Exodus 1:22

Exodus 1:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Context of Exodus 1:22

20So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”

Exodus 1:22 word by word

וַיְצַ֣ו פַּרְעֹ֔ה לְכָל־עַמּ֖וֹ לֵאמֹ֑ר כָּל־הַבֵּ֣ן הַיִּלּ֗וֹד הַיְאֹ֙רָה֙ תַּשְׁלִיכֻ֔הוּ וְכָל־הַבַּ֖ת תְּחַיּֽוּן׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
• chargedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• all his peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Every sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• that is bornיִלּוֹדyillôd · bornH3209
• ye shall castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
• into the riverיְאֹרye'ôr · NileH2975
• and every daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• ye shall save aliveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421

Cross-references for Exodus 1:22

• Exodus 1:16“When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live.”
• Exodus 7:19Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over Egypt’s waters – over their rivers, over their canals, over their ponds, and over all their reservoirs – so that it becomes blood.’ There will be blood everywhere in the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone containers.”
• Psalms 105:25He caused them to hate his people, and to mistreat his servants.
• Proverbs 1:16for they are eager to inflict harm, and they hasten to shed blood.
• Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble.
• Proverbs 27:4Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
• Acts 7:19This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
• Revelation 16:4Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood.

Commentaries on Exodus 1:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Ye shall cast into the river - As the Nile, which is here intended, was a sacred river among the Egyptians, it is not unlikely that Pharaoh intended the young Hebrews as an offering to his god, having two objects in view: To increase the fertility of the country by thus procuring, as he might suppose, a proper and sufficient annual inundation; and To prevent an increase of population among the Israelites, and in process of time procure their entire…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22The extreme cruelty of the measure does not involve improbability. Hatred of strangers was always a characteristic of the Egyptians (see Genesis 43:32), and was likely to be stronger than ever after the expulsion of an alien race.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. 1-22The need for rescue was clearly related to the Israelites' condition. The Egyptians forced the people of Israel to work without mercy (1:13). It was also related to promises God had made to the patriarchs years earlier. The Lord had promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation, living freely in the land of Canaan. At this time, Abraham's descendants were slaves in Egypt under a pharaoh who wanted to destroy them as a people. God would…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-22Commentary by Robert Jamieson 1. Now these are the names--(See Ge 46:8-26).Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 1:22

• Children
• Homicide
• Oppression
• Servant
• Usurpation

In the dictionaries

• Pharaoh
• Euphrates River, the River
• Pharaoh, king of Egypt
• Arise
• Bitter
• Exodus
• Hard
• Moses
• Nile
• Wisely

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