Exodus-Chap-1-1-22

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Re Tanakh versions:

Throughout this site I may use any of the following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, although JPS-1917 is my preferred version!

Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:

1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.

*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“Exodus Chapter 1:1-22”

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction:

The Shift from Favour to Fetter.

Exodus begins by bridging the gap between the privileged status of Joseph’s family and the rise of a national identity forged in iron. The JPS-1917 text emphasizes the “names” of the sons of Israel, reminding us that they entered Egypt as a specific, recognized family unit. The transition in this chapter is stark: the “new pharaoh” who “knew not Joseph” represents a world that has forgotten past blessings, turning a guest into a ghost and a brother into a burden.

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Let us now read Shemot - Exodus Chapter 1:1-22: (JPS-`1917 version of the Torah).

1. “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household: 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; and 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 a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 9. And he said unto his people: ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us; 10. come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and 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 store-cities, ‘Pithom’ and ‘Raamses’. 12. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread 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 service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour. 15. And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom 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, ye shall look upon the birthstool: 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 אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, 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 midwife come unto them’. 20. And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, 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’”.

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Let us now check the commentary of this chapter:

The Resilience of the Covenant.

1. The Multiplied Seed (Verses 1-7):
The opening verses use five different verbs to describe the growth of the Israelites: they were “fruitful”, “increased abundantly”, “multiplied”, “waxed exceeding mighty”, and “filled the land”. In the JPS-1917 tradition, this is seen as the literal explosion of the Promise made to the Patriarchs. Their growth was so significant it became “monstrous” in the eyes of the Egyptians, signalling that Israel was no longer a family, but a force.

2. The Strategy of “Dealing Wisely” (Verses 8-14):
Pharaoh’s fear is rooted in a “what if” scenario that the Israelites might join Egypt’s enemies. His solution is “taskmasters” and “bitter labour” in mortar and brick. The JPS-1917 notes the building of Pithom and Raamses, store-cities that symbolized Egyptian wealth built on the backs of Hebrew poverty. Yet, a spiritual law emerges: “the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied”. Human oppression cannot overrule divine multiplication.

3. The Midwives’ Moral Courage (Verses 15-21):
Shiphrah and Puah are the first heroes of the Exodus. When commanded by the King to commit infanticide, they “feared אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God)” above the sovereign. Their excuse to Pharaoh that the Hebrew women are “lively” and give birth before the midwives arrive highlights a vitality that the Egyptian culture could not suppress. Because they preserved life, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim “made them houses”, a JPS-1917 rendering that implies the establishment of their own enduring lineages.

4. The Decree of the Nile (Verse 22):
The chapter ends with a dark shift from “dealing wisely” (secretly) to “charging all his people” (openly). Pharaoh commands that every son be “cast into the river”. By choosing the Nile, the god of Egypt’s economy as the instrument of death, Pharaoh sets the stage for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to eventually turn that same river into a sign of judgment.

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My Closing Message:

The Persistence of Hope.

Exodus 1 teaches us that the “darkness before the dawn” is often a time of intense growth. While the Israelites were groaning under the weight of “rigour”, they were also becoming a nation. The fear of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim shown by two women thwarted the plans of the most powerful man on earth. This reminds us that no matter how “bitter” the labour or how “mighty” the opposition, the covenant remains unbreakable.

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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!

Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following via several of our prophets...

“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).

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“The More Torah, the More Life”,

For Elohim is the One who gave us our ... “Life!”

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts, be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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