New Living Translation
Exodus 1:7
7But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.
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
5In all, Jacob had seventy descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there. 6In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation. But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land. 8Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.
Read all of Exodus 1Exodus 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 12:37That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children.
- Genesis 1:20Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”
- Genesis 9:1Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.
- Genesis 12:2I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
- Genesis 13:16And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!
- Genesis 15:5Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
- Genesis 17:4“This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!
- Genesis 22:17I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
- Genesis 26:4I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
- Genesis 28:3May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!
- Genesis 35:11Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!
- Genesis 46:3“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.
- Genesis 47:27Meanwhile, the people of Israel settled in the region of Goshen in Egypt. There they acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly.
- Genesis 48:4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
- Deuteronomy 10:22When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!
- Deuteronomy 26:5“You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty 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
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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