Exodus 1:12

World English Bible

Contextual Overview

⁸ Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn't know Joseph. ⁹ He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. ¹⁰ Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land." ¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. ¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel. ¹³ The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, ¹⁴ and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But the more: etc. Heb. and as they afflicted them, so they multiplied, etc. Psalms 105:24, Proverbs 21:30, Romans 8:28, Hebrews 12:6-11

grieved: Exodus 1:9, Job 5:2, Proverbs 27:4, John 12:19, Acts 4:2-4, Acts 5:28-33

Reciprocal: Genesis 47:27 - grew Exodus 1:20 - the people Deuteronomy 26:5 - became Psalms 129:1 - have they Proverbs 14:28 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11
God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth," and it was so.

Genesis 1:24
God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind," and it was so.

Genesis 1:26
God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

Isaiah 61:11
For as the earth brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Mark 4:28
For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

Luke 6:44
For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

2 Corinthians 9:10
Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;

Galatians 6:7
Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew,.... Became more numerous, "and broke out" b, as it may be rendered, like water which breaks out and spreads itself; so the Israelites, increasing in number, spread themselves still more in the land; the Egyptians thought, by putting them to hard labour in building cities, to have weakened their strength, and made them unfit for the procreation of children; but instead of that, the more hard labour they were put unto, the more healthful and the stronger they were, and begot more children, and multiplied exceedingly: and so it is that oftentimes afflictive dispensations are multiplying and growing times to the people of God, in a spiritual sense; who grow like the palm tree, which the more weight it has upon it the more it grows; when the church of God has been most violently persecuted, the number of converts have been greater, and saints under affliction grow in grace, in faith and love, in holiness, humility, patience, peace, and joy; see

Acts 12:1

and they were grieved because of the children of Israel; because of their multiplication and increase, and because their schemes for lessening them did not succeed; they were as thorns in their eyes, as some interpret the word, as Jarchi c observes.

b יפיץ "erumpebat", Junius & Tremellius, Drusius, Tigurine version. c בפרך "in fractione", Cajetan. apud Rivet.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 1:12. But the more they afflicted them — The margin has pretty nearly preserved the import of the original: And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied and so they grew That is, in proportion to their afflictions was their prosperity; and had their sufferings been greater, their increase would have been still more abundant.