Exodus 1:7

Exodus 1:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
• New International Version (NIV)but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Context of Exodus 1:7

5The total number of Jacob’s descendants was seventy; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation eventually died. But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them. 8A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are.

Exodus 1:7 word by word

וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל פָּר֧וּ וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֹתָֽם׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• were fruitfulפָּרָהpârâh · be fruitfulH6509
• and increased abundantlyשָׁרַץshârats · to swarmH8317
• and multipliedרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• and waxed exceedingמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• mightyעָצֹם‛âtsam · be vastH6105
• and the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• was filledמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390

Cross-references for Exodus 1:7

• Exodus 12:37The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand able-bodied men on foot, besides their families.
• Genesis 1:20Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
• Genesis 9:1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
• Genesis 12:2I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
• Genesis 13:16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.
• Genesis 15:5He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”
• Genesis 17:4“As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations.
• Genesis 22:17I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies.
• Genesis 26:4I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,
• Genesis 28:3May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you so that you become an assembly of peoples.
• Genesis 35:11God also said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you.
• Genesis 46:3God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
• Genesis 47:27Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous.
• Genesis 48:4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession to your future descendants.’
• Deuteronomy 10:22Your ancestors went down to Egypt, seventy people in all, and now the Lord your God has made you numerous, like the stars of the sky.
• Deuteronomy 26:5You are to respond by saying in the presence of the Lord your God: My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt with a few people and resided there as an alien. There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation.

Commentaries on Exodus 1:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7The 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; (note), and the note there. 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 - מאד במאד ויעצמו…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7In 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7Jacob’s family stayed in Egypt for a long time as part of God's plan. God told Abraham that his descendants would not receive the land of Canaan for 400 years, until the Canaanites' sins were complete (Genesis 15:13–16). Even in Egypt, God's promises were working. The descendants of the elderly Abraham and barren Sarah multiplied … exceedingly, just as God had said (Genesis 15:5). This was because God blessed them (Psalm 105:24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. children of Israel were fruitful--They were living in a land where, according to the testimony of an ancient author, mothers produced three and four sometimes at a birth; and a modern writer declares "the females in Egypt, as well among the human race as among animals, surpass all others in fruitfulness." To this natural circumstance must be added the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 1:7

• Israel

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Arise
• Bitter
• Exodus
• Hard
• Hebrew
• Moses

Commentaries on Exodus 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings