Exodus 1:7

World English Bible

Contextual Overview

¹ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who 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 All the souls who came out of the Jacob's body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already. ⁶ Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. ⁷ The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

fruitful: Exodus 12:37, Genesis 1:20, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:1, Genesis 12:2, Genesis 13:16, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 17:4-6, Genesis 17:16, Genesis 22:17, Genesis 26:4, Genesis 28:3, Genesis 28:4, Genesis 28:14, Genesis 35:11, Genesis 46:3, Genesis 47:27, Genesis 48:4, Genesis 48:16, Deuteronomy 10:22, Deuteronomy 26:5, Nehemiah 9:23, Psalms 105:24, Acts 7:17, Acts 7:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:21 - brought Genesis 26:22 - be fruitful Exodus 1:20 - the people Exodus 5:5 - General Leviticus 26:9 - make you Numbers 22:5 - they cover Deuteronomy 6:3 - that ye may Job 12:23 - increaseth Psalms 107:38 - He blesseth Ecclesiastes 1:4 - One generation Ezekiel 16:7 - caused Zechariah 10:8 - and they Acts 13:17 - and exalted Hebrews 6:15 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse sky. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:9
God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so.

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 1:15
and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light 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 1:28
God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:29
God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.

Job 26:8
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, And the cloud is not burst under them.

Psalms 104:10
He sends forth springs into the valleys. They run among the mountains.

Psalms 148:4
Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Israel were fruitful,.... In their offspring; became like fruitful trees, as the word signifies:

and increased abundantly; like creeping things, or rather like fishes, which increase very much, see Genesis 1:20

and multiplied; became very numerous, whereby the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were fulfilled:

and waxed exceeding mighty; were hale, and strong, of good constitutions, able bodied men, and so more dreaded by the Egyptians: a heap of words is here used to express the vast increase of the people of Israel in Egypt:

and the land was filled with them; not the whole land of Egypt, but the land of Goshen: at first they were seated in a village in that country, but now they were spread throughout the towns and cities in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In no province does the population increase so rapidly as in that which was occupied by the Israelites. See the note at Genesis 47:6. At present it has more flocks and herds than any province in Egypt, and more fishermen, though many villages are deserted. Until the accession of the new king, the relations between the Egyptians and the Israelites were undoubtedly friendly. The expressions used in this verse imply the lapse of a considerable period after the death of Joseph.

The land was filled with them - i. e. the district allotted to them Genesis 45:10.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 1:7. The children of Israel were fruitful — פרו paru, a general term, signifying that they were like healthy trees, bringing forth an abundance of fruit.

And increased — ישרץ yishretsu, they increased like fishes, as the original word implies. See Genesis 1:20, and the note there. Genesis 1:20.

Abundantly — ירבו yirbu, they multiplied; this is a separate term, and should not have been used as an adverb by our translators.

And waxed exceeding mighty — ויעצמו במאד מאד vaiyaatsmu bimod meod, and they became strong beyond measure - superlatively, superlatively-so that the land (Goshen) was filled with them. This astonishing increase was, under the providence of God, chiefly owing to two causes:

1. The Hebrew women were exceedingly fruitful, suffered very little in parturition, and probably often brought forth twins.

2. There appear to have been no premature deaths among them. Thus in about two hundred and fifteen years they were multiplied to upwards of 600,000, independently of old men, women, and children.