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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 1:9

This king said to his people, "Look at the Israelites. There are too many of them, and they are stronger than we are!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Servant;   Usurpation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;   Persecution;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Exodus;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Egypt;   Exodus, book of;   Pharaoh;   Rameses (ra'amses);   Easton Bible Dictionary - Pharaoh;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Egypt;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   History;   Lot;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Egypt;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ex'odus;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Enslavement, the;   Exodus, the;   Encampment at Sinai;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Exodus, the;   Exodus, the Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Family and Family Life;   Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Yisra'el are more and mightier than we.
King James Version
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Lexham English Bible
And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the Israelites are greater and more numerous than us.
New Century Version
This king said to his people, "Look! The people of Israel are too many and too strong for us to handle!
New English Translation
He said to his people, "Look at the Israelite people, more numerous and stronger than we are!
Amplified Bible
He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us [they greatly outnumber us].
New American Standard Bible
And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he sayde vnto his people, Beholde, the people of the children of Israel are greater and mightier then we.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
Contemporary English Version
and he told the Egyptians: There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are.
Complete Jewish Bible
but said to his people, "Look, the descendants of Isra'el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us.
Darby Translation
And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we.
English Standard Version
And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
George Lamsa Translation
And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we;
Good News Translation
He said to his people, "These Israelites are so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us.
Christian Standard Bible®
He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are.
Literal Translation
And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are many and stronger than we.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde vnto his people: Beholde, the people of the children of Israel are many, & mightier then we:
American Standard Version
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Bible in Basic English
And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde vnto his folke, Beholde, the people of the chyldren of Israel are greater and myghtier then we.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;
King James Version (1611)
And he said vnto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are moe and mightier then we.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said to his nation, Behold, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude, and is stronger than we:
English Revised Version
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Berean Standard Bible
"Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
the puple of the sones of Israel is myche, and strongere than we;
Young's Literal Translation
and he saith unto his people, `Lo, the people of the sons of Israel [is] more numerous and mighty than we;
Update Bible Version
And he said to his people, Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel [are] more and mightier than we.
World English Bible
He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
New King James Version
And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;
New Living Translation
He said to his people, "Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.
New Life Bible
He said to his people, "See, the people of Israel are too many and too powerful for us.
New Revised Standard
He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he said, unto his people, Lo! the people of the sons of Israel are too many and mighty for us!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to his people: Behold the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we.
Revised Standard Version
And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.

Contextual Overview

8 Then a new king began to rule Egypt. He did not know Joseph. 9 This king said to his people, "Look at the Israelites. There are too many of them, and they are stronger than we are! 10 We must make plans to stop them from growing stronger. If there is a war, they might join our enemies, defeat us, and escape from the land!" 11 The Egyptians decided to make life hard for the Israelites, so they put slave masters over the people. These masters forced the Israelites to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses for the king. The king used these cities to store grain and other things. 12 The Egyptians forced the Israelites to work harder and harder. But the harder they worked, the more they grew and spread, and the more the Egyptians became afraid of them. 13 So the Egyptians made them work even harder. 14 They made life hard for the Israelites. They forced the Israelites to work hard at making bricks and mortar and to work hard in the fields. The Egyptians showed no mercy in all the hard work they made the Israelites do!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the people: Numbers 22:4, Numbers 22:5, Job 5:2, Psalms 105:24, Psalms 105:25, Proverbs 14:28, Proverbs 27:4, Ecclesiastes 4:4, Titus 3:3, James 3:14-16, James 4:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 26:16 - mightier Exodus 1:12 - grieved Deuteronomy 4:34 - take him Psalms 73:8 - speak wickedly Acts 7:19 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
God created the sky and the earth. At first,
Genesis 1:2
the earth was completely empty. There was nothing on the earth. Darkness covered the ocean, and God's Spirit moved over the water.
Genesis 1:5
God named the light "day," and he named the darkness "night." There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the first day.
Genesis 1:6
Then God said, "Let there be a space to separate the water into two parts!"
Genesis 1:8
God named that space "sky." There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the second day.
Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered together so that the dry land will appear." And it happened.
Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the earth grow grass, plants that make grain, and fruit trees. The fruit trees will make fruit with seeds in it. And each plant will make its own kind of seed. Let these plants grow on the earth." And it happened.
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Genesis 1:29
God said, "I am giving you all the grain bearing plants and all the fruit trees. These trees make fruit with seeds in it. This grain and fruit will be your food.
Job 26:7
God stretched the northern sky over empty space. He hung the earth on nothing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said unto his people,.... His princes, nobles, and courtiers about him, his principal ministers of state:

behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: which could not be true in fact, but is said to stir up his nobles to attend to what he was about to say, and to work upon them to take some speedy measures for the crushing of this people; for that they were more in number, and mightier in power and wealth than the Egyptians, it was impossible; and indeed it may seem strange, that the king should tell such an untruth, which might be so easily contradicted by his courtiers; though the words will bear to be otherwise rendered, as that "the children of Israel are many" o; as they were very greatly multiplied, and became very numerous; and they might be "mightier", that is, more robust and strong, and fitter for war than the Egyptians, and therefore, were formidable, and a people to be guarded against; and it was high time to think of securing themselves from them, before they grew too mighty and powerful; or they might be more numerous and mighty in that part of the land in which they were, in Goshen, though not more and mightier than the Egyptians in general.

o רב "multus", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius, Rivet.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 1:9. He said unto his people — He probably summoned a council of his nobles and elders to consider the subject; and the result was to persecute and destroy them, as is afterwards stated.


 
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