of the children of Israel, by which the blessings of creation and promise were fully realised. The words פּרוּ ישׁרצוּ ( swarmed ), and ירבּוּ point back to Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 8:17, and יעצמוּ to עצוּם גּוי in Genesis 18:18. “ The land was filled with them, ” i.e., the land of Egypt, particularly Goshen, where they were settled (Genesis 47:11). The extra-ordinary fruitfulness of Egypt in both men and cattle is attested not only by ancient writers, but by modern travellers also (vid., Aristotelis hist. animal. vii. 4, 5; Columella de re rust. iii. 8; Plin. hist. n. vii. 3; also Rosenmüller a. und n. Morgenland i. p. 252). This blessing of nature was heightened still further in the case of the Israelites by the grace of the promise, so that the increase became extraordinarily great (see the comm. on Exodus 12:37).
The promised blessing was manifested chiefly in the fact, that all the measures adopted by the cunning of Pharaoh to weaken and diminish the Israelites, instead of checking, served rather to promote their continuous increase.
Exodus 1:8-9
“ There arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph .” ויּקם signifies he came to the throne, קוּם denoting his appearance in history, as in Deuteronomy 34:10. A “new king” (lxx: βασιλεὺς ἕτερος ; the other ancient versions, rex novus ) is a king who follows different principles of government from his predecessors. Cf. חדשׁים אלהים , “new gods,” in distinction from the God that their fathers had worshipped, Judges 5:8; Deuteronomy 32:17. That this king belonged to a new dynasty, as the majority of commentators follow Josephus