What is the main message of this passage about Israel in Egypt?

This passage shows that God keeps His promises even when His people suffer. Jacob’s small family has grown into a large nation, just as God said it would. A new king in Egypt feels threatened and tries to control them through slavery and even by killing their baby boys. Yet the people still multiply and grow stronger. The story teaches that God’s plans are not stopped by human fear or cruelty. He watches over His people, even when their situation looks dark and unfair.

Why did the new king in Egypt fear the children of Israel?

The new king looked at how many Israelites there were and felt afraid they might turn against Egypt in a time of war. He said they were more and mightier than the Egyptians. Instead of seeing them as a blessing, he treated them as a threat. His fear was not based on anything they had done, but on his own worry about losing power. This shows how fear, when it is not checked, can lead people to treat others harshly and unfairly.

What does it mean that the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied?

This line shows that the harsh treatment did not crush Israel but, under God’s care, they continued to grow. The Egyptians thought that slavery and hard work would weaken the people and stop their increase. Instead, the opposite happened. Their suffering became the setting where God’s promise to make them many was clearly seen. It reminds readers that God can use hard times to grow His people, and that human plans against God’s work cannot finally succeed.

Who were Shiphrah and Puah, and why are they important here?

Shiphrah and Puah are named as Hebrew midwives who received a shocking order from Pharaoh: kill the baby boys at birth and let the girls live. They are important because they feared God more than the king and refused to carry out this evil command. They chose to protect life instead of pleasing a powerful ruler. God was pleased with them, dealt well with them, and used their courage to spare many children. Their example shows quiet but brave obedience in a dangerous time.

Why did the Hebrew midwives disobey Pharaoh’s command to kill the baby boys?

The passage says plainly that the midwives feared God. That means they respected God’s will and His authority more than Pharaoh’s. Killing the baby boys would have been open murder, so they would not do it. They chose to risk Pharaoh’s anger rather than offend God. Their words to Pharaoh about the Hebrew women giving birth quickly also hint that they were trying to avoid being present when the babies were born. Their fear of God guided their choices, and God honored that.

What does this passage teach about God’s character in times of suffering?

Here we see that God does not forget His people when they suffer. Even though He allows them to face hard bondage and bitter lives in Egypt, His promise to make them a great nation is still at work. Their increase in numbers, even under harsh treatment, shows His hidden care. God also sees and rewards those who honor Him, like the midwives. This teaches that God is faithful, He watches over the weak, and He can turn oppression into a setting where His good purposes move forward.

Why did Pharaoh move from slavery to ordering the death of baby boys?

At first, Pharaoh tried to control Israel through heavy work and harsh treatment, hoping to weaken them. When that did not stop their growth, his fear and anger grew worse. He then tried a more direct and cruel plan: first secret killing through the midwives, then a public order that every boy be thrown into the river. This slide from unfair work to open murder shows how sin can grow when people refuse to turn from fear and injustice. It also sets the stage for God’s later rescue.

How can believers today relate to the fear of God shown by the midwives?

Believers today may not face a king’s command to kill, but they can still be pressured to go along with what they know is wrong. The midwives remind us that God’s approval matters more than human approval. Fearing God means taking His commands about life, truth, and justice seriously, even when it costs something. Their story encourages people to choose what honors God in their work and daily choices, trusting that He sees, He cares, and He knows how to care for those who obey Him.

What was happening in Israel’s story when these events took place?

This passage comes after Jacob’s family had moved to Egypt during a time of famine. At first, they lived there in peace and were cared for because of Joseph’s high position. Over time, Joseph and his brothers died, and a new king rose who did not remember or care about how Joseph had saved Egypt. As the Israelites became many, the new king’s fear led to their slavery. So this chapter marks the shift from a time of welcome in a foreign land to a time of deep suffering and coming rescue.

Exod.1.1

Exodus 1:1

KJV

Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

The Israelites Multiply in Egypt

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7 ¶ And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Oppression by a New King

8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

10 Come 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.

11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

14 And 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.

15 ¶ And 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:

16 And 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.

17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

18 And 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?

19 And 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.

20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.