What does Exodus 1:6 mean?
Moses continues writing his overview of Israel's early history in Egypt. After describing Jacob's move into Egypt, he refers to the pivotal event of Joseph's death. Joseph's dramatic rise into a leadership role in Egypt (Genesis 41:41–43) had allowed Jacob and his family to settle in Egypt during seven years of severe famine. Their family both survived and thrived during a time when many died or became slaves of Pharaoh. However, much time passed and Joseph was no longer alive. Neither were his brothers or any of the other people from "that generation." An entirely new population had replaced the first Israeli settlers in Egypt.This passage of time is significant. Joseph lived 110 years (Genesis 50:26). Since he had been enslaved at seventeen years old (Genesis 37:2), he had lived in Egypt for about ninety-three years. He was about thirty-nine years old when Jacob and his family moved to Egypt (Genesis 41:46–47; 43:2). Jacob's family had been greatly respected during his time, but centuries later there was a new king who apparently did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8). He, or perhaps a succession of pharaohs, will see the exploding Israelite population as a threat and resort to forced labor and infanticide to slow population growth (Exodus 1:8, 16, 22). Yet God will work in a miraculous way, raising up Moses as a leader to rescue the Jewish people and lead them out of bondage.
Exodus 1:1–14 describes the explosive growth of the nation of Israel and the erosion of their relationship to Egypt. Joseph's efforts in the past saved Egypt from ruin, and his family was welcomed into the land. Generations later, the drastic increase in their population is seen as a threat to the Egyptian people. Motivated by a combination of fear and disgust, the king of Egypt brutally enslaves the people of Israel to reduce their numbers. This effort fails, and the following passage shows Pharaoh resorting to infanticide.
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.
