“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to 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:
- NKJV And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;
- NASB And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
- NLT He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Pharaoh tells his people that the Israelites have grown too numerous and mighty. His fear becomes the pretext for oppression.
Overview
Pharaoh frames Israel's God-given fruitfulness as a national threat. His words reveal the world's recurring suspicion and hostility toward God's growing people. Ironically, the very increase he fears is evidence that the Lord is fulfilling His promises, a work no human ruler can finally stop.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 105:24–25And the LORD made His people very fruitful, more numerous than their foes,
- Eccl 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.
- Jas 3:14–16But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
- Num 22:4–5So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time,
- Prov 27:4Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
- Prov 14:28A large population is a king’s splendor, but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.
- Titus 3:3For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- Job 5:2For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
- Jas 4:5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 1:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.