What does Exodus 1:20 mean?
Despite Pharoah's persecutions, God ensures several positive developments for the Hebrew people. He responds to the dangerous choice made by the midwives: defying Pharaoh's evil order (Exodus 1:15–17). They had protected the young lives of Israel's sons, risking their own lives in the process. God blessed them as a result. This likely included Shiphrah and Puah, as well as other Jewish midwives who protected young lives. Directly contradicting the Pharaoh's goals, the Israeli population continued to grow.The result was a nation of Israel which continued to threaten the Egyptians due to their sheer size. Pharaoh would soon choose even more drastic measures to kill newborn Jewish males (Exodus 1:22). This command is given to all of Egypt, specifically to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile River.
Ironically, in the context of this wicked command, God allowed a baby boy to be literally "cast into" the Nile, yet protected and raised up within Pharaoh's own household, becoming the rescuer of the people of Israel (Exodus 2:1–10). This child would be known by his name: Moses, meaning "draw out," based on Pharaoh's daughter drawing him out of the water.
Exodus 1:15–22 describes the most drastic attempt to curb Israeli population growth. After enslavement and brutality, the Hebrews are still growing. Out of fear, the Egyptians seek other ways of reducing Israeli power. Here, Pharaoh will enact a program of infanticide: ordering Hebrew midwives to murder male Jewish babies. When they resist, Egypt's king extends this command to the Egyptian people in general. This backdrop of murder sets the scene for the rise of Moses, the eventual leader of the nation of Israel.
The children of Abraham and Jacob grow rapidly, forming a prosperous nation made up of twelve tribes, one for each son of Jacob. This inspires fear and hate from the Egyptians. Their king first tries to slow down the Hebrews' growth by enslaving them. Next, he increases the brutality of their work. Then, he tries to command Jewish midwives to kill their own people's newborn baby boys. When these all fail, he openly orders the murder of all Jewish infant boys. Inadvertently, this creates the very situation which leads to the rise of Israel's eventual leader, Moses.
