Exodus 1:9
in Exodus 1“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
KJV
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
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This verse in Exodus 1
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier
on Exodus 1:9-10
Pharaoh's case to his people is that the Hebrews are more and mightier than we, which is the language of the promise repeated by a frightened man. The plan is presented as calculation, let us deal wisely with them, and the danger it names is a war in which they change sides and get them up out of the land. Leaving the land is exactly what God is about to bring about, so the policy is built to prevent the thing it ends up producing. Matthew Henry notes that men who deal wickedly commonly believe they are dealing wisely.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And he said unto his people,....
Note, (1.) The growth of Israel is the grief of Egypt, and that against which the powers and policies of hell are levelled. (2.) When men deal wickedly, it is common for them to imagine that they deal wisely; but the folly of sin will, at last, be manifested before all men.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He said unto his people - He probably summoned a council of his nobles and elders to consider the subject; and the result was to persecute and destroy them, as is afterwards stated.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Pharaoh and his wise counsellors. See Isaiah:11. did not see fit to slay them by the sword, for it would have been a gross treachery to smite without reason a people that had come into the land by command of a former king.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֖אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| עַמּ֑וֹ | amo | people his | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הִנֵּ֗ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| עַ֚ם | ʾam | [the] people of | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| רַ֥ב | rav | [is] numerous | H7227 → | 454 times |
| וְעָצ֖וּם | veatzum | and mighty | H6099 → | |
| מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ | mimenu | more than us | H4480 → | 1188 times |
וַיֹּ֖אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
עַמּ֑וֹpeople his
amoH5971 →1873 times
הִנֵּ֗הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
עַ֚ם[the] people of
ʾamH5971 →1873 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
רַ֥ב[is] numerous
ravH7227 →454 times
וְעָצ֖וּםand mighty
veatzumH6099 →
מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃more than us
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ecclesiastes 4:4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
it leads to
- 1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ecclesiastes 2:21
When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a…
- Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26
To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over…
- 1 Samuel 18:29–30
he grew even more afraid of David. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.
- 1 John 3:12
Through
Proverbs 27:4Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
it leads to
- Proverbs 6:34
For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance.
- Proverbs 14:30
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
- James 3:14–16
But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
- Proverbs 6:34
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.