Exodus Chapter One

Opening Genealogy

Exodus 1: 1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplie d, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. (NASB95) This opening paragraph in the book of Exodus serves as a connection to what Moses wrote in the final chapters of the book of Genesis. This is indicated by the fact that this paragraph summarizes the final chapters of the Genesis narrative. This provides the reader that which is essential to understand in what is presented in the book of Exodus. This paragraph anticipates the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to make them a great nation. These promises also state that the Savior of the world would be an Israelite. They serve as the framework for God’ s actions in history to glorify Himself. Douglas Stuart writes “ These opening verses provide an obvious co nnection to what Moses said in the latter chapters of Genesis, in that they contain a brief recapitulation of the story of how Jacob and his sons entered Egypt and were reunited with Joseph (esp. Gen 46) as well as the death of Joseph in the context of his association with his brothers (Gen 50:22 – 26; note how vv. 25 – 26 implicitly reflect the concept of ‘ all that generation ’ in Exod 1:6). Thus there is a conscious concern here to be sure the reader understands that Exodus is not strictly a self - contained nar rative but a segment of a narrative on a grander scale, that is, the full Pentateuch. In other words, the story continues smoothly from Genesis into Exodus. 1 John Durham writes “ This opening passage of Exodus functions as a compact transitional unit that summarizes that part of the preceding Genesis narrative that is essential to what follows, states a new and discontinuous situation, and anticipates the progress of the family of Jacob/Israel toward their birth, in exodus and at Sinai, as the people of God . ” 2

1 Stuart, D. K.; Volume 2: Exodus (electronic ed.); page 56; Logos Library System; The New Am erican Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers 2 Durham, J. I. (2002). Vol. 3: Word Biblical Commentary: Exodus. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated

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Title of the Book of Exodus

“ Now these are the names ” in Exodus 1:1 is the Hebrew expression w ʾ ēl·l ě(h) which is the title for the second book in the Pentateuch. The , ( וְאֵ֗ לֶּה שְׁ מוֹת֙ ) š e mô ṯ English title “Exodus” for the second book in the English Bible is not a translation of the title of the second book in the Hebrew Bible . This English titl e “a departure, exit” transliterates the title in the Septuagint, which named the book for its central focus, which was the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. The Septuagint title is the origin of the Latin Vulgate’s term “Exodus.” In fact, the first six words in the Hebrew text of Exodus 1:1 w ʾ ēl·l ě(h) a š e mô ṯ Now these are the names of the sons of “ , ( וְאֵ֗ לֶּה שְׁ מוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָ אֵ֔ ל ) b e nê yi ś·rā· ʾ ēl Israel ” are an exact quotation of the first six words of Genesis 46:8. This is a clear indication of the continuity intended for the narrati ve as well as to remind the reader that God is keeping His promises to the patriarchs and is control of their lives. So these six words tell the reader that the book of Exodus is a direct continuation of the book of Genesis.

The Sons of Israel

yis - raw - ale), which means, “ one) ( יִשְׂרָ אֵ ל ) Israel ” is the proper noun yiś ·r ā ·ʾ ēl “ who fights and overcomes with the power of God” since the Lord states the reason for the name is that Jacob has fought with both God and men and has prevailed. This name was bestowed upon Jacob and c onstituted the essence of the blessing that he requested from the Lord recorded in Genesis 32:26. The expression “ sons of Israel ” was first used in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 32:32. In this passage, this was a designation for the nation of Israel in Mos es’ day and is not simply a designation for Jacob’s sons. Moses informs the reader that the Israelites in his day made it a rule not to eat the sciatic muscle of slaughtered animals as a reminder to them of this encounter that Jacob had with the Lord. Mos t of the time in the Old Testament, the designation “ the sons of Israel ” emphasizes the national identity of Israel/Jacob’s sons and not their personal identity as Jacob’s sons. However, in Exodus 1:1, the expression b e nê yi ś·rā· ʾ ēl the sons of Israel ” refers to the individual sons of Israel, aka, Jacob “ , ( בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָ אֵ֔ ל ) since they are named in verses 2 - 4. yah - ak - obe), which) ( יַﬠֲקֹ ב ) The name “ Jacob ” is the proper name y ǎ ·ʿ ǎ qō ḇ means, “heel catcher . ” This name implies someone who is a “deceiver” an d a “supplanter,” which is a person who takes the place of another by force, scheming or strategy. “ Reuben ” was the first child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “behold or see, a son” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:32. “ Simeon ” was

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 the second child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “the Lord has heard” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:33. “ Levi ” was the third child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “My husband will be attached to me” and his birth is recorded i n Genesis 29:34. “ Judah ” was the fourth child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “I will praise the Lord” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:35. “ Issachar ” was the fifth child that Leah bore Jacob and his name means, “reward” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:16 - 18. “ Zebulun ” was the sixth child that Leah bore Jacob and his name means, “honor” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:19 - 20. “ Gad ” was the first boy that Zilpah bore to Jacob, whose birth is recorded in Genesis 30:9 - 11 and h is name comes from “What good fortune” indicating that Leah attributed this child to fortune or good luck rather than God and his birth. “ Asher ” is the second son that Zilpah bore to Jacob, whose birth is recorded in Genesis 30:12 - 13 and his name means “wo men will call me happy” meaning that Leah thought she would be envied by other women because of this child. “ Benjamin ” was the last child that Rachel bore to Jacob and his name means, “son of my right hand” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 35:16 - 18. “ D an ” was the first child that Bilhah bore Jacob and his name means, “God has vindicated me” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:5 - 6. “ Naphtali ” was the second child that Bilhah bore to Jacob and his name means, “my wrestling” reflecting Rachel’s attitud e in which she viewed her relationship with her sister Leah to be like a wrestling match and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:7 - 8. The name “ Joseph ” literally means, “He adds,” which is a play on the verb yasaph , “to add” and is also a prayer for anothe r child, foreshadowing the birth of Benjamin. He was the first son of Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 30:22 - 24).

Jacob ’ s Family

Bilhah Zilpah Leah Rachel

Dan Naphtali Gad Asher Benjamin Joseph

Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Dinah

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Egypt

” .which means, “ double straits ,( מִצְרַ יִם ) Egypt ” is the proper noun mi ṣ·rǎ·yim “ Genesis 10:6 records that “Mizraim” was the second son of Ham and was the ancestor of the ancient Egyptians as indicated in that his name was the customary name for Egypt in the Bible. The Egyptians were not descendants of Ham’s son, Canaan but rather of his son Mizraim and thus t hey were not Canaanites. Genesis 10:13 - 14 records the genealogy of the sons of “ Mizraim ” better known as Egypt. Genesis 10:13 Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim 14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Phil istines and Caphtorim). (NASB95) Egypt is situated along the southeastern shores of the Mediterranean and is bordered by the Red Sea on the east and Lybia on the west. Its southern boundary changed in different periods. Ancient Egypt stretched a distance o f about 550 miles from Aswan northward to the Mediterranean Sea, which would include the narrow Nile Valley, which was from Aswan to Memphis. It was divided into three geographical sections: (1) Upper Egypt in the south (2) Middle Egypt in the center (3) Lower Egypt or Delta in the north. Upper Egypt is very narrow and surrounded by mountains, which rarely take the form of peaks and the northern coast of Egypt is low and barren, and without good harbors. The New Bible Dictionary writes, “ Historically ancie nt Egypt consists of the long, narrow Nile Valley from the first cataract at Aswan (not from the second, as today) to the Memphis /Cairo district, plus the broad, flat triangle (hence its name) of the Delta from Cairo to the sea. The contrast of valley and delta enforce a dual nature upon Egypt. (i) Upper Egypt. Bounded on either side by cliffs (limestone to the N and sandstone to the S of Esna some 530 km S of Cairo), the valley is never more than c. 19 km wide and sometimes narrows to a few hundred metres (as at Gebel Silsileh). At its annual inundation the Nile deposited fresh silt upon the land beyond its banks each year until the Aswan barrages halted deposition in modern times. As far as the waters reach, green plants can grow; immediately beyond, all is desert up to the cliffs. (ii) Lower Egypt. Some 20 km N of Cairo, the Nile divides into two main branches. The N branch reaches the sea at Rosetta, and the E at Damietta about 145 km away; from Cairo to the sea is roughly 160 km. Between the two great a rms of the Nile, and over a considerable area beyond them to the E and W, stretches the flat, swampy Delta - land, entirely composed of river - borne alluvium and intersected by canals and drainage channels. Lower Egypt has, from antiquity, always included the northernmost part of the Nile valley from just S of

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Memphis/Cairo, in addition to the Delta proper. In ancient times tradition held that the Nile had seven mouths on the Delta coast (Herodotus), but only three are recognized as important in ancient Egypti an sources. c. The Egypt of antiquity To the W of the Nile valley stretches the Sahara, a flat, rocky desert of drifted sand, and parallel with the valley a series of oases — great natural depressions, where cultivation and habitation are made possible by a supply of artesian water. Between the Nile valley and Red Sea on the E is the Arabian desert, a mountainous terrain with some mineral wealth: gold, ornamental stone, including alabaster, breccia and diorite. Across the Gulf of Suez is the rocky peninsula o f Sinai. Egypt was thus sufficiently isolated between her deserts to develop her own individual culture; but, at the same time, access from the E by either the Sinai isthmus or Red Sea and Wadi Hammamat, and from the N and S by way of the Nile was direct e nough for her to receive (and give) external stimulus. The ancient geography of pharaonic Egypt is a subject of considerable complexity. The historic nomes or provinces first clearly emerge in the Old Kingdom (4th Dynasty) in the 3rd millennium bc, but som e probably originated earlier as territories of what were originally separate little communities in prehistory. There were reckoned 22 of these nomes for Upper Egypt and 20 for Lower Egypt in the enumeration that was traditional by Graeco - Roman times, when geo graphical records are fullest. 3

3 Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H.; 1996; New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.). Lei cester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press

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The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land has the following comment on ancient Egypt, they write, “ The whole economy of the country depended on the Nile, which was the sole source of water for drinking and irrig ation. Ancient Egyptian civilization was therefore confined to the Nile Valley. The river swells at the end of June, after the rainy seasons, in the lands where it rises and overflows and floods the valley in August and September. The annual floods bring m uch silt, replenishing the fertility of the soil. The water was distributed over the fields by an intricate system of dams and channels. The main crops were barley and spelt, from which the staple food and drink — bread and beer — were made, beans, lentils, cu cumbers and onions. Among the fruits grown were grapes and figs; the names of others have not yet been deciphered. Clothing was made of flax and writing material of papyrus, of which Egypt had the monopoly. Pigs, lambs and cows were slaughtered for meat. F owl, wild and domesticated, completed the diet. The most common beast of burden in Egypt was the ass, the camel being unknown until late; horses were used only to draw war chariots (Weapons and warfare). Egypt abounds in stone of different kinds and qualit ies for building. Copper (Metals) and turquoise were mined in Sinai, while gold was found in the hills in the east and southeast of the country, though both copper and gold had also to be imported from abroad. All timber, tin for the production of bronze, and iron had to be imported also. ” 4 The Holman Bible Atlas write s “ Egypt lies at the northeastern corner of Africa, separated from Palestine by the Sinai wilderness. In contrast to the modern nation, ancient Egypt was confined to the Nile River Valley, a l ong, narrow ribbon of fertile land (the “black land”) surrounded by uninhabitable desert (the “red land”). Egypt proper, from the first cataract of the Nile to the Mediterranean, is some 750 miles long. Classical historians remarked that Egypt was a gift o f the Nile. The river’s three tributaries converge in the Sudan. The White Nile, with its source in Lake Victoria, provides a fairly constant water flow. The seasonal flow of the Blue Nile and Atbara caused an annual inundation beginning in June and cresti ng in September. Not only did the inundation provide for irrigation, but also it replenished the soil with a new layer of fertile, black silt each year. The Nile also provided a vital communication link for the nation. While the river’s flow carried boats northward, prevailing northerly winds allowed easy sailing upstream. Despite the unifying nature of the Nile, the “Two Lands” of Egypt were quite distinct. Upper Egypt is the arable Nile Valley from the First Cataract to just south of Memphis in the north. Lower Egypt refers to the broad Delta of the Nile in the north, formed from alluvial deposits. Egypt was relatively isolated by a series of six Nile cataracts on the south and protected on the east and west by the desert. The

4 Negev, A.; 1996; The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall Press

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Delta was the entryway to Egy pt for travelers coming from the Fertile Crescent across the Sinai. ” 5

Jacob’s Migrate d To Egypt from Canaan: Genealogy of Genesis 46:8 - 27

Exodus 1: 5 All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. (NASB95) This verse is alluding to Jacob’s family migration to Egypt when Joseph was prime minister of Egypt. Genesis 46:8 - 27 contains the genealogy of the Israelites who migrated to Egypt from Canaan. There are ten points that we must note that are es sential in order to understand the purpose for this genealogy: (1) This is a “segmented” genealogy meaning that it displays the existing relationships between the members of Jacob’s family. (2) Numbers 26 and 1 Chronicles 2 - 8 contain genealogical lists, w hich parallel Genesis 46:8 - 27 and Exodus 6 partially parallels it. (3) The genealogical lists that parallel (1 Chronicles 2 - 8, Numbers 26 and Exodus 6) the genealogy of Genesis 46:8 - 27 contain slight differences but this is only to be expected and does not in any way affect the reliability of the accounts. (4) A comparison of these genealogical lists indicates that certain of the names found above were in circulation also in another form, usually pretty much like the ones above, sometimes radically differen t as to form but similar in meaning. (5) Women are not included in the genealogy of Genesis 46:8 - 27 because they are unimportant, but because it does not fit the purpose of the listing. The female children of a family were often not recorded since Jewish g enealogies followed the male line of descent. There are exceptions to this rule as we noted earlier in that a woman would be mentioned in the genealogy if she played a significant part in the plan of God or Israel’s history such as with Dinah (See Genesis 34). The mention of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, is an exception to this rule and does not imply that Jacob did not have other daughters by either of his wives or their handmaids. (6) The expression “ the sons of Israel ” (verse 8) must be taken in the broader sense of “the descendants of Israel,” for more than his sons are named, and thus some of those named may not have been born at the time Jacob and his descendants went down to Egypt. (7) The term “ sons ” refers to not only Jacob’s sons and grand sons but also his great - grandsons since four great grandsons of Jacob were included in the list that appears in Genesis 46:6 - 27 of Jacob’s direct descendants who left Canaan. (8) All the individuals named in Numbers 26 as heads of tribes or families are fo und in this listing of descendants in Genesis 46 because Moses did not intend to name every person who went into Egypt, but

5 Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary; 2003; C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, T. C. Butler & B. Latta, Ed.; Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7 rather every leader of family or clan who would come forth from Egypt, therefore the purpose of Moses in this genealogy, therefore, is selective. (9) In the genealogy of Numbers 26, there are with slight deviations, all the grandsons and great - grandsons of Jacob whose names occur in Genesis 46:8 - 27, mentioned as the founders of the families, into which the twelve tribes of Israel were subdivided in Moses’ days. (10) Acts 7:14 records that seventy - five people went to Egypt since this passage omits Jacob, Joseph and Joseph’s two sons but includes the nine wives of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah and Simeon’s wives had died and Joseph’s wife wa s in Egypt (See Genesis 38; 46:10). Genesis 46:8 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. (NASB95) The context indicates that the designation “ the sons of Israel ” refers to the desce ndants of Jacob since the genealogy to follow lists the names of Jacob’s sons, grandsons and great grandsons who migrated from Canaan to Egypt with him. In the Hebrew and Aramaic languages there is no specific word for grandson so that the word “son” can refer to any descendant down the line. Genesis 46:9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi. (NASB95) The four sons of Reuben that are listed here in Genesis 46:9 are identical to the lists recorded in Exodus 6:14, Numbers 26:5 - 6 and 1 Chronicles 5:3. Genesis 46:10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. (NASB95) “ Jemuel ” appears in the genealogy of Exodus 6:14 but appears as “ Nemuel ” in the parallel genealogies of 1 Ch ronicles 4:24 and Numbers 26:12 due to a difference in dialect. “ Ohad ” appears in the parallel genealogy of Exodus 6:15 but does not appear in the lists found in 1 Chronicles 4:24 and Numbers 26:12 indicating that he had no descendants or that they died o ut. “ Zohar ” appears in the genealogy of Exodus 6:15 but appears as “ Zerah ” in Numbers 26:13 and 1 Chronicles 4:24 and “ Shaul ” appears in Exodus 6:15 but does not appear in 1 Chronicles 4:24 and Numbers 26:13. The fact that “ Shaul ” is mentioned as being “ the son of a Canaanite woman ” reflects the Holy Spirit’s dissatisfaction with the intermarriage between the covenant family of God and the Canaanites (See Genesis 9:24 - 27). Genesis 46:11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (NASB95) “ Kohath ” be came the ancestor of the three great Levite families. Genesis 46:12 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan and Shelah and Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan (NASB95) The sons of Perez are listed and not his twin brother since the ancestral lines of both King David are traced back through Perez according to Ruth 4:18 - 22 as well

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8 as the human nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew 1:3 and Luke 3:33. Genesis 46:13 The sons of Issachar: Tola and Puvvah and Iob and Shimron. (NASB95) “ Puvvah ” ap pears in Numbers 26:23 as “ Puvah ” and in 1 Chronicles 7:1 as “ Puah ” and “ Iob ” appears in 1 Chronicles 7:1 and Numbers 26:24 as “ Jashub .” Genesis 46:14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered and Elon and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan - aram, with his daughter Dinah; all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty - three. (NASB95) “ Paddan Aram ” is another name for “Aram Naharaim,” which means, “Aram of the Two Rivers” and is synonymous with the name “ Mesopotamia ” and refers to th e city of Nahor, which was founded by Abraham’s brother and named after him and was the place in which Laban resided. The name “ Dinah ” means, “judgment” since the name is the feminine form of the word din meaning “judgment.” Notice that Genesis 46:15 rec ords the number of Leah’s sons who were born in Paddan Aram and their sons for a total of thirty - three and does “not” state that these all migrated to Egypt since Er and Onan died in Canaan. Also, the final number of thirty - three does not include any wome n and includes those who were born in Paddan Aram and their children. The thirty - three individuals include Leah’s six sons, Reuben’s four sons, Simeon’s six sons, Levi’s three sons, Judah’s five sons (including Er and Onan), Judah’s two grandsons, Issacha r’s four sons and Zebulun’s three sons. Genesis 46:16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi and Areli. (NASB95) “ Ziphion ” appears in Numbers 26:15 as “ Zephon ” and “ Ezbon ” appears in Numbers 26:15 as “ Ozni ” and “ Arodi ” appears in Numbers 26:17 as “ Arod .” Genesis 46:17 The sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. (NASB95) “ Serah ” appears in Numbers 26:46 and 1 Chronicles 7:30 and it is unknown as t o why her name is included in this list, which is unusual since women were only included in these lists if they played a significant role in Israel’s history. “ Heber ” and “ Malchiel ” are two of Jacob’s four great grandchildren that appear in the genealogy of Genesis 46:8 - 27. Genesis 46:18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and she bore to Jacob these sixteen persons. (NASB95) The name “ Laban ” means, “white” and the accounts of him appear in Genesis 24 and 29 - 31 and whose grandfather was Nahor, Abraham’s brother, and of course his sister was Rebekah and his daughter was Rachel, the wife of Jacob.

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The sixteen people would include Zilpah’s two sons, Gad’s seven sons, Asher’s four sons and Asher’s two grandsons and Asher’s da ughter. Genesis 46:19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. (NASB95) “ Rachel ” means, “ewe,” the female of the sheep, especially of the mature and she was Jacob’s favorite wife. Genesis 46:20 Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born M anasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. (NASB95) Joseph’s firstborn was “ Manasseh ” whose name means, “He who causes to forget” as indicated by Joseph’s statement “ For God has made me forget all my trouble a nd all my father’s household .” The second son that Asenath bore to Joseph was named “ Ephraim ” whose name means, “He has made me fruitful,” as indicated by Joseph’s statement “ For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction .” The name “ Asenath ” means, “the servant of the goddess Neith” and her father’s name was “ Potiphera ,” which is the proper noun poti phera , and means, “he whom Ra (the sun - god) has given.” “ On ” was situated seven miles northwest of modern Cairo and was a famous place for the w orship of the sun - god Ra, thus it was called by the Greeks, “Heliopolis,” meaning, “sun - city.” Genesis 46:21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard. (NASB95) “ Becher ” does not appear in the list of Benjamin’s sons in Numbers 26:38 or 1 Chronicles 8:1 since he probably died childless or did not have enough children to form an independent family. “ Gera, ” “ Naaman, ” “ Ehi ,” “ Rosh, ” “ Muppim ,” and “ Ard ” do not appear in the list of Benjamin’s s ons in Numbers 26 or 1 Chronicles 8:1 - 5 since they too died childless or didn’t have enough children to form an independent family. “ Huppim ” appears in Numbers 26:39 as “ Hupham .” Genesis 46:22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all. (NASB95) The fourteen individuals would include Rachel’s two sons and Benjamin’s ten sons and Joseph two sons. Genesis 46:23 The sons of Dan: Hushim. (NASB95) “ Hushim ” appears in Numbers 26:42 as “ Shuham .” Genesis 46:24 T he sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel and Guni and Jezer and Shillem. (NASB95) “ Jahzeel ” appears in 1 Chronicles 7:13 as “ Jahziel ” “ Shillem ” appears in 1 Chronicles 7:13 as “ Shallum .”

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Genesis 46:25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rac hel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all. (NASB95) “ Bilhah ” whose name means, “carefree” was a concubine given to Jacob by Rachel. The seven individuals would include Bilhah’s two sons, Dan’s one son and Naphtali’s four sons. G enesis 46:26 All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob's sons, were sixty - six persons in all, 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt were two; all the persons of the ho use of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy. (NASB95) The number sixty - six would include Jacob’s eleven sons, Reuben’s four sons, Simeon’s six sons, Levi’s three sons, Judah’s three sons, Judah’s two grandsons, Issachar’s four sons, Zebulun’s three sons , Gad’s seven sons, Asher’s four sons, Asher’s two grandsons, Benjamin’s ten sons, Dan’s one son, Naphtali’s four sons, Asher’s daughter and Jacob’s daughter Dinah. The number seventy is arrived at by adding Jacob and his son Joseph and his two sons.

Reas ons for Moving Jacob’s Family to Egypt from Canaan

There are several reasons why the Lord moved the Israelites to Egypt from Canaan. First of all, it was to discipline them. Jacob’s sons abused the sign of circumcision to murder the citizens of Shechem in retaliation for the rape of Dinah (Genesis 34). Secondly, the Lord moved Jacob’s family to Egypt from Canaan to preserve them physically and deliver them from the famine in Canaan. Since the Savior would be an Israelite and would come from the tribe of J udah, it was imperative to preserve Jacob’s family. Thirdly, the Lord moved Jacob’s family to Egypt from Canaan to maintain their identity and spiritual heritage. In Genesis 38, the story of Judah and Tamar emphasizes the need for God to temporarily reloc ate Jacob’s family to Egypt since spiritual purity was essential for the purposes of God to be realized. Judah, the son through whom the Messiah would be born (Genesis 49:8 - 12), was so cosmic and immoral that he was willing to marry a Canaanite woman, to have a Canaanite as his best friend and to become involved with prostitutes, leading to idolatry. The Lord had to do something drastic and the exile in Egypt was God’s remedy since the Egyptians detested Hebrew shepherds (See Genesis 43:32; 46:34), even i f

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 11 the Hebrews were to become involved with these people, the Egyptians would not even consider such a thing. The racial bigotry of the Egyptians towards Hebrew shepherds would serve to maintain the Israelites as a separate people. Even though the Israeli tes exile in Egypt was in many respects a bitter experience for them, it was a gracious act on the part of God. Unlike the Canaanites, the Egyptians would be unwilling to integrate with the Israelites and absorb them into their culture since they conside red their worship of God repulsive as well as the profession of shepherding. The segregated culture of the Egyptians guaranteed that the embryonic nation of Israel could develop into a great nation within the Egyptian borders. The reason why the Egyptian s held shepherds in such contempt is that the Egyptians who were mainly urban city dwellers distrusted and feared nomadic peoples much like the modern attitude towards gypsies. The Egyptian monuments portray shepherds as distorted, dirty, emaciated figures . Although the racial bigotry of the Egyptians was evil, God was able to use it to preserve the purity of the Israelite race and protect it from the corrupting Canaanite influence. Herodotus and Strabo all attest to the fact that the Egyptians held all fo reigners in contempt. The fourth reason why the Lord brought Jacob’s family to Israel was to develop them spiritually as they went through adversity in Egypt. The fifth reason was that the Lord could glorify Himself by demonstrating His omnipotence thr ough destroying the might of Egypt. The sixth reason was to expose them to the organization and administration of the nation of Egypt. In Canaan, the Israelites would have seen nothing like Egypt. In Egypt, the Israelites came in contact with a highly dev eloped civilization with an established government and the administration of law. Lastly, the Lord wanted to glorify Himself by fulfilling the prophecy He made to Abraham that his descendants would be oppressed by another nation for 430 years but that He would deliver them by His great power.

Jacob’s Family Lived in Goshen

So Jacob and his family migrated to Egypt and settled in the land of Goshen in accordance with Joseph’s instructions . After revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph sends for his fat her Jacob and the entire family to migrate to Egypt and settle in the land of Goshen in order to escape the terrible famine in Canaan. Genesis 45:5, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to p reserve life 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12 there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.’ 10 You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.” (NASB95) “ Goshen ” is the proper noun Goshen , which was located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta, northeas t of the Egyptian capital, Memphis and approximately 900 hundred square miles, well suited for grazing and for certain types of agriculture and sparsely occupied allowing room for Hebrew expansion. This area was also called the “ land of Rameses ” in Genesi s 47:11 and according to the Exodus narrative, which records that the Israelites left Goshen under Moses and went from Rameses through the Wadi Tumilat (a valley connecting the Nile and the Bitter Lakes region, now a part of the Suez Canal system) to Succo th (Compare Exodus 8:18; 12:37; 13:17f). Rameses was probably a later name of an urban complex including Avaris and was built to the north of Avaris, adjoined to it. Genesis 45:16 - 20 records Joseph’s brothers receiv ing a gracious invitation from Pharaoh t o live in Egypt. Genesis 46 :5 - 7 records Israel’s family migrat ing to Egypt (46:5 - 7). Genesis 46:1 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac 2, God spoke to Israel in visions of t he night and said, “ Jacob, Jacob. ” And he said, “ Here I am.” 3 He said, “ I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes .” 5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him: 7 his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

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Genes is 47:11 - 12 records Joseph settling his family in Goshen. Genesis 47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. (NASB95) A co mparison of Pharaoh’s statement recorded in Genesis 47:6 with the statement in Genesis 47:11 indicates that “ the land of Goshen ” and “ the land of Rameses ” refer to the same location in Egypt. “ Settled ” is the verb yashav , which means, “to live in a place for a period of time” and does “not” mean to live in a place permanently. In the hiphil (causative) stem, the verb indicates that Joseph “caused” his father and his brothers to live in the land of Rameses, which is Goshen for an unspecified period of time . A ccording to the prophecy given to Abraham in Genesis 15:12 - 16 , this period was four hundred years. Although this would be a long term migration from the human perspective, from the divine perspective it would not be permanent. “ Possession ” is the noun ` achuzzah , which refers to an inalienable possession received from one with the authority to give it (cf. 17:8; 23:4, 9, 20) (Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis, page 587, Zondervan).

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The prepositional phrase “ in the best part of the land ” describes Goshen as the b est land for agriculture (Compare Isaiah 1:19) and this can be inferred by Israel’s later references to it (See Numbers 20:5; Psalm 78:47) (Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis, A Commentary, page 571, Zondervan).

Death of Joseph

Exodus 1: 6 Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. (NASB95) This verse is inserted for rhetorical effect. Namely, in spite of the death of Joseph and his brothers, their descendants grew numerically. Genesis 50:22 - 26 presents the last words of Joseph and his death. Gen esis 50:22 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father's household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. (NASB95) Jacob died when Joseph was fifty - six years of age according to a comparison of Genesis 41:46, 53; 45:6 and 47:28 and Joseph lived f or another fifty - four years after that and died at the age of 110. Genesis 50:23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim's sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph's knees. (NASB95) This passage reveals that Joseph live d to see some of his great grandchildren. His oldest son Manasseh had two sons whose names were Machir and Asriel according to Genesis 50:23, Numbers 26:29 - 31 and 1 Chronicles 7:14. Joseph possibly had others whose names were not recorded and it appears th at the children of Machir were born while Joseph was still alive and the most famous of these was Gilead, the ancestor of the Gileadites according to Numbers 26:29. Genesis 50:24 Joseph said to his brothers, “ I am about to die, but God will surely take ca re of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” (NASB95) “ Brothers ” is the noun ` ach , which does “not” refer to his half - brothers, the sons of Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah and nor does it refer t o his full brother Benjamin since that would indicate that Joseph died before his brothers, many of whom were much older than him, which seems highly unlikely. Rather, the term ` ach , “ brothers ” refers to the Israelite people as a whole, which is confirmed in Genesis 50:25 by the expression, “ sons of Israel. ” Joseph’s statement “ I am about to die ” links him with the death of the other patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac. Like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph’s last concern was concerning the fulfillment of the pr omises of God (See Genesis 24:1 - 7; 28:1 - 4; 47:29 - 31). Joseph’s statement “ God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which he promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to

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Jacob ” is a reference to the Exodus from Egypt, wh ich would fulfill the prophecy given to Abraham, recorded in Genesis 15:12 - 16. Joseph is also referring to the “Palestinian” covenant, which the Lord established with Abraham and confirmed to both Isaac and Jacob and was a confirmation and enlargement of the original “Abrahamic” covenant and amplified the land features of the “Abrahamic” covenant (Gen. 13:14 - 15; 15:18). Genesis 50:25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “ God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” (NASB95) The designation “ the sons of Israel ” emphasizes the national identity of Israel/Jacob’s sons and not their personal identity as Jacob’s sons. The brothers entered Egypt as a nation in its infancy whereas their descendants will leave four hundred years later as a powerful nation. By making the Israelites swear to him that they would bury his bones in Canaan, Joseph was expressing his confidence and faith in God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan and look s forward in faith to the Exodus, which was prophesied to Abraham in Genesis 15:12 - 16. Exodus 13:19 records that Moses fulfilled this oath and buried Joseph’s remains at Shechem in the land Jacob had given him as a gift (See Genesis 48:21 - 22; Joshua 24:32) . Genesis 50:26 So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. (NASB95) Joseph’s body was embalmed and placed in a coffin, which would serve as a perpetual reminder to the Israelites of God ’s promise to them that God would bring them back to Canaan. Notice that unlike his father Jacob, there is no record of Joseph receiving a massive state funeral indicating that the situation in Egypt had already begun to worsen for the Israelites anticipa ting the cruel treatment the Israelites experienced four hundred years later recorded in the book of Exodus. Therefore, we see the book of Genesis closing setting the stage for the events that would take place four hundred years later when God would use M oses to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt.

Four Hundred Thirty Years in Egypt

Exodus 1: 7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. (N ASB95) This verse speaks of the rapid growth and blessing upon the nation of Israel during the four hundred thirty years in Egypt. This verse is a reminder to the reader

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 16 that God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would make a great nation from them. This verse fills in a nearly 400 - year gap covering the period from the death of Joseph to the time of the Exodus. Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “ Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you. 2 And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” ( NASB95 ) “ I will make you into a great nation ” refers to the nation of Israel. Genesis 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety - nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “ I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly. ” 3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, 4 “ As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multit ude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the fa ther of a multitude of nations. ” ( NASB95 ) The promise to make Abraham a father of many nations was fulfilled in a “biological” sense thr ough Hagar and the Ishmaelites (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12 - 18); through Keturah and the Midianites and others (Gen. 25:1 - 4); through Isaac and Rebekah, the Edomites (Gen. 25:23; 36:1 - 43); through Isaac and Rebekah, the Israelites (Gen. 12:2; 18:18). Genesis 35:11 God also said to him, “ I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.” ( NASB95 ) The promise “ a nation…shall come from you ” in a “near” sense refers to the nat ion of Israel (saved and unsaved) and in a “far” sense it refers to saved Israel during the millennial reign of Christ. By means of His Word, the Lord would fulfill His third promise to Jacob that he would be the progenitor of “ a nation ,” and endue Jacob w ith power to be the progenitor of the nation of Israel (See Genesis 35:11). Genesis 46:1 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 God spoke to Israel in visions of the night an d said, “ Jacob, Jacob. ” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “ I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.” ( NASB95 ) The explanatory clause “ for I will make you a great nation there ” giv es the reason why Israel should not be afraid and would give him assurance that it was according to the will of God that he and his family migrate to Egypt.

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This statement “ I will make you a great nation there ” is a reference to the “Abrahamic” covenant s ince it reconfirms the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2 and 18:17 - 18 that God would make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation. “ Nation ” is the noun goy , which is in the singular referring to Abraham’s “national” posterity (Gen. 18:18), the nation o f Israel that would originate from Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob. “ Great ” is the adjective gadhol , which refers both to numbers and to significance or impact the nation of Israel would have on both human and angelic history. Therefo re, the “national” posterity of Abraham, the nation of Israel has been a great nation in history during the reigns of David and Solomon and will be significant according to prophecy since she will be the head of the nations during the millennial reign of C hrist (See Isaiah 2:1 - 4). Israel has had a huge impact upon human history in that she was the custodian of the Old Testament Scriptures, the recipients of the covenants of promise, the Law (Rm. 9:1 - 5) and the nation from which the Savior, Jesus Christ wou ld originate (Jn. 4:22). Prophetically, the promise “a great nation” in a “near” sense refers to the nation of Israel (saved and unsaved) and in a “far” sense it refers to saved Israel during the millennial reign of Christ. John Hannah commenting on Exodu s 1:7 writes, “ Jacob’s descendants increased: The Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous (cf. Acts 7:17). Several generations separated Levi from Moses (cf. comments on Num. 26:58 - 59) so that the time from Joseph’s death (Gen. 50:26) to the growth of the nation as described in Exodus 1:7 was probably little more than 100 years. The adult males in the Exodus totaled 600,000, not counting women and children (12:37), so the total Israelite population at that time may ha ve been about 2 million. No wonder the land (i.e., Goshen, Gen. 45:10, in the southeast Delta) was filled with them. According to God’s promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1 - 3) a large nation had emerged. They had yet to receive a land (Gen. 15:18 - 21) and a ‘ const itution ’ (the Mosaic Law). ” 6

Pharaoh Persecutes the Israelites

Exodus 1: 8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let us deal wis ely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who

6 Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament; Walvoord, J.F. and R.B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary; Wheaton, IL, Victor Boo ks

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 18 hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” 11 So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they bui lt for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. 13 The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorous ly; 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them. (NASB95) These seven verse s are a unity because they deal with a common subject, namely a new, adverse set of circumstances in Egypt for the descendants of the patriarchs that stands in direct contrast to the situation when Joseph was alive and those who were sympathetic to Joseph’s family in subsequent years after his death. These ver ses summarize the Israelites falling from favor to disgrace in Egypt. It summarizes how they went from a people respected and protected the Egyptian government to a nation that was persecuted at the highest levels of this new administration. The motivation for the persecution of Israel was their numerical growth, which was the direct result of God blessing the descendants of the patriarchs in fulfillment of the promises He gave them to make them a great nation. Exodus 1: 8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, wh o did not know Joseph. (NASB95) The term “ king ” is synonymous with the designation “ Pharaoh ” which in the Hebrew means, “great house” and was the title of the kings of Egypt until 323 B.C. and meant something like “his honor, his majesty.” The eighteenth dynasty of Egypt was the setting for the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and was founded by Amosis or Ahmose (1570 - 1546) who expelled the Hyksos from the land of Egypt. The Hyksos were ethnically akin to the Israelites thus it is no wonder that he feared them making an alliance with Egypt’s enemies like the Hyksos. Amosis or his successor, Amenhotep I (1546 - 1526) was responsible for the repressive policies which followed against the Israelites mentioned in Exodus 1:8 - 11). Amenhotep I was succeeded by Thutmose I (1526 - 1512) who was a commoner who married the king’s sister. He was more than likely the author of the decree of infanticide because though Moses was in imminent danger of death, his brother Aaron, who was born three years earlier (Exodus 7:7) appears to not been in danger of death. Therefore, the Scriptures and history teaches us that Thutmose I was responsible for the decree to kill the Hebrew infant boys. Now Thutmose II (1512 - 1504) married his older half - sister Hatshepsut but died young under myste rious circumstances. However, he named a successor to be his coregent and heir, namely his son Thutmose III (1504 - 1450), who was the most distinguished ruler during the New Kingdom period. He was the son of a

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 19 concubine and married his half - sister, the daug hter of Hatshepsut and Thutmose II. He achieved great military victories including 16 campaigns in Palestine alone. The first twenty years of his reign were dominated by his powerful mother - in - law, Hatshepsut. She herself was forbidden by custom to be Phar aoh but nonetheless function in this role. She pulled the strings in the early years of Thutmose III, which he detested but was powerless to oppose. He demonstrated his contempt for her after she died by removing every inscriptional and monumental referenc e to her and her reign. This woman was the daughter of Pharaoh who rescued Moses. Only she of all known women of this period could have boldness and courage to violate an ordinance of the king. Hatsheput’s birth date is unknown but she was probably severa l years older than her husband, Thutmose II, who died in 1504 while in his late twenties. She could have been in her early teens by 1526 when Moses was born and was thus able to effect his deliverance. Thutmose III was a minor when he came to power in 1504 and was younger than Moses. Thus, Thutmose III and Moses were surely rivals. This is demonstrated by the fact that Thutmose III was quick to try to kill Moses when he killed an Egyptian. Moses exile took place in 1486 when he was forty years old (Acts 7:23). He spent forty years among the Midianites of the Sinai and Arabia. Only after the death of Thutmose III, did Moses return to Egypt (Exodus 2:23; 4:19). Thutmose III died in 1450 and was succeeded by his son Amenhotep II (1450 - 1425). It was this Phar aoh who was the Pharaoh of the exodus. Further support of this is that the kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty made their principle residence at Thebes, which was far to the south of the Israelites in the Delta. Amenhotep made his home at Memphis and reigned t here for much of the time. This would place him in close proximity to the land of Goshen, where the Israelites resided and which would make him accessible to Moses and Aaron. So t he Exodus according to the biblical chronological data took place in 1446 B. C., which took place during the reign of Amenhotep II of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. Exodus 7:7 tells us that Moses was 80 just prior to the Exodus and 120 at His death according to Deuteronomy 34:7. Since Moses’ death was at the very close of the wil derness period, it occurred in 1406. Simple calculation yields a birth date of 1526 B.C. for Moses, thus he was born in the very year of the death of Amenhotep I. Exodus 1:8 reveals that Thutmose I did not know Joseph, which means that this new king was no t personally acquainted with Joseph’s accomplishments in Egypt. In other words, he did not know his Egyptian history, which would reveal that Joseph saved Egypt from a world - wide famine and actually enslaved the entire Egyptian population to the Pharaohs! Remember, four hundred years have passed since the death of Joseph. The implication of Thutmose not being acquainted with

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Joseph is that he did not feel obligated to honor any prior arrangement which protected the status of the Israelites. It means that th e Israelites are no longer accepted as foreigners in Egypt. Exodus 1: 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war , they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” (NASB95) By identifying the Israelites as “ t he people of the sons of Israel ” translates the rather than the simple b e nê ( ﬠַ֚ ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָ אֵ֔ ל ) Hebrew expression ʿǎm b e nê yi ś·rā· ʾ ēl the sons of Israel ” Pharaoh is isolating them from the rest “ , ( בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָ אֵ֔ ל ) yiś·rā· ʾ ēl of the Egyptian population. This expression does not emphasize the humanity of the Is raelites but that they are a particular category of humanity in contrast to the Egyptians. Also, he is identifying the Israelites as a separate nation since ʿǎm refers to an entire major ethnic - political group. So Pharaoh is identifying the Israelites as a great nation within the nation of Egypt, which he believes is a threat to his nation. His statement in verse 10 is an obvious attempt to motivate the Egyptian population with fear even though there is nothing that the Israelites have done that would justi fy the Egyptians fear. He is portraying his nation as a minority that could potentially be overrun by a large group of foreigners within their midst. He makes this statement to gather popular support for his planned oppression of the Israelites. Stuart wr ites, “All oppressive regimes use the threat of some great danger, real or imagined, to justify violations of human rights. The pharaoh was simply following this we ll - attested course of action.” 7 So further Israelite grow was intolerable to Pharaoh. This i s the primary focus of his policy of hatred against Israel. Pharaoh is portraying the continued numerical growth of the Israelites as a threat to his nation. This threat will justify his cruel treatment of the Israelites. Pharaoh’s case is that the Israeli tes will join Egypt’s enemies in the event of war, which will create a situation where Egypt would be fighting not only an enemy from without but also from within. This type of propaganda and rationalization has been used innumerable times throughout huma n history right up to the twenty - first century and still continues today. When an oppressive regime wants to justify persecuting a group of people within its borders, it defines this group as a real danger to national security in that it could overthrow th e establishment. Therefore, we have Pharaoh propagating hate propaganda to justify his policy of persecution and genocide with regards to the Israelites.

7 Stuart, Douglas K. The New American Comme ntary: Exodus; page 65; 2007; (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers

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actually ( וְﬠָלָ ֥ה מִ ן־הָאָֽרֶ ץ ) Depart from the land ” is the w ʿ ā·lā(h) min hā ʾ ā·r ě ṣ “ means “to take possession of the land.” To interpret this expression as “depart from the land” makes Pharaoh’s statement non - sensical since why would he care if the Israelites leave. Why would Pharaoh consider the Israelites a threat if they leave the country? However, h is statement makes total sense when he render it to mean “take possession of the land.” Now, we can see why Pharaoh lived in fear of the Israelites. Their numerical superiority could lead them to take possession of Egypt itself. This same meaning for this idiom appears in Hosea 1:11 . Being overtaken by the Israelites would cause the Egyptian population to sympathize with his policy of oppressing the Israelites and support Pharaoh’s campaign to oppress the Israelites. Exodus 1:1 1 So they appointed taskmaster s over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. 13 The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them. (NASB95) which means, “ great house ” and ,( פַּרְ עֹה ) (Pharaoh ” is the proper noun p ǎr ·ʿ ō(h “ was the title of the kings of Egypt until 323 B.C. The term was originally used to describe the palace of the king but around 1500 B.C. this term was applied to the Egyptian kings and meant something lik e “his honor, his majesty.” Eric Mitchell writes that Pithom and Raamses were “ Egyptian cities located in northern Egypt (Nile Delta) in or near the Wadi Tumilat. They were built by the Israelites while in Egypt (Exod. 1:11) as supply hubs for royal, milit ary, and religious purposes and were located near palaces, fortresses, and temples. Pithom (Temple of Atum) has been identified with Tell er - Retaba, Tell el - Maskhutah, or Heliopolis, and Rameses has been identified with Qantir. However, neither of the firs t two sites for Pithom has produced evidence from the 15th century b.c. and evidence for its identification with Heliopolis is lacking. Rameses (Qantir) was first mentioned in Gen. 47:11 (as a synonym for Goshen) as the region where Joseph settled his fath er Jacob and his brothers. It was later the starting point for the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt (Exod. 12:37; Num. 33:3, 5). Rameses was the site of the Hyksos capital called Avaris (1638 – 1530 b.c.) before they were driven out by the Theban pharaoh Ahmose I (1540 – 1515 b.c.), the first pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, who established a fortress and settlement on the site. Ahmose I’s successors, down to Thutmose III, built and used a large royal compound just south of this site, which was in use until the reign of Amenhotep II. However,

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Pharaoh Raamses II (pharaoh p 1302 for the late - date exodus) also built near this site. ” 8

Pithom and Raamses were located in northern Egypt and are used by way of metonymy for the land of Goshen, where the Israelit es settled. The storage cities actually were military storage cities in the sense that they stored valuable assets of all types in these cities. These cities contained quarters for troops and provisions for these troops as well as weaponry for the Egyptian military. The Israelites were forced to not only build these cities but also provide the materials to build them. The idea was to work and starve to death the Israelites because they would have adequate time to attend to their flocks and herds and plots. Those who got sick while working would simply be left to die and would not receive attention. Exodus 1:11 - 14 makes clear that the Egyptians accepted Pharaoh’s proposal and were implementing his policy of oppression. This campaign was designed to enslave th e Israelites and strip them of their national identity and being an

8 Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B. (2003). Holman Illustrated Bible D ictionary (1301 – 130 2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 23 independent people. His propaganda campaign had worked. The government was conscripting the Israelites to be construction laborers in order to strip them of their influence. This hard labo r was designed to kill off the Israelites even though this is not explicitly stated by Pharaoh. However, it is obvious that this is the plan because he expressed the fear earlier that the huge Israelite population was a military threat to Egypt. The hard l abor was therefore, designed to kill of f the population. However, despite Pharaoh’s vigorous efforts to reduce the Israelite population, God had other ideas. He increased the Israelite population. In fact, the numerical growth of the Israelites paralleled the intensity of the persecution. The opposite of what the Egyptians wanted to take place occurred. Pharaoh’s campaign was failing because God was against it. Instead of accepting defeat, his arrogance caused him to increase the intensity of the persecuti on by ruthlessly oppressing the Israelites. Again, this was to kill off much of the population of the Israelites. In order for people to die working, the workload must be unbearable so as to cause illness and make people weak and sick. Now, we must rememb er that Moses witnessed this persecution of the Israelites by the Egyptians. The injustice was disgusting to him as evidence by his subsequent murder of Egyptian taskmaster in order to protect a fellow Israelite.

The Prophecy of Israel’s Oppression in Eg ypt

The persecution and oppression of the nation of Israel by Egypt was prophesied by the Lord to Abram. The book of Exodus records the fulfillment of a prophecy that the Lord gave to Abram, which is recorded in Genesis 15:12 - 16 . Genesis 15:12 Now when t he sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. (NASB95) The “ sun going down ” symbolizes and anticipates the declining fortunes of Abram’s descendants who were eventually enslaved in Egypt. As we will see his descendants will be the nation of Israel who will be enslaved in Egypt for over four hundred years. The “ deep sleep ” symbolizes and anticipates that the promise of the land would not be fulfilled until after Abram has died and been raised from the dead and inherits the land with the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ during His millennial reign. Arthur Pink, “By this deep sleep we learn how God was showing the patriarch, symbolically, that not during his natural life would he inherit the land; instead , he must go down into the grave and inherit it together with the Promised Seed. In his awakening from this ‘deep sleep’ Abram received a veiled promise of resurrection from the dead and the horror of great darkness as of the grave (cf. Heb. 2:15) from

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 24 whi ch he recalled again to the light of day. In a word, the way of blessing, to the inheritance, was t hrough death and resurrection.” 9 The “ terror and great darkness ” symbolizes and anticipates Israel’s future enslavement and mistreatment in Israel. Genesis 1 5:13 God said to Abram, “ Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” (NASB95) “Know for certain” : (1) Qal infinitive absolute complement form of the v erb yadha (yaw - daw) (2) 2 nd person masculine singular qal imperfect form of the verb yadha . The infinitive absolute stands before the finite verb of the same root in Genesis 15:13 in order to intensify the certainty or force of the verbal idea. Thus indica ting that the Lord wants Abram to “know for sure or for certain” that his descendants would be strangers in the land of Egypt and in fact enslaved there and oppressed for over four hundred years. So to the English speaking person this construction literal ly means, “knowing, you shall know” but to the Hebrew mind, it simply means, “know for certain.” The Lord is presenting a prophecy of the future enslavement of the nation of Israel which would be descended from Abram. This prophecy is a revelation and bas ed upon the Divine Decree of God. The decree of God is His eternal and immutable will regarding the future of the descendants of Abram. This decree is simply a declaration of God’s sovereign will that is based upon His omniscient knowledge of all the facts concerning what will take place in the future concerning Abram’s descendants who would be the Israelites. The Lord knew that Abram’s descendants would be enslaved in Egypt since He is omniscient meaning He knows perfectly, eternally and simultaneously all that is knowable, both the actual and the possible and thus has all knowledge of every event in human and angelic history. “ Your descendants ” is a reference to the nation of Israel and the “ land ” in which the nation of Israel would be strangers in and wo uld be enslaved to and oppressed for four hundred years is Egypt. “ Four hundred years ” is a “round” number for the more precise figure of four hundred thirty years appears in Exodus 12:40 - 41; Acts 7:6; Gal. 3:16 - 17. Genesis 15:14 “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” (NASB95) “ The nation ” is a clear reference to Egypt (Ex. 6:6; 7:4; 12:12).

9 Gleanings in Genesis, page 170, Moody Press

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“ I will judge the nation (Egypt )” is a reference to the Lord judging Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt through the ten plagues for not letting Israel leave as God had commanded Pharaoh as recorded in Exodus 6 - 14. Exodus 6:6 “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.’” (NASB95) Exodus 7:4 “When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel , from the land of Egypt by great judgments.” (NASB95) Exodus 12:12 “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute ju dgments -- I am the LORD.” (NASB95) “ They will come out with many possessions ” was literally fulfilled as recorded in Exodus 12:35 - 38 and demonstrates that the Lord is just and gives retribution to those who have been unjustly treated and enslaved. Exodus 12:35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing 36 and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 37 Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand me n on foot, aside from children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. (NASB95) Genesis 15:15 “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.” (NASB95) “ You shall go to your fathers in peace ” is a figure of speech called “euphemy” by which a harsh o r disagreeable expression is changed for a pleasant and agreeable one. The Lord employs the expression “ you (Abram) shall go to your fathers in peace ” instead of the more harsh expression “die” since the Lord considers physical death an enemy, which He wil l destroy with the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:51 - 57; Heb. 2:14 - 15). The term “ sleep ” is often used by the New Testament writes for death (Jn. 11:11, 13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 Thess. 4:14 - 16). Abram would “not” see the promise of th e land fulfilled in his lifetime but would have to accept the promise by means of faith and receive the fulfillment of this promise when he will be in a resurrected body during Christ’s millennial reign.

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Although Abram would not see the fulfillment until h e was raised from the dead, the Lord assures Abram that he would enjoy a long life and would be spared the afflictions that his descendants would go through in Egypt. The phrase “ old age ” literally means, “gray - headed” and “ good ” denotes a prosperous life (Jdg. 8:32; 1 Chr. 29:28). Genesis 15:16 “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” (NASB95) “ They ” is a reference to Abram’s descendants, namely, the Israelites who will return from the sla very of Egypt to the land promised to Abram and his descendants. “ Generation ” is the noun dor , which denotes a “cycle of time, a life span,” which in the context of Genesis 15 is calculated to be one hundred years since Abram had his first child at one hun dred years of age (Gen. 21:5). Therefore, the “ fourth generation ” indicates that after four hundred years Abram’s descendants, i.e., the nation of Israel would come back into to the land of Canaan promised to Abram by the Lord. Exodus 6:16 - 26 records that it was exactly in the fourth generation that the children of Israel left Egypt and returned to Canaan. The Lord gives the reason for the delay in Abram’s descendants possessing the land of Canaan, namely, that the “ iniquity of the Amorite is not yet comp lete .” The “ Amorite ” is a figure of speech called “synecdoche of the part” where a part is put for the whole, thus the term “ the Amorite ” is put for the ten nations listed in Genesis 15:19 - 21, of which “ the Amorite ” was a part of (cf. Gen. 48:22; Nm. 13:29 ; 21:21). Discoveries at the ancient Ugarit, north of Tyre and Sidon, have revealed Canaanite religion promoted child sacrifice, idolatry, prostitution in the name of religion and all kinds of occultic and immoral practices. Therefore, it was an act of jus tice in the Lord dispossessing the Amorites, also known as the Canaanite. The Lord does not dispossess and judge a nation immediately until He has given it grace in the sense of giving it a sufficient amount of time to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not s low about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (NASB95) Once a nation has completely rejected God’s grace and every opportunity to repent and accept Christ as Savio r, it will become totally and completely saturated with evil (see Lev. 18:24 - 28; 20:23) and then the Lord sends judgment. Also, the Lord gave grace to the antediluvians and used Noah to preach the gospel to them for over a hundred years and once they rejec ted the gospel, the Lord sent the Flood (Gen. 6:5, 12; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5). The Lord also did not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until He was satisfied Himself not even a quorum of

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 27 righteous were left in those cities (Gen. 18 - 19). Therefore, Israel’s conq uest of Canaan is based upon the Lord’s absolute justice and not on naked aggression. Bob Deffinbaugh, “Here is an important principle, and one that governs the possession of the land of Canaan. God owns the land of Canaan (Leviticus 25:23), and He lets it out to those who will live according to righteousness. When Israel forgot their God and practiced the abominations of the Canaanites (cf. II Chronicles 28:3, 33:2), God put them out of the land also.” 10 Later on Israel’s history, the Lord justly permits he r to be driven from the land of Canaan as well by Assyria, Babylon and Rome (Deut. 28:36 - 37; 2 Kgs. 24:14; 25:7). The judgment and dispossessing of these ten nations called the “Amorite” who are also called the “Canaanite” would be a fulfillment of Noah’s prophecy in Genesis 9:24 - 27.

Pharaoh’s Genocide

Exodus 1 : 15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; 16 and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see the m upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt ca lled for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them .” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. 21 Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.” (NASB95) The function of these midwives was to assist in the childbirth process. They are described as “ Hebrew ” midwives. This term “ Hebrew ” is the proper noun ‘ ivri which first appe ars in Genesis 14:13 to describe Abraham as a ,( ﬠִבְרִ י ) ( ʿiḇ·rî ) legitimate and well - known descendant of Shem through Eber and was therefore, in the Messianic line, or the Promised Seed of Genesis 3:15. This term d enotes the nationality of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s descend ants in contrast with the Egyptians . It expresses the “xenophobia” of the Egyptians, which is an “unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers.” This racial bigotry that the Egyptians had towards the Israelites is illustrated in Genesis 43:32, wh ich

10 Genesis, page 118

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 28 records that the Egyptians did not eat with the Hebrews since that was repulsive to them. The Egyptians were racially prejudiced towards the Hebrews since they considered themselves culturally and ethnically superior to the Hebrews. The Egyptians look ed upon the profession of shepherding as repulsive and Israel’s form of worship as detestable (See Genesis 46:34; Exodus 8:26). In Exodus 1:15 - 22, the Egyptians racial bigotry with respect to the Israelites is manifested by Pharaoh’s policy of infanticide . In Exodus 1:15 - 22, we see that upon observing that his plan to ruthlessly work the Israelites so as to kill many of them off and reduce their numbers had failed, Pharaoh intensifies his actions against the Israelites by openly seeking to kill off the Isr aelites. First, he attempts to get the Hebrew midwives to do this for him and when that fails he openly decrees that the new born infant Israelite boys were to be put to be murdered . Genesis 9:5 - 6 records for us the establishment of the fourth and final di vine institution. Genesis 9:5 “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the im age of God He made man.” (NASB95) The Word of God prohibits murder according to Exodus 20:13 and is one of the sins that God hates according to Proverbs 6:16 - 19 and according to Genesis 9:6 is to be punished through capital punishment. “ I will require ” is the verb darash , which is a judicial term used with reference to both men and animals and expresses the fact God seeks “restitution” for murder by the execution of the murderer or the animal who has taken a human life. As a result of the total depravity o f mankind, God instituted capital punishment in order to protect both animal and human life and to curb violence and be a deterrent to crime. The reason why this provision is given is found in the phrase “for in the image of God, He (the Lord) made (`asah, “modeled”) (the soul of) man.” The emphasis of this stipulation recorded in Genesis 9:5 - 6 does “not” refer to vengeance but rather justice and the careful recognition of the sacredness of the divine image in man, though marred by sin. Murder is a shocking affront to God and a terrible crime against one’s fellow man. Before the Flood the lack of capital punishment led to blood vendettas (Gen. 4) and without instinctive fear, the animals corrupted their behavior. Genesis 9:5 - 6 records the institution of huma n government where God delegated authority to mankind as His agents in exacting retribution by capital punishment upon those who take a human life indicating as well that this is not a

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 29 personal matter but a social obligation. Before the Flood, there was no formal arrangement of human government and thus no formal punishment of crime or of crime prevention, even for the capital crime of murder, as evident in the individual histories of Cain and Lamech (Genesis 4). The absence of human government and the tota l depravity of mankind led to a universal state of violence and anarchy, which resulted in the judgment of the Flood. God established capital punishment and thereby human government in order to prevent the conditions of the antediluvian period from develop ing again. Numbers 35:30 - 34, Deuteronomy 17:6 - 7 and 19:15 teach that capital punishment “cannot” take place unless there are two or more witnesses to the crime and that they all agree in their testimony after being individually interviewed. Capital punishm ent is taught in the Old Testament (Ex. 21:12, 15 - 17; 22:2, 18 - 20; Num. 35:6 - 34; Deut. 19:1 - 13; 24:7) and in the New Testament (Rom. 13:1 - 7; 1 Pet. 2:13). The fact that capital punishment was instituted does “not” mean that there is never to be an exceptio n to the punishment of execution for the crime of murder. With God, justice may be tempered with mercy, in response to repentance. For example, David was guilty of the capital crimes of murder and adultery in the case of Uriah and Bathsheba respectively and God forgave David when he confessed his sin and thus David instead of dying by stoning or the sword as he deserved, “died in a good old age, full of days, riches and honor (1 Chron. 29:28). Also, the woman caught in the act of adultery was guilty by t he Mosaic Law of a crime punishable by death (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22) and the Lord Jesus seeing her heart of repentance, was moved to forgive her and to see that she was set free (Jn. 8:3 - 11). In like manner, a judge or a governor is warranted in taking such mitigating factors as may exist in a given situation into consideration in determining a sentence, legal penalty of capital punishment. The essential point is that man was delegated authority and responsibility of human government by God and that this responsibility first entails the recognition of the sacredness of human life and that man is created in the image of God and the recognition of capital punishment as the just and legal penalty for murder. It is clear that the authority for capital punish ment implies also the authority to establish laws governing human activities and personal relationships, which if unregulated would lead to murder, robbery, adultery, thus this instruction to Noah is the fundamental basis for all human legal and government al institutions. Human government was designed by God to protect the freedom of the individual, both believers and unbelievers as well. It was instituted by God and was designed for the protection of the freedom of individuals. Capital punishment was to be employed by nations as a protection for the freedom of its citizens and was

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 30 designed by God as an instrument of justice. It was designed to be a deterrent in a nation. If the human race, which is enslaved to the sin nature, does not have restraints put o n it, it will destroy itself. The government has the responsibility to practice capital punishment in order to protect the freedom its citizens.

Courageous Hebrew Midwives

Exodus 1: 15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; 16 and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” (NASB95) Mo ses records the names of two of the Hebrew midwives in order to honor them as heroes in Israel in the sense that they were obedient to God to the point of risking their lives by disobeying the edict of Pharaoh who could have put them to death for such diso bedience. Shiphrah and Puah were undoubtedly the senior midwives who functioned as leaders or administrators of an indefinite number of midwives in Israel. Notice that in verse 18, Pharaoh summons the Hebrew midwives to enter his presence in order to que stion them directly face to face as to why the Hebrew boys were allowed to live. This indicates that Pharaoh’s statement in verse 16 was a command that was not given directly to the senior midwives since it doesn’t say he summoned them into his presence . R ather, it was given to them through his court officials since the text only says that he summoned the midwives to stand in his presence after his initial command did not produce the desired results. Some argue that these Hebrew midwives were in fact Egypt ian interpreting Hebrew ” as a genitive after the construct rather than an attributive “ ,( ﬠִבְרִ י ) ( ʿiḇ·rî ) adjective. This would mean that these midwives would be “over” the Hebrew women, which leaves open the possibility that they were not Hebrew midwives. This would solve the question of how Pharaoh could ever expect Hebrew midwives to kill their children. Stuart writes, “Some commentators, at least as early as the medieval Jewish commentator Rashi, have made much of the fact that although the MT here has the lit., ‘ Hebrew midwives, ’ the lxx has τα ῖ ς μαίαις τ ῶ ν , מְ יַ לְּדֹת הָﬠִבְרִ יֹּת wording Εβραίων, lit., ‘the midwives of the Hebrews,’ and have suggested that the lxx wording implies that the midwives were Egyptian women who served as midwives to the Hebrew women. This i s unlikely on two counts: first, such interracial midwifery would outrageously contradict the established Egyptian loathing of Hebrews (Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26); second, grammatically it would be more

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 31 natural for the dative to be employed in such a cas e ( ‘ midwives to the Hebrews ’ ) rather than the genitive as the lxx has it ( ‘ midwives of/from the Hebrews ’ ). The natural way to read the lxx is simply as equal to the Hebrew, using a genitival construction rather than an adjectival construction. The Rashi ar gument also depends partly on taking the piel participle normally translated nominally as ‘ midwives ’ and construing it as a causative ( ‘ those who did midwifery for ’ ) in contradiction to the obvious nominal meaning of the piel participle of the same root in Gen 35:17. Cf. J. Cohen, “To the Hebrew Midwives,” Leshonenu 55 (1991): 195 – 97 (Hebrew). ” 11 So apparently Pharaoh did not believe at any time that these Hebrew midwives would disobey. He figured that they wouldn’t dream of disobeying out of fear for their own lives. He grossly underestimated these women. He also probably figured that these midwives would gladly commit murder in order to please him so as to be rewarded. However, he misjudged the integrity of these women. They couldn’t be bought or intimidat ed. These midwives were in a perfect position to kill the Hebrew baby boys since they attended at birth and could suffocate the child or strangle him at any point. So Pharaoh probably thought that this crime could be committed without most mothers realizi ng what took place. which is dual in number , ( אָבְ נַיִם ) Birthstool ” is the Hebrew term ʾ ā ·ḇ e n ǎ ·yim “ indicating something that comes in a pair. Here the word speaks of the infant boys testicles, which identifies the child’s gender as male. There is nothin g about delivery stools in this verse. So Pharaoh said to the Hebrew midwives that when you help these Hebrew women at birth and you see the child has genitals, put the child to death. If the child does not have testicles, then let the girl live. Pharaoh wanted to kill the boy s and not the girls because first of all, girls do not fight wars in the ancient world, the men did and remember the motivation for this genocide campaign was the fear of losing a war. Secondly, Pharaoh knew that if enough boys were k illed, eventually women would decline in numbers because in the ancient world women were totally dependent upon men for survival.

Hebrew Midwives Feared God

Exodus 1: 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them , but let the boys live. (NASB95) Verse 1 7 says that the Hebrew midwives disobeyed the king’s edict because they feared God. This means that they reverenced God in the sense that they honored Him because they had the conviction that obedience to Him was mo re

11 Stuart, Douglas K. The New American Commentary: Exodus; page 74; 2007; (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; Nashville: Bro adman & Holman Publi shers

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 32 important than obedience to the edict of a king, which in fact broke God’s law to not murder. It means that they valued obedience to God’s command to not commit murder as more important than obeying Pharaoh’s command to commit murder. It also means that they had the conviction that the consequences of disobeying God’s command to not murder would be much more severe than the consequences of disobeying Pharaoh. Though the Ten Commandments were not yet given, Romans 2:14 - 15 teaches that every human being as the Ten Commandments written into their hearts so that they know instinctively that this command to murder innocent infant baby boys was murder. The midwives ’ disobedience to Pharaoh’s command to commit infanticide is an excellent example of disobedience to a government authority is justified from the biblical perspective. The midwives ’ disobedience was justified civil disobedience. Paul taught in Romans 13 that believers should obey the civil authorities. Romans 13:1 Each and every person must continue making it their habit of voluntarily subjecting themselves to the governmental authorities because there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely no authority except by God. Specifically, those which at any time do exist are, as an eternal spiritual truth, ordained by God. 2 Therefore, the one who, at any time does set himself or herself in opposition against this authority is in a state of opposition against this institution originating with God the Father. In fact, those who are in a state of opposi tion will, as a certainty, undergo judgment for the detriment of themselves. 3 Furthermore, rulers are, as an eternal spiritual truth, never a cause of fear with respect to conduct which is good in character but rather with respect to that which is evil in character. Consequently, do you desire not to live in a state of fear of this authority? Continue making it your habit of practicing that which is good in character so that you will, as a certainty, experience recognition from the same. 4 For you see, it is, as an eternal spiritual truth God’s servant for your benefit for the purpose of encouraging that which is good in character. However, if you, at any time practice that which is evil in character, then begin and continue to live in a state of fear becau se it, as an eternal spiritual truth by no means exists in the state of bearing the sword without justification because it is, as an eternal spiritual truth God’s servant, an avenger for the purpose of exercising God’s righteous indignation against those w ho exist in a state of committing that which is evil in character. 5 Therefore, to continue voluntarily subjecting yourselves is, as an eternal spiritual truth, always absolutely imperative, not only because of this exercise of righteous indignation but al so because of your conscience. 6 In fact, because of this, all of you make it a habit of even paying direct tribute taxes because they are, as an eternal spiritual truth, God’s commissioned public servants, continually dedicated to this very thing. 7 I sol emnly charge

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 33 all of you to make it your top priority to fulfill each and every one of your obligations to each and every one of them, without exception: To the one who receives the tribute tax, that which is the tribute tax, to the one who receives the ind irect custom tax, that which is the indirect custom tax, to the one who receives reverence, that which is reverential in character, to the one who receives honor, that which is honorable in character. (Author’s translation) Romans 13:1 - 7 refers to one of f our institutions established by God. God has also established four institutions to protect the freedom of individuals. Each is a system of authority designed to protect the freedom of members of the human race, both unbeliever and the believer: (1) Volitio n: You have authority over your own soul (Gen. 2:16 - 17). (2) Marriage: Husband has authority over the wife (Gen. 2:22 - 24). (3) Family: Parents have authority over the children (Gen. 4:1). (4) Government: Government has authority over its citizens (Gen. 9:5 - 6). Each institution is a system of authority designed to protect the freedom of members of the human race, both unbeliever and the believer. Authority is the right to rule and make decisions. It is the power or right to enforce obedience and is the righ t to control, command or determine. God has instituted authority in order to: (1) Protect free will (volition) (2) Protect the human race from self - destruction (3) Give order to life (4) Maintain peace (5) Allow the Gospel to spread and influence people. (6) To support the believer’s witness by their authority orientation in the devil’s world. God has absolute authority, which He expresses through both the written Word and in the living Word. God's authority establishes freedom, freedom requires responsibi lity, and responsibility protects freedom and restrains authority. There is authority in every aspect of life. There is even authority within the Trinity even though each member is co - equal, co - infinite and co - eternal with each other. God the Father grant s authority to the Son and directs the Holy Spirit. God the Father has granted all authority in both heaven and on earth to His Son Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18; John 5:26 - 27; 1 Cor. 15:25 - 28). God the Father also directs the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit rece ives His authority from both the Father and the Son. The resurrection, ascension, triumphal procession and session points to the fact that the incarnate Son of God has been promoted by God the Father as Sovereign Ruler over the following: (1) Creation (Ma tt. 28:18; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:15 - 17; 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:22). (2) Church (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). (3) Israel (Matt. 1:1; 20:30; Mark 10:47 - 48; Luke 1:32; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 3:7; 5:5; 22:16). (4) Angels (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:15 - 17; 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:22). The Scr iptures teach that there are several categories of authority: (1) Christ’s Authority (Phlp. 2:8; Jn. 5:26 - 27; Col. 1:15 - 17; 2:10; Eph. 1:22) (2) Biblical Authority (2 Tim. 3:16 - 17; 2 Pet. 1:20 - 21). (3) Angelic Authority (Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:16). (4) Apostol ic Authority (Luke 9:1; 2 Cor. 10:8). (5) Pastoral Authority

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(Pet. 5:1 - 3; Heb. 13:17). (6) Spousal Authority (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18). (7) Parental Authority (Deut. 21:18 - 21; Prov. 1:7 - 9; Eph. 6:1 - 3; Col. 3:20). (8) Governmental Authority (Rm. 13:1 - 7; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13). If these four divine institutions (volition, marriage, parents, government) are undermined by the refusal to submit to these systems of authority then all of society will crumble. If your free will is taken away from you, you will have lost your freedom to make your own decisions in life. If the man's authority in the marriage is taken away, marriage will fall apart and both men and women will lose their protection which marriage provides for them. If the parent's authority over the chi ldren is taken away, the children are left unprotected and are in danger. If the authority of the government is not respected and if the government stops, the individuals in that nation are left unprotected and are in great danger of another nation invadin g and taking away their freedom. A disrespect of authority will lead to loss of freedom in society and will lead to danger and people will live in fear. Human government has been established by God in order to protect the freedom, the privacy, the proper ty and the lives of individuals in a nation. The murder of an individual is a violation of a person’s volition, divine institution number one. Human government has been established by God in order to practice capital punishment as a means of punishing the criminal. The individual is to respect the laws of human government. The Bible does teach that there are certain circumstances in which the Christian are justified in disobeying the governmental authorities. This is called “civil disobedience,” which is t he performance of an intentional act that is prohibited by the civil authorities or a refusal to perform an act that is required by the civil authority (The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition, page 263). Christians are commanded to obey the Lord their God (Deuteronomy 13:4; Jeremiah 7:23; John 14:15) and they are also called upon to obey the governing authorities (Romans 13:1 - 7; 1 Peter 2:13 - 17; Titus 3:1). However, civil disobedience becomes an issue for the Christian when these two claims upon the Christian come into conflict meaning when God commands us to do something like proclaim the gospel and teach the Word of God and the civil authorities prohibit this. The solution to this conflict is that Christian is to obey God. This is illustrat ed in Acts 5:27 - 32 when the apostles were commanded by the Jewish authorities to not proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and Peter told them “we must obey God rather than men.” In Daniel 3, Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed - nego refused to worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar set up and they were justified in doing so since God prohibited the Israelites from practicing idolatry (Exodus 20:4). Also, in Daniel 6, the civil authorities prohibited Daniel from praying to the God of

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Israel and D aniel correctly disobeyed because obeying God is required if the civil authorities contradict God or prohibit the Christian from obeying God. The Lord’s dealing with Korah’s rebellion against Moses’ authority is an example of the seriousness with which God takes rebellion to governing authorities when there is no justification (Numbers 16:3, 13, 30, 32 - 35, 41, 49). Another example is the Lord’s dealing with the sister of Moses, Miriam, who rebelled against her brother’s authority (Numbers 12). Jude 5 - 9 reve als that even Michael the elect angel respects the authority of Satan who exercises temporary authority over the earth. Now, if Michael the elect angel respects the authority of the author of evil, Satan himself, how much more should Christians obey the go vernmental authorities in their own nation, no matter how corrupt or evil? In Exodus 1, the Egyptian midwives disobeyed Pharaoh of Egypt’s command to murder infant boys who were born to the Israelite women since murder is against the law of God (Genesis 9: 5 - 6). There was a similar situation in contemporary history where German Christians under Hitler’s Nazi regime rightly refused to hand over Jews to be murdered for the same reason why the Egyptian midwives refused to murder Jewish boys since murder is agai nst the law of God.

Pharaoh Questions the Midwives

Exodus 1: 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” Pharaoh asks this question of the midwives because after a period of years he would be informed that the population of boys in Israel had not dwindled. His secret c ampaign of infanticide had failed because of the midwives ’ disobedience. Pharaoh calls the midwives into his presence in order to hold them accountable. He asks this question because he has been told that the population of boys in Israel had not dwindled. So it appeared to him that they were disobeying him and he was right. But the midwives ’ response to him is all deception, which was justified since they sought to prevent the murder of baby boys. Lying to Pharaoh was critical to preserve not only the boys but their own lives. That this is a lie and deception is indicated by the fact that verse 17 records that the midwives disobeyed Pharaoh’s command. They lied out of obedience to God’s prohibition to not murder. This lie was justified because it was in obed ience to God’s law to not murder. Some argue that there was some truth to the midwives ’ statement to Pharaoh because they cannot believe that God would approve of lying. However He did approve of their civil disobedience out of obedience to His command t o not murder

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 36 innocent blood, thus God approved of their lying to Pharaoh to deceive him so to prevent the murder of innocent children. Thus, there is a time when lying is justified! Namely, it is justified to lie when the intent is to protect the life of a person whose life is being threatened by another. It is justified when it is done out of obedience to God’s command. The Hebrew midwives disobeyed Pharaoh and deceived him because they feared that the consequences for disobeying God would be much more se vere than disobeying Pharaoh’s command to murder innocent baby boys. So lying is justified when it is in obedience to God’s commands just like civil disobedience is justified when it is in obedience to God’s commands. Lying and civil disobedience are not j ustified when they are done out of disobedience to God’s commands. Pharaoh’s command called for the midwives to sin whereas their disobedience was out of obedience to God. The question arises, as to why Pharaoh accepted the midwives ’ explanation and did no t kill them for their disobedience? First of all, the midwives ’ explanation indicated that there was a cultural difference between Egyptian women giving birth and Israelite women when they give birth. Their explanation does not indicate a physiological dif ference between Egyptian women and Hebrew women but rather it points to a cultural difference. Pharaoh would know that Egyptian women took a minimal role in delivering their own children whereas the midwives are saying that the Hebrew women took a greater role. In fact, the widows are saying that before we arrive at the homes of these Hebrew women, they have already delivered the baby before we can kill the child. When the midwives describe the Hebrew women as more vigorous they mean that they have an eas ier time of it in childbirth than Egyptian women. Pharaoh and the Egyptians would have no way of verifying this was true because they had no contact with the Israelites. They totally segregated themselves from the Israelites because of racial bigotry. Ther efore, Pharaoh accepts their explanation because he has no way of verifying if this is true because the Egyptians so stridently segregated themselves from the Hebrews.

God Rewards the Midwives

Exodus 1: 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people m ultiplied, and became very mighty. 21 Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Verse 20 makes clear that God rewarded the midwives for their justified civil disobedience. Verse 21 tells the reader how He rewarded them, namely, by

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 37 protecting them from Pharaoh’s wrath. Their explanation to Pharaoh was successful. Furthermore, God gave these midwives their own families, which implies that they were childless and not married. Consequently, because of the courageous actions of the m idwives, the Israelites grew even more numerically and were innumerable , which was according to God’s will and the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to make a great nation out of their descendants.

The Egyptian Secret Policy of Genocide Now Bec omes Public National Policy

Exodus 1: 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.” (NASB95) This verse reveals that Pharaoh’s secret campaign to reduce t he Israelite population through infanticide became a public national policy in Egypt. Before, Pharaoh sought to have the Hebrew midwives accomplish this policy of genocide for him covertly without the Israelites’ or the Egyptians’ knowledge. However, now h e commands the Egyptian people to carry out this policy. Pharaoh commands the Egyptian nation to kill these Hebrew infant boys by drowning them in the Nile. The reason why he tells them to do this is that first of all, there would be no blood as there wou ld be if he told them to stab or dash their children to the ground. There would be no clean up if they drown the children in the Nile. Also, it was convenient to throw them in the Nile because most Egyptians lived adjacent to it. Furthermore, the Egyptians viewed the Nile as a god who gives and takes away life. If the Nile took the baby’s life, then this would be the god’s decision. Thus, Pharaoh is telling the Egyptians that they would be doing the will of the god of the Nile by murdering these baby boys. The irony is that the God of Israel would end up killing every adult first born male in each home in Egypt which did not have the blood of the Passover lamb above the doorpost and lintel. Ironically, Pharaoh and the best men of his army were all drowned by the God of Israel when they attempted to pursue Israel through the Reed Sea. The name “ Nile ” is from the Greek word neilos and the Latin nilus meaning “dark blue” and the Hebrew term is y e ʾ ōr . The ancient Egyptians deified it as Hapi because it was so essential to the life and prosperity of Egypt, however, it is known to modern Egyptians as El Bahr , “the sea” (cf. Nah 3:8). It is the longest river in the world and the father of African rive rs, flowing more than 4,160 miles from central Africa north through the desert to a rich delta area on the Mediterranean Sea. The source of the Nile is derived from two rivers: the Blue Nile from Ethiopia and the White Nile from Lake Victoria in central Africa. From its principal source,

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Lake Victoria, in east central Africa, the Nile flows through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, a distance of 3,470 miles and from its remotest headstream in Burundi, the river is 4,160 miles long. The riv er basin covers an area of more than 1,293,000 square miles and about one - tenth of the African continent. The Blue Nile provides approximately twice as much water as the White Nile during the rainy season and this flood water, with the soil that it eroded , provided fertile top soil for the agriculture of northern Egypt. Low flood levels usually meant a famine year, while a high flood level would result in a year of plenty. The Aswan Dam and the High Dam now enable the modern nation of Egypt to control thes e floods and provide a more constant flow of water. Egyptians had religious celebrations at the beginning of the annual flooding of the Nile. The river was also one of the chief methods of transportation for the Egyptians. The Nile delta produced papyrus which the Egyptians wove together to make household mats, baskets, sails for their boats, and paper. The Nile supported a fishing industry as well, and ancient drawings show the Pharaohs hunting wild game in the thick undergrowth of the Nile Valley.

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Herbert Huffmon writes, “Nile (nīl), the great river of Egypt flowing north from its sources in Lake Victoria in Uganda and in the highlands of Ethiopia, a distance of 4,037 miles, the entire length of the Sudan and Egypt, to the Mediterranean. The two ma jor branches, the White Nile (from Lake Victoria) and the Blue Nile (from Ethiopia), merge at Khartoum, with one modest tributary somewhat farther to the north and none at all in Egypt itself. Beyond Khartoum the Nile flows through several cataracts, inhib iting navigation but not preventing it. The last cataract is at Aswan, the beginning of the Nile Valley proper. (Because the Nile flows from south to north, the southern Nile valley is referred to as Upper Egypt.) From here on the Nile flows north in a wel l - developed valley with cliffs on either side almost as far as Cairo, and the river becomes important for its overflow and the hydraulic irrigation of the adjoining floodplain. Within the Nile Valley the river is fairly constant at about six - tenths of a mi le in width, whereas the valley varies from six to nine miles across. Most of the agricultural land is on the west bank, since the river generally flows closer to the eastern cliffs. The wider western floodplain benefits, in a number of areas, from seconda ry channels of the river. The best known of these is the Bahr Yusuf, which formerly flowed into the Faiyum, a large, well - watered area with a permanent lake somewhat south of Cairo, extending about fifty miles into the western desert. From Cairo (the area of ancient Memphis and On) the river fans out into a great delta, ultimately over one hundred and fifty miles wide. (The delta is referred to as Lower Egypt.) Here the ancient branches were rather more numerous than today, as several are dried up, includin g the Pelusiac branch, that were first encountered by travelers from Palestine into Egypt. Today the delta has a high water table and extensive areas occupied by lakes and swamps. Presumably the situation was similar in antiquity. Following the spring rai nfall in the highlands of East Africa, the Nile at Aswan rises over 18 feet and reaches its peak flow in mid - September, with the low point coming in late April. Prior to the building of the modern dams the Nile overflow brought a tremendous amount of new s ediment and minerals each year (about 185 million tons) and therewith renewal for the agricultural land. But an inundation that was too high, too low, or unseasonal could mean disaster. Nonetheless, almost all the people lived in the Nile Valley or the del ta and owed their very existence to the Nile. Even in the delta the yearly rainfall is 8 inches or less, and in the southern Nile valley there is virtually no rain. The Nile is also the major highway of Egypt. Movement north and south along the floodplain was certainly possible, but on any extensive journey frequent crossings of the Nile were required. Heavy goods of course were transported on the river. Indeed, the great building projects of Pharaonic Egypt were dependent on easy movement of massive loads by Nile barges. During the inundation the Nile could deliver great loads to virtually any site along the valley.

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The importance of Nile transport is indicated by the representations of boats in tombs, the burial of special boats alongside the pyramids, and the provision in the temples of storage places for the boats used by the gods in their journeys. It was the Nile that bound Egypt together. In biblical times the sources of the Nile were unknown. The Egyptians themselves had practical knowledge of the Nil e well into the Sudan, but the Nile was so essential to them and so mysterious that it was also seen in special ways. In some texts the floodwaters of the Nile are described as rising out of caverns at the Aswan cataract. Even the Nile in the delta area wa s thought to have a special origin near On (Heliopolis). Special nilometers were maintained at strategic points, such as near Memphis in the north and on the island of Elephantine at Aswan, so as to estimate in advance the height of the inundation. As Egyp tian po wer expanded southward into Nubia, additional observation points were established at the second and even the fourth cataracts. But even with advance warning a high Nile might prove destructive and a low Nile remain insufficient. The Nile inundation , the river’s dynamic essence, was personified in the god Hapy. Hapy, the Nile’s fecundity, was represented as a well - fed figure apparently both male and female, often colored green or blue, the colors of life. Hapy is a representative of Nun, the primeval water itself. But it is striking that although Hapy is depicted in most of the temples, Hapy had no special temple. The seasonal festivals recognizing the Nile took place at a number of points along the river, with various offerings, amulets, and figurine s. At times there was even human sacrifice to the Nile . 12 Eerdmans Bible Dictionary writes “ Nile [nīl] (Heb. y e ˒ôr ; cf. Egyp. aiitrw, ˒rw ).† The river that flows more than some 6500 km. (4000 mi.) in an irregular course winding from the highlands of East Ce ntral Africa to the shores of northern Egypt, where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Comprised of two major tributaries, the Blue Nile and the White Nile, with a total estimated watershed in excess of 2.6 million sq. km. (1 million sq. mi.) — nearly on e - tenth the area of Africa — the Nile is not only one of the longest rivers in the world (the Amazon may be longer, but the dispute awaits further detailed mapping of the region) but also the single most dominant influence upon the terrain and environment of northeastern Africa. The origin of the Greek name for the river (Gk. Neilos ; Lat. Nilos ) remains obscure. Its ancient name appears to have been Egyph. ḥ˓py , which served also to designate the Nile god Ḥa˓py. By the time of the Middle Kingdom (ca.. 2000 B. C.) Egypt. trw , at first meaning simply “river,” had become the common appellation, continuing in use until the Greco - Roman period. The Hebrew adaptation of this form occurs in both singular and plural, apparently referring to the several branches that cou rse through the delta (but cf; Job 28:10; sa; 33:21,

12 Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature; Harper's Bible dictionary (1st ed.) (705 – 706); 1985; San Francisco: Harper & Row.

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 41 where the plural designated not the Nile but rivers or streams in general). Originating on the northern shore of Lake Victoria in Uganda and Tanganyika near the Ripon Falls where it is known as Kagewra, the White Ni le (al - Ba ḥr alAbyad) flows northwest (downstream) to Lake Albert, flowing through the wild swamplands of the Sudan where the water is increasingly filtered, giving its waters the lighter appearance from which its name derives. Near the northern reaches of the swamplands the White Nile is joined by the Sobat before flowing northward toward Khartoum, where it merges with the Blue Nile. The source of the Blue Nile (al - Ba ḥr al - Azraq) lies in western Ethiopia at Lake Tana, where it is called Abbai. Flowing throu gh the center of the Ethiopian plateau and then northwest to Khartoum in modern Sudan, the dark, turgid waters of the Blue Nile join the lighter waters of the White Nile just south of the sixth cataract near Khartoum to form the main body of the Nile river . The Nile is then joined on its northerly course by another important tributary, the Atbara or al - Ba ḥr al - Aswad, which enters about 320 km. (200 mi.) north of Khartoum between the fifth and sixth cataracts. Between Khartoum and Wâd ī Halfa the Nile winds i n an S - course, in which the river is disrupted by several series of rapids known as cataracts (the sixth through second, proceeding northward) making it navigable for only relatively short stretches. Just north of modern Cairo the apex of the Delta juts ou t, dividing the river into two main branches, the Rosetta to the west and the Damietta to the east, which in turn flow into the Mediterranean. From early times until the present, an arid climate has assured the Nile’s paramount role in the life of Egypt. B oth its annual flooding and the rich alluvium carried downstream that provides rich silt for the adjacent fields have been the mainstay of Egyptian agriculture since antiquity. Excessive seasonal rainfall on the plateau region of Ethiopia from June to Sept ember swells the waters of the Blue Nile and the Atbara as the rivers take with them enormous amounts of silt that are later deposited in the fields of the Nile valley and the delta. In turn the soil yields a rich harvest in April and May, after which farm ers in earlier times could plant seeds near the river bed or irrigation devices (cf. Deut. 11:10). In modern times a complex system of dams, barrages, and canals regulate the flow of water, enabling three crops a year to be raised through perennial irrigat ion. The regular flooding of the Nile also spawned such innovations as a sophisticated calendar, hydraulic engineering and surveying as well as irrigation as early as 4000 B.C. Ancient trade routes followed the course of the Nile, also using the river for transportation of such materials as the large blocks employed in the construction of the numerous massive monuments that dot the Egyptian landscape. Archaeological remains attest to the river’s central cultural role as well. Lyrical references as early as the Pyramid Texts (early third millennium) point to annual celebrations greeting the innundation of the river, whose source the ancient Egyptians believed to be the underworld (Nun). Most

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 42 famous is ‘ The Adoration of the Nile, ’ which survives in copies dati ng as early as the Nineteenth Dynasty (thirteenth century). Such a central role in agriculture and trade led to personification of the river as the god Ḥa˓py ; although he never gained a central role in the Egyptian pantheon (partly due to the association o f the prominent Osiris with the innundation), Ḥa˓py is frequently portrayed as providing offerings of food and drink for other deities. ” 13

Satanic Opposition to the Nation of Israel

Though not explicitly mentioned, the testimony of Scripture is that Sata n was behind this persecution of the nation of Israel while it was in Egypt. The Savior of the world would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and specifically would be from the tribe of Judah. Thus, by attempting to kill the Israelite baby boys, S atan would be preventing the incarnation of the Son of God. Pharaoh actions would be called a manifestation of “a nti - Semitism , ” which is opposition to, prejudice against, or intolerance of the Jewish people. However, the term “Semite” encompasses much mor e than just the Jews since it refers to those peoples that are descended from one of Noah’s three sons, “Shem” the other two sons were “Japheth” and “Ham.” In the book of Genesis and 1 Chronicles 1 - 2, the names of children are listed in the order in which they were born, thus, the phrase “ Shem, Ham and Japheth ” appears in Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18, 10:1 and 1 Chronicles 1:4, indicating that Shem was the oldest followed by Ham and then Japheth as the youngest. The fact that Shem is the older brother of Japheth is confirmed in Genesis 10:21. 1 Chronicles 1:5 - 7 lists the descendants of Japheth and then 1 Chronicles 1:8 - 16 lists the descendants of Ham and lastly 1 Chronicles 1:17 - 27 lists the descendants of Shem u p to Abraham and then only the line of Shem continues forward. 1 Chronicles 1:28 records that Abraham had two sons Isaac and Ishmael. 1 Chronicles 1:34 records that Isaac had a son called Israel who is also known as Jacob. 1 Chronicles 2:1 - 2 records the twelve sons of Israel from whom the nation of Israel originates. The descendants of Shem are recorded in Genesis 10:22 - 31, and 1 Chronicles 1:17 - 27. Noah’s prophecy in Genesis 9:26 records that God elected the line of Shem to rule the earth and that the line of Shem would produce the promised “Seed” and fulfill the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 to crush the head of the serpent, Satan. In His human nature, Jesus Christ is descended from Shem and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and is from the tribe of Judah. Therefo re, the Jews are but one branch of

13 Myers, A. C. (1987). The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (764). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans

 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 43 the Semitic peoples, which include the Arabs, Syrians, Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. Revelation 12 predicts that Israel experience the worst persecution in her history during the last three and half years of Danie l’s seventieth week. This chapter also teaches that “Anti - Semitism” is Satanic in origin since it teaches that Satan has persecuted the nation of Israel throughout her history because the Messiah would be a Jew. Revelation 12:1 - 5 refers to the history of the nation of Israel from its inception to the ascension and session of Jesus Christ and describes Satan’s attempt to prevent the incarnation from taking place . Revelation 12:1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman ( Nation of Israel ) clothed with the s un ( Represents Jacob ), and the moon ( Represents Rachel and Leah ) under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Represents 12 Sons of Jacob ) 2 and she was with child ( Represents Jesus Christ ); and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon ( Represents Satan ) having seven heads ( Represents 7 great Gentile world empires: (1) Egypt (2) Assyria (3) Babylon (4) Medo - Persia (5) Graeco - Macedonia (6) Rome (7) Future Reviv ed Roman Empire ) and ten horns ( 10 Ten European Confederacy, i.e. Revived Roman Empire ), and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven ( Represents fallen angels ) and threw them to the earth. And the dragon st ood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child ( Jesus Christ ), who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and t o His throne ( Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ ). (NASU) Revelation 12:6 - 17 refers to the last three and half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. Revelation 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that th ere she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days ( Last 3 ½ years of Daniel’s seventieth week ). (NASU) Revelation 12:7 - 9 refers to Satan being tossed out of heaven during the midway point of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the se rpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (NASU)

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Revelation 12:10 - 17 refers to Satan’s persecution of the nation of Israel during the last three and half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “ Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been th rown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O h eavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time. ” 13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And t he serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his m outh. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (NASU) The prophet Jeremiah speaks of this greatest persecution in Israel’s his tory. Jeremiah 30:5 For thus says the LORD, “ I have heard a sound of terror, of dread, and there is no peace. 6 Ask now, and see if a male can give birth. Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale? 7 ‘Alas! for that day is great, there is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress , but he will be saved from it. ” (NASU) In His great Olivet Discourse, in Matthew 24:9, the Lord Jesus Christ predicts this great persecution of the nation of Israel. Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.” (NASU)

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