Exodus 1:7
And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
Original Language Analysis
וּבְנֵ֣י
And the children
H1121
וּבְנֵ֣י
And the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
1 of 11
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
2 of 11
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ
and increased abundantly
H8317
וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ
and increased abundantly
Strong's:
H8317
Word #:
4 of 11
to wriggle, i.e., (by implication) swarm or abound
וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ
mighty
H6105
וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ
mighty
Strong's:
H6105
Word #:
6 of 11
to bind fast, i.e., close (the eyes); intransitively, to be (causatively, make) powerful or numerous; to crunch the bones
מְאֹ֑ד
and waxed exceeding
H3966
מְאֹ֑ד
and waxed exceeding
Strong's:
H3966
Word #:
7 of 11
properly, vehemence, i.e., (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or
מְאֹ֑ד
and waxed exceeding
H3966
מְאֹ֑ד
and waxed exceeding
Strong's:
H3966
Word #:
8 of 11
properly, vehemence, i.e., (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or
וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א
was filled
H4390
וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א
was filled
Strong's:
H4390
Word #:
9 of 11
to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)
Cross References
Genesis 46:3And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:Deuteronomy 26:5And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:Genesis 47:27And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.Genesis 12:2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:Genesis 9:1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.Genesis 35:11And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;Nehemiah 9:23Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.Genesis 48:4And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.Genesis 17:16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Historical Context
This population explosion occurred during the roughly 400 years of Egyptian residence. While natural demographic growth alone could account for much increase, the emphatic Hebrew suggests divine intervention. The land was filled with them (Goshen region) sets up Pharaoh's paranoia in verse 9.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's blessing producing growth despite oppression encourage you in difficult circumstances?
- In what areas of your life do you need to trust God's power to multiply small beginnings?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty—Five Hebrew verbs emphasize explosive growth: fruitful (פָּרָה, parah), increased abundantly (שָׁרַץ, sharats, lit. "swarmed" like fish or insects), multiplied (רָבָה, ravah), waxed mighty (עָצַם, atsam, "became strong"), and exceeding (מְאֹד מְאֹד, me'od me'od, doubly intensive). This language deliberately echoes Genesis 1:28 ("be fruitful and multiply") and Genesis 9:7, showing God fulfilling His creation mandate. Despite hostile conditions, God's blessing produces supernatural increase—from 70 to potentially 2+ million (Exodus 12:37).