What is the meaning of Exodus 1:7? But the Israelites were fruitful “but the Israelites were fruitful” (Exodus 1:7) • God’s covenant promise to Abraham included fruitfulness (Genesis 17:6; 22:17). Even in a foreign land, that promise is now unmistakably active. • Joseph’s generation has passed away (Exodus 1:6), yet the blessing continues, underscoring that the increase is God-driven, not personality-driven. • The phrase echoes Eden’s original mandate, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). What began with two people is now visible in a nation, showing God’s consistency from creation to covenant. and increased rapidly “and increased rapidly” (Exodus 1:7) • “Rapidly” points to accelerated growth, much like the surprising spread of Israel in Goshen noted in Genesis 47:27. • Deuteronomy 1:10 looks back on this season: “The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars of the heavens.” The speed of increase magnifies God’s power during a time when Israel had no political leverage. • Acts 7:17 highlights this moment as the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, confirming that their numerical surge is purposeful, setting the stage for redemption. they multiplied “they multiplied” (Exodus 1:7) • Repetition reinforces certainty. God had told Jacob, “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there” (Genesis 46:3). Multiplication is the evidence. • The same verb resurfaces when oppression intensifies: “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied” (Exodus 1:12). Human attempts to curb God’s plan only advance it. • Psalm 105:24 celebrates this era: “The LORD made His people very fruitful; He made them more numerous than their foes,” reminding us that God’s math overrules Pharaoh’s policies. and became exceedingly numerous “and became exceedingly numerous” (Exodus 1:7) • “Exceedingly” signals overflow—beyond normal population growth. Genesis 15:5 had pictured descendants like the stars; here those stars seem to touch the sand. • Numbers 1 records over 600,000 fighting men not long after the Exodus, implying a nation of two million or more. The hyperbolic-sounding promise is now statistical fact. • God delights in turning the impossible into the inevitable, demonstrating His glory through a nation birthed in slavery yet destined for freedom. so that the land was filled with them “so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7) • Egypt, once a refuge during famine (Genesis 41:57), now feels Israel’s presence in every corner. The phrase prefigures how Israel will later fill Canaan (Joshua 21:43-45). • Pharaoh’s fear in Exodus 1:9-10 springs directly from this fullness. What looks threatening to earthly kings is simply God delivering on His word. • Isaiah 11:9 envisions a day when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD.” Israel’s filling of Egypt foreshadows God’s broader plan to flood the world with His glory. summary Exodus 1:7 records the unstoppable fulfillment of God’s covenant: Israel is fruitful, multiplies rapidly, becomes exceedingly numerous, and fills the land. Every phrase underscores divine faithfulness, setting the scene for both Pharaoh’s opposition and God’s deliverance. What began as a family now stands as a nation, proving that when God speaks a promise, history bends to His will. |
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