Exodus 1
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.
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.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Exodus 1.
Where were Pithom and Raamses?
Exodus names two store cities in the eastern Delta. Raamses is commonly associated with Pi-Ramesses; Pithom has more than one proposed identification, so the map should remain cautious.
What is known about forced labor in ancient Egypt?
Egyptian states organized compulsory labor for building, agriculture, transport, and other state needs. That broader system gives context for Exodus 1 without establishing a one-to-one historical identification.
Why are the midwives named but Pharaoh is not?
The chapter names Shiphrah and Puah while leaving Pharaoh unnamed. That literary contrast is worth noticing before deciding what historical or theological significance to assign to it.
Why are Shiphrah and Puah named while Pharaoh is not?
The narrative names the midwives but leaves the king unnamed. The contrast is a literary feature worth noticing before assigning a larger interpretation to it.
What does the name “Hebrew” mean in this setting?
The designation “Hebrew” appears in a complex ancient linguistic and social landscape. Its relationship to terms such as ʿApiru/Habiru has been debated and should not be treated as a simple equivalence.
Are the Hebrews the same as the ʿApiru/Habiru?
The ancient term ʿApiru/Habiru appears across Near Eastern texts, but its relationship to biblical ‘Hebrews’ is debated. Similar sound and overlapping social contexts do not justify simple equivalence.
Sources to ExploreCurated research paths for this chapter 5
History & Daily Life2
- EgyptBible Odyssey
Useful broad context for Egypt in the Exodus tradition, especially Egypt as the place of bondage and the setting for Israel’s oppression.
- Social Structure in Ancient EgyptWorld History Encyclopedia
Explains Egyptian social hierarchy, labor, class, state organization, and the world behind royal control and forced labor.
Maps & Timeline1
- Timeline of Ancient EgyptWorld History Encyclopedia
Visual timeline showing major Egyptian periods, including Middle Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, and New Kingdom; useful for situating Exodus discussions in Egyptian history.
Language & Literature1
- Strong’s Hebrew: 6326. PuahBible Hub
Focused name study on Puah, one of the Hebrew midwives who resisted Pharaoh’s order; useful for highlighting named women at the beginning of Exodus.
Artifacts & Manuscripts1
- Model Brick Mold from Hatshepsut’s TombThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
New Kingdom model brick mold from a foundation deposit; highly relevant visual object for Exodus 1’s bitter labor “in mortar and brick.”
WORTH A CLOSER LOOK
Brickmakers in an Egyptian tomb scene
A New Kingdom facsimile of brickmakers from the tomb of Vizier Rekhmire shows workers shaping and moving mudbricks under organized supervision. It is later than some proposed Exodus chronologies and does not depict Israelites, but it gives unusually direct visual context for Egyptian brick production.
View the object
Lower Egypt and the eastern Nile Delta
A regional map helps place the Delta setting associated with Pithom, Raamses, and later Goshen traditions. Exact biblical routes and site identifications remain debated.
View the mapFrom Joseph to the Exodus generation
Exodus 1 compresses a long transition from the Joseph traditions to the oppression narrative. The Egyptian setting is clear, but a precise pharaonic chronology remains debated.
Public Discussion
Your display name and comment can be seen by anyone visiting this chapter. Do not include private or sensitive information. Read the Community Guidelines.
You must be logged in to post a comment.