Chapter 1
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
6And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
14And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
15And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
16And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
18And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
22And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.”
Overview
The descendants of Jacob multiply greatly in Egypt, becoming a vast nation. A new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph rises to power and, fearing the Israelites' numbers, enslaves them with bitter bondage. When hard labor fails to suppress their growth, Pharaoh commands the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn boys, but they fear God and disobey. Pharaoh then decrees that every son born to the Hebrews be cast into the Nile.
Key Themes
God's Faithfulness to His Covenant Promises
Despite centuries of silence, God is fulfilling His promise to Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation — even in the midst of Egyptian bondage.
The Rise of Persecution and Oppression
Pharaoh's fear of Israel's growth leads to escalating cruelty — forced labor, infanticide, and genocide — revealing how the powers of this world oppose God's purposes.
The Courage of the God-Fearing Midwives
Shiphrah and Puah defy Pharaoh's murderous decree because they fear God more than man, and God blesses them for it — establishing that obedience to God supersedes obedience to unjust authority.
Study Questions
How does the rapid growth of Israel in Egypt fulfill God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:5, and what does this teach about God's faithfulness over long periods of time?
What does the phrase 'there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph' (v. 8) suggest about the fragility of human gratitude and political memory?
Why did the Hebrew midwives disobey Pharaoh, and what does their example teach about civil disobedience when human authority contradicts God's commands?
How does Pharaoh's escalating cruelty — from slavery to infanticide — illustrate the nature of sin and tyranny when left unchecked?
In what ways does Israel's suffering in Egypt foreshadow the broader biblical theme that God's people often flourish through affliction?
Connection to Christ
Just as Pharaoh sought to destroy the male children of Israel, so Herod would later seek to destroy the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:16). The pattern of a tyrant threatened by God's chosen deliverer points forward to Christ, whom no earthly power could ultimately destroy.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Exodus 1. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?