Issachar, Zebulun ,.... The other two sons of Jacob, by Leah: Benjamin ; the youngest of all Jacob's sons is placed here, being his son by his beloved wife Rachel. Joseph is not put into the account, because he did not go into Egypt with Jacob. read more
The patriarchal names. I. THE NAMES IN THEMSELVES . Nothing seems to the ordinary reader of Holy Scripture so dry and uninteresting as a bare catalogue of names. Objections are even made to reading them as parts of Sunday or week-day "lessons." But " ALL Scripture," rightly viewed, "is profitable" ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ). Each Hebrew name has a meaning, and was given with a purpose. What a wealth of joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, surmises, triumphs, jealousies, is hid up in... read more
The Book of Exodus, being written in continuation of the history recorded in Genesis, is carefully connected with it by a recapitulation. The recapitulation involves three points:— 1 . The names of Jacob's children; 2 . The number of Jacob's descendants who went down into Egypt; and 3 . The death of Joseph. Exodus 1:1-4 are a recapitulation of Genesis 35:22-26 ; Genesis 35:5 , of Genesis 46:27 ; and Genesis 46:6 , of Genesis 1:26 . In no case, however, is the... read more
The twelve foundations. The heads of the covenant race had hitherto been single individuals. Abraham—IsaActs—Jacob. The one now expands into the twelve. Glance briefly at this list of the patriarchs. I. THE MEN . Here we are struck— 1 . With the original unfitness of most of these men for the position of dignity they were afterwards called to occupy. How shall we describe them! Recall Reuben's incest; Simeon and Levi's cruelty; Judah's lewdness; the "evil report" which Joseph... read more
Tarry thou the Lord's leisure. Introduction to the Book of Exodus. How much summed up in so few words. When men live history, every month seems important; when God records history a few sentences suffice for generations. Man ' s standpoint in the midst of the tumult is so different from God's: he "sitteth above the waterflood" and seeth "the end from the beginning" ( Psalms 29:10 ; Isaiah 46:10 ). From God's standpoint we have here as of main consequence— I. A LIST OF ... read more
The prosperity of Israel. This prosperity was not a mere appearance, nor a passing spurt of fortune. It was a deep, abiding, and significant reality. Nor was it something exaggerated in order to make an excuse for the cruelties of a suspicious tyrant. There was indeed only too much to make Pharaoh uneasy; but altogether apart from his alarms there is a plain and emphatic statement of the prosperity of Israel in Exodus 1:7 . It is a very emphatic statement indeed, summoning us m the most... read more
The sons of the legitimate wives Leah and Rachel are placed first, in the order of their seniority ( Genesis 29:32-35 ; Genesis 30:18-20 ; Genesis 35:18 ); then these of the secondary wives, or concubines, also in the order of their birth ( Genesis 30:6-13 ). The order is different from that observed in Genesis 46:1-34 ; and seems intended to do honour to legitimate, as opposed to secondary, wedlock. The omission of Joseph follows necessarily from the exact form of the opening... read more
Exodus 1:3. And Benjamin Who , though youngest of all, is placed before Dan, Naphtali, &c., because they were the children of the hand-maidens. read more
1:1-4:31 PREPARATION OF MOSESEgypt’s oppression of Israel (1:1-22)The small community of Israelites who first settled in Egypt were all members of one family, the family of Jacob, and their early days were ones of happiness and prosperity (Genesis 46:1-7; Genesis 47:11-12). God had promised they would grow into a nation, and over the following centuries they increased in numbers and influence till they dominated the whole of the north-east corner of Egypt (1:1-7; cf. Genesis 13:16; Genesis... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 1:1-7
In these verses we have, 1. A recital of the names of the twelve patriarchs, as they are called, Acts 7:8. Their names are often repeated in scripture, that they may not sound uncouth to us, as other hard names, but that, by their occurring so frequently, they may become familiar to us; and to show how precious God's spiritual Israel are to him, and how much he delights in them. 2. The account which was kept of the number of Jacob's family, when they went down into Egypt; they were in all... read more