New English Translation
Exodus 1:20
20So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong.
Exodus 1:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
- New International Version (NIV)So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
Context of Exodus 1:20
18Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women – for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!” So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”
Read all of Exodus 1Exodus 1:20 word by word
וַיֵּ֥יטֶב אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֑ת וַיִּ֧רֶב הָעָ֛ם וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 1:20
- Psalms 41:1How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly! When trouble comes, the Lord delivers him.
- Psalms 61:5For you, O God, hear my vows; you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers.
- Psalms 85:9Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; then his splendor will again appear in our land.
- Psalms 103:11For as the skies are high above the earth, so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers.
- Psalms 111:5He gives food to his faithful followers; he always remembers his covenant.
- Psalms 145:19He satisfies the desire of his loyal followers; he hears their cry for help and delivers them.
- Proverbs 11:18The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.
- Proverbs 19:17The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.
- Ecclesiastes 8:12Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes and still live a long time, yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people – for they stand in fear before him.
- Isaiah 3:10Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for what they have done.
- Matthew 10:42And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.”
- Matthew 25:40And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
- Luke 1:50from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him.
- Hebrews 6:10For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints.
- Exodus 1:7The Israelites, however, were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, so that the land was filled with them.
Commentaries on Exodus 1:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty - This shows an especial providence and blessing of God; for though in all cases where females are kept to hard labor they have comparatively easy and safe travail, yet in a state of slavery the increase is generally very small, as the children die for want of proper nursing, the women, through their labor, being obliged to neglect their offspring; so that in the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-22Verses 15-22 The Egyptians tried to destroy Israel by the murder of their children. The enmity that is in the seed of the serpent, against the Seed of the woman, makes men forget all pity. It is plain that the Hebrews were now under an uncommon blessing. And we see that the services done for God's Israel are often repaid in kind. Pharaoh gave orders to drown all the male children of the Hebrews. The enemy who, by Pharaoh, attempted to destroy the church…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-21He gave them families: For most of history, children have had the worthy goal of growing up to raise a family. God graciously granted the universal wish of these women who served him courageously and faithfully.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2120-21. God dealt well with the midwives--This represents God as rewarding them for telling a lie. This difficulty is wholly removed by a more correct translation. To "make" or "build up a house" in Hebrew idiom, means to have a numerous progeny. The passage then should be rendered thus: "God protected the midwives, and the people waxed very mighty; and because the midwives feared, the Hebrews grew and prospered."Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 1:20
In the dictionaries
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
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