וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃

These are the names of the children of Israel, who came to Egypt with Jacob; each man came with his household.

רְאוּבֵ֣ן שִׁמְע֔וֹן לֵוִ֖י וִיהוּדָֽה׃

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבְנְיָמִֽן׃

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

דָּ֥ן וְנַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר׃

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

וַֽיְהִ֗י כָּל־נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף הָיָ֥ה בְמִצְרָֽיִם׃

All the people who emerged from Jacob’s loins were seventy souls; and this number includes Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

וַיָּ֤מָת יוֹסֵף֙ וְכָל־אֶחָ֔יו וְכֹ֖ל הַדּ֥וֹר הַהֽוּא׃

Joseph died, as was described in the final verse of Genesis, and then all of his brothers and all of that generation, Jacob’s children and their children who were born while the family was still in Canaan, also died.

וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל פָּר֧וּ וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֹתָֽם׃ (פ)

The children of Israel, who were now developing from a family of seventy people into a tribe, were fruitful and propagated and increased and grew exceedingly mighty; they became a powerful presence in the land. In a short time, the children of Israel grew into a large tribe. And the land was filled with them. From the continuation of the narrative it will become apparent that not all the children of Israel remained in Goshen in seclusion from the Egyptians. Rather, some of them migrated to other regions, living in close proximity to the Egyptians.

וַיָּ֥קָם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע אֶת־יוֹסֵֽף׃

A new king, from a new dynasty, arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. It is likely that this king was aware of Joseph, his roots, and the revolutionary changes he brought about in Egypt. Nevertheless, he remained indifferent to Joseph’s legacy and unconcerned with the fate of his people.

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֶל־עַמּ֑וֹ הִנֵּ֗ה עַ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֥ב וְעָצ֖וּם מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

He, the king, said to his people: Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and mightier than we. As they continue to multiply exceedingly quickly, they are becoming a demographic threat to our existence.

הָ֥בָה נִֽתְחַכְּמָ֖ה ל֑וֹ פֶּן־יִרְבֶּ֗ה וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־תִקְרֶ֤אנָה מִלְחָמָה֙ וְנוֹסַ֤ף גַּם־הוּא֙ עַל־שֹׂ֣נְאֵ֔ינוּ וְנִלְחַם־בָּ֖נוּ וְעָלָ֥ה מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Let us be cunning with it; we must employ sophisticated methods to limit their growth, lest it increase, and it shall be that if a war will occur on the northern border, it too will join our enemies and wage war against us, and they will then go up from the land, leaving our country with a labor shortage. Alternatively, Pharaoh was speaking euphemistically: If there will be a war, the children of Israel will join our enemies and we will go up from the land; we will be expelled.

וַיָּשִׂ֤ימוּ עָלָיו֙ שָׂרֵ֣י מִסִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן עַנֹּת֖וֹ בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיִּ֜בֶן עָרֵ֤י מִסְכְּנוֹת֙ לְפַרְעֹ֔ה אֶת־פִּתֹ֖ם וְאֶת־רַעַמְסֵֽס׃

They, the Egyptians, appointed overseers over it, in order to afflict it with their burdens. The centralized government of Egypt was administered by Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh installed overseers and conscripted many members of Israel into a labor force for public works for the benefit of Egypt. He hoped that the difficult life of servitude would cause the Hebrews to diminish in number, and that it would break their spirit. It, the Israelite nation, built storehouse cities for Pharaoh: Pitom and Rameses.

וְכַאֲשֶׁר֙ יְעַנּ֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ כֵּ֥ן יִרְבֶּ֖ה וְכֵ֣ן יִפְרֹ֑ץ וַיָּקֻ֕צוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

But as they would afflict it, so it would increase and so it would proliferate. Although the lives of the Israelites became more difficult, they continued to grow. Since the children of Israel were not confined to a particular area of Egypt, the Egyptians witnessed this surge in population, and they were revolted by the children of Israel.

וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ מִצְרַ֛יִם אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

The population growth that the Egyptians sought to suppress through conscription for labor was ineffective; on the contrary, the children of Israel only grew in number. The Egyptians therefore sought to worsen the plight of Israel, so they coerced the children of Israel to work with travail, forcing them to perform hard labor that would break them. It is possible that in an effort to break their spirits, the children of Israel were denied access to technologies and tools that were already in use in Egypt at that time.

וַיְמָרְר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks. The monumental structures of Egypt were built with ashlar stones quarried primarily in the south of the country. Simple utilitarian structures, such as homes and warehouses, were constructed from bricks, as there was an abundance of earth in Egypt with which to produce them. And in addition to the royal construction projects, they also worked with all work in the field, both in the service of the king and in private fields, in order to provide food for themselves or for others. They did all this together with all their work with which they worked for them, the Egyptians, with travail. The repeated emphasis on harsh labor hints to the tremendous time pressure that was imposed on the children of Israel, or to the imposition of tasks that were not appropriate for the strength or skills of the specific workers. All of these cruelties were designed to break their bodies and spirits.

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ שִׁפְרָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית פּוּעָֽה׃

Even hard labor and the embitterment of their lives did not have the desired effect upon the children of Israel; their numbers continued to rise. So the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shifra, and the name of the other, Pua. The names of the midwives are mentioned by the verse since it will become apparent that they were not mere vessels in the hands of Pharaoh, but independent personalities who acted according to their own discretion.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן֙ אֶת־הָֽעִבְרִיּ֔וֹת וּרְאִיתֶ֖ן עַל־הָאָבְנָ֑יִם אִם־בֵּ֥ן הוּא֙ וַהֲמִתֶּ֣ן אֹת֔וֹ וְאִם־בַּ֥ת הִ֖יא וָחָֽיָה׃

He said: When you deliver the Hebrew women, and you look upon the birthstool, if it is a son that was born, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live. Pharaoh assumed that without a sufficient population of Hebrew males, the females would assimilate among the Egyptians, and Israel would cease to maintain an independent identity.

וַתִּירֶ֤אןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְלֹ֣א עָשׂ֔וּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר דִּבֶּ֥ר אֲלֵיהֶ֖ן מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃

The midwives feared God, and therefore, they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, and instead, they kept the children alive. Not only did they deliver the children, but they also cared for those who were in danger.

וַיִּקְרָ֤א מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֔ת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ן מַדּ֥וּעַ עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ן הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃

The king of Egypt summoned the midwives, and he said to them: Why did you do this thing, and you kept the children alive? As I have not received reports of large-scale infant fatalities among the Hebrews, it is clear to me that you have not carried out my instructions.

וַתֹּאמַ֤רְןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה כִּ֣י לֹ֧א כַנָּשִׁ֛ים הַמִּצְרִיֹּ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת כִּֽי־חָי֣וֹת הֵ֔נָּה בְּטֶ֨רֶם תָּב֧וֹא אֲלֵהֶ֛ן הַמְיַלֶּ֖דֶת וְיָלָֽדוּ׃

The midwives were unable to make the argument to Pharaoh that his instructions were immoral or illegal. They therefore offered an excuse: The midwives said to Pharaoh: We were unable to carry out your instructions because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women with whom you are familiar, as they are vigorous and remain alert throughout the birthing process, as opposed to the pampered and weak Egyptian women, who would frequently tire and enter a semiconscious state during childbirth. As such, before the midwife comes to them, they have already given birth, and the midwife is therefore unable to interfere. The newborns are given to the midwives only after their mothers have already seen them.

וַיֵּ֥יטֶב אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֑ת וַיִּ֧רֶב הָעָ֛ם וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃

In ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh was far more than just a king. He was viewed as a deity or demigod, even while still alive. Accordingly, disobeying the king was an exceptional act. As a reward for their extraordinary courage, God favored the midwives and the people increased and became very mighty. The population of Israel was not suppressed; on the contrary, it continued to grow.

וַיְהִ֕י כִּֽי־יָֽרְא֥וּ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיַּ֥עַשׂ לָהֶ֖ם בָּתִּֽים׃

It was, because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Their families grew and became honored and distinguished.

וַיְצַ֣ו פַּרְעֹ֔ה לְכָל־עַמּ֖וֹ לֵאמֹ֑ר כָּל־הַבֵּ֣ן הַיִּלּ֗וֹד הַיְאֹ֙רָה֙ תַּשְׁלִיכֻ֔הוּ וְכָל־הַבַּ֖ת תְּחַיּֽוּן׃ (ס)

Since he was unable to carry out his intentions through the midwives, Pharaoh commanded all his people directly, saying: Every son who is born to the Hebrews, into the Nile you shall cast him, but every daughter you shall keep alive. Whether this order became official Egyptian policy to be enforced by the government, or it was a command directed at any Egyptian citizen who found a Hebrew child, every newborn Hebrew boy was sentenced to be drowned in the river.