Exodus 1:7
But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse piles on descriptive words—fruitful, increased, multiplied, exceedingly mighty—not just to emphasize their large numbers, but to showcase God's power actively fulfilling His promise to Abraham, turning a small family into a powerful nation. This isn't just population growth; it's a divine miracle at work, establishing Israel as a formidable people against all odds.
The verse uses a remarkable series of strong verbs to emphasize the Israelites' explosive growth— "fruitful," "increased abundantly," "multiplied," and "grew exceedingly strong." This isn't just about numbers; it speaks to a vibrant, robust vitality that filled their allotted land, proving God's promise to Abraham was unfolding powerfully.
How can a family become a nation? Exodus 1:7 reveals an astonishing multiplication that wasn't just biological, but theological.
The incredible population boom of the Israelites in Egypt wasn't accidental. It was a direct fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, made centuries earlier:
The sheer numbers are staggering! How could a single family explode into a multitude so quickly, even under difficult circumstances?
The birth rate and growth of the Israelites in Egypt defied normal human expectations. Several factors contributed, highlighting divine intervention:
Understand the original words
parah · Hebrew Verb
A verb describing the capacity to produce offspring, often used in Scripture to denote God's blessing and the fulfillment of His covenant command to be fruitful and multiply.
Yisra'el · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the ethnic and covenantal descendants of the patriarch Jacob, whom God renamed Israel; they are the chosen people through whom God reveals His plan of redemption.
This astonishing population explosion wasn't just natural growth; it was a divinely orchestrated fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, happening even as the Israelites lived as foreigners in Egypt.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham called by God
God promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars and will inherit the land of Canaan.
c. 1729 BC
Jacob and family move to Egypt
Jacob and his family, numbering about 70 people, move to Egypt to escape a famine, settling in the region of Goshen at Joseph's invitation.
c. 1700-1600 BC
Israelites settle and prosper in Goshen
The descendants of Jacob live in the land of Goshen, flourishing and increasing significantly in number, living peacefully under Joseph's influence.
c. 1679 BC
Joseph dies
Joseph, who had risen to a high position in Egypt, dies. His death marks the end of an era where his family was favored and protected.
c. 1679 BC - 1459 BC
This passage directly echoes the promise God made to Abraham about his descendants being as numerous as the stars, which is the divine intention behind Israel's incredible growth in Egypt.
Genesis 46:27This verse lists the seventy souls who went into Egypt with Jacob, providing the starting point for the massive multiplication described in Exodus 1:7.
Deuteronomy 10:22Similar to Genesis 1:7, this verse reiterates the theme of God's people multiplying greatly, contrasting their small beginnings with their vast numbers, echoing the promise made to Abraham.
Isaiah 51:1This prophetic passage calls Israel to remember Abraham and Sarah, their unlikely ancestor who was initially childless, to understand God's power to bring great numbers from seemingly nothing, mirroring the miracle of their growth in Egypt.
Acts 7:14Stephen's speech in Acts recounts the migration to Egypt, mentioning the number seventy, and later contrasts it with the great multitude that God brought out, directly linking the promise of multiplication from Exodus to later events.
bensonExodus 1:7: "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them."
Exodus 1:7 . And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly — Like fishes or insects, as one of the words here used signifies, and being generally healthful and strong, they waxed exceeding mighty, so that the land was filled with them — At least Goshen, their own allotment. This wonderful increase was the product of…
calvinExodus 1:1-7: "Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob."
- These are the names It is the intention of Moses to describe the miraculous deliverance of the people, (from whence the Greeks gave the name to the book;) but, before he comes to that, he briefly reminds us that the promise given to Abraham was not ineffectual, that his seed should be multiplied
"as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the…
The verse piles on descriptive words—fruitful, increased, multiplied, exceedingly mighty—not just to emphasize their large numbers, but to showcase God's power actively fulfilling His promise to Abraham, turning a small family into a powerful nation. This isn't just population growth; it's a divine miracle at work, establishing Israel as a formidable people against all odds.
The verse uses a remarkable series of strong verbs to emphasize the Israelites' explosive growth— "fruitful," "increased abundantly," "multiplied," and "grew exceedingly strong." This isn't just about numbers; it speaks to a vibrant, robust vitality that filled their allotted land, proving God's promise to Abraham was unfolding powerfully.
The verse uses a remarkable series of strong verbs to emphasize the Israelites' explosive growth— "fruitful," "increased abundantly," "multiplied," and "grew exceedingly strong." This isn't just about numbers; it speaks to a vibrant, robust vitality that filled their allotted land, proving God's promise to Abraham was unfolding powerfully.
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Israelites multiply in Egypt
Despite the passing of Joseph and the subsequent change in Egyptian leadership, the Israelites continue to grow in number and strength, filling the land of Goshen.
c. 1459 BC
Exodus from Egypt
After centuries of growth and subsequent oppression, the Israelites, numbering over 600,000 men (plus women and children), are miraculously led out of Egypt by Moses.
"But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them." — The verse piles on descriptive words—fruitful, increased, multiplied, exceedingly mighty—not just to emphasize their large numbers, but to showcase God's power actively fulfilling His promise to Abra…
