- Book: [[Exodus]] - Next chapter: [[Exodus 2]] > [!summary] Summary > - [[Israel]] multiplies in [[Egypt]] into a nation, fulfilling the [[God's promises]] of descendants > - A new [[Pharaoh]] fears their growth, oppresses them, and orders the killing of Hebrew boys > - The [[Hebrew midwives]] fear [[God]] more than Pharaoh, preserving life and setting the stage for rescue > [!info] Why is this here? > - Bridges [[Genesis]] to [[Exodus]] by naming [[Jacob]]'s sons and showing the family become a people > - Introduces the central conflict: [[Pharaoh]] vs. [[Yahweh]], setting up the rescue that reveals who God is > - Explains why the promised journey to [[Canaan]] is not straightforward, and why deliverance is needed # Overview ## v. 1-7: From family to nation - Names the sons of [[Jacob]] who entered [[Egypt]] and notes their descendants - "Fruitful and multiplied" language echoes creation blessings and [[God's promises]] to [[Abraham]] - Marks the shift from a clan (~70) to a nation (12 tribes), changing how God will address them ## v. 8-14: A new king, a new oppression - A new [[Pharaoh]] who does not know [[Joseph]] fears Israel’s size and loyalty - Oppression begins: forced labor, harsh slavery, building store cities [[Pithom]] and [[Rameses]] - Yet the more they are oppressed, the more they multiply ## v. 15-21: The midwives fear God - [[Shiphrah]] and [[Puah]] are ordered to kill Hebrew boys but refuse - They "fear [[God]]," not Pharaoh, and God blesses them with families ## v. 22: The Nile decree - Pharaoh escalates to a public command: every Hebrew son must be thrown into the [[Nile]] - This sets the crisis that leads into [[Exodus 2]] # Details - The conflict is not merely political; it is between two rulers: [[Pharaoh]] of [[Egypt]] and [[Yahweh]] of [[Israel]] - This chapter launches the book’s main movement: God rescues Israel to bring them to himself and reveal who he is (centered later at [[Sinai]] in [[Exodus 19]]) - The oppression highlights why rescue is needed if [[God's promises]] (descendants, land, blessing) are to continue