Exodus 1 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes
Exodus 1 Summary - A Quick Overview
WHEN:
Using the timeline we utilized for our Genesis study, Jacob’s family moved from Canaan to Egypt in approximately 1706 B.C.
The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites sometime after Joseph’s death in approximately 1635 B.C.
CHARACTERS:
The Sons of Jacob – The 12 sons of Jacob are briefly mentioned at the beginning of the chapter because they were the patriarchs of the tribes of that formed from their descendants.
Israelites (Hebrews) – The terms “Israelites” and “Hebrews” are used synonymously. They refer to the descendants of Jacob’s family that grew into a large nation.
Pharaoh – A wicked and murderous king of Egypt who tried to stop the Israelite nation from growing.
Shiphrah and Puah – Midwives who defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill newborn babies.
WHERE:
The opening chapter of the book of Exodus took place in the country of Egypt. A specific city is not mentioned.
OUTLINE:
ISRAEL’S CHILDREN AND A GROWING NATIONS (1:1-7):
The sons of Israel (Jacob) who moved to Egypt with him (Genesis 46) were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, and Joseph.
Joseph and all his brothers died, but their children “multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
PHARAOH TRIES TO SUPRESS ISRAEL’S GROWTH (1:8-14):
A new Pharaoh came to power who did not remember Joseph and all he did for Egypt.
He feared the growing Israelite nation and worried they were becoming more powerful than the Egyptians.
Pharaoh forced Israel’s children into slavery, put taskmasters over them, and subjected them to hard labor.
They built the cities of Pithom and Raamses, and Pharaoh made “their lives biter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field.”
Pharaoh was ruthless but, through it all, the Israelites (Hebrews) multiplied even more.
GENOCIDE OF THE MALE CHILDREN (1:15-22):
Seeing his enforced slavery wasn’t keeping the Israelites from multiplying, Pharaoh told the Israelite midwives to kill all the male children born to the Hebrews.
But the midwives feared God and refused to obey.
When asked why they hadn’t killed the male babies, they told Pharaoh the Hebrew women were too quick, and were delivering their children before they could arrive.
God blessed the midwives for their decision.
Pharaoh then commanded all his people to throw male Hebrew children into the Nile River if they were discovered.
APPLICATION:
How fast can 12 brothers grow into an “exceedingly strong” nation?
Let’s assume each brother had 5 children and each of their children had 5 children.
Generation (1): 12*5=60, Generation (2): 60*5= 300, Generation (3): 300*5=1500, Generation (4): 1500*5=7500, Generation (5): 7500*5=37500, Generation (6) 37500*5=187000, Generation (7): 187000*5=937500.
If we give 30 years between generations, 12 brothers could produce nearly 1 million children in roughly 200 years.
Obviously, some of the people in the earlier generations would die before reaching the full 200 years, but the death rate would not even come close to the multiplication factor of the birth rate.
