“Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.”
Moses describeth the wonderful order that God observeth in performing his promise to Abraham, Gen. 15:14 . Cross references: : Gen. 46:8
“And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. loins: Heb. thigh”
Or, persons. Gen. 26:27 ; Deut. 10:22
“And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.”
Acts 7:17 He meaneth the country of Goshen. Or, did grow.
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”
He considered not how God had preserved Egypt for Joseph’s sake.
“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.”
Or, go up out of the land. Into Canaan, and so we shall lose our commodity.
“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. But: Heb. And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied, etc”
The more that God blesseth his, the more doth the wicked envy them.
“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.”
Hebrew, wherewith they served themselves of them by cruelty.
“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:”
These seem to have been the chief of the rest.
“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.”
Or, seats whereupon they sat in travail.
“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.”
Their disobedience herein was lawful, but their dissembling evil.
“And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.”
That is, God increased the families of the Israelites by their means.
“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.”
When tyrants cannot prevail by craft, they burst forth into open rage.