The
Book of Exodus Commentary by Chuck Smith
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It
has been some 300 years since Joseph
has died. And so, from the end of the book of Genesis to the
beginning of the book of Exodus, you have a period of about 300 years;
and during that period of time, the household of Jacob, which is named
here:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,
Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad , and Asher, and those who were
already there. Joseph and his family were fruitful, increased
abundantly, multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty.
So, as he describes the growth of the
nation of Israel in Egypt, he uses the terms fruitful, increased
abundantly, multiplied, who grew exceedingly mighty. The
seventy who went to Egypt had indeed multiplied to 600,000 men above
the age of 20, which means a possible population of as many as
3,000,000 people. So, indeed, they were fruitful, increased
abundantly, multiplied as they were in Egypt.
Now the LORD had prophesied to Abraham
that his descendants would go down to Egypt and God would make of them
a great nation there, but He would bring them up out of Egypt in 400
years. So, the 400 years of that sojourn in Egypt are about
over. When Jacob prayed at Beersheba, God said,
“Go down to Egypt,” or, “Do not be afraid
to go down to Egypt; I will make of thee there a great
nation.” And so, God has kept His word; the
prophesies that He made to Abraham and Jacob have now been fulfilled, a
great nation has formed during this period in Egypt.
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