[8] Now there arose up a
new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. [9] And he said unto
his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier
than we:
There arose a new king (after several successions in
Joseph's time) which knew not Joseph - All that knew him loved him, and
were kind to his relations for his sake; but when he was dead he was soon
forgotten, and the remembrance of the good offices he had done was either
not retained or not regarded. If we work for men only, our works at farthest
will die with us; if for God, they will follow us, Revelation 14:13.
[10] Come on, let us deal wisely
with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth
out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and
so get them up out of the land.
Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply
- 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.
[11] Therefore they did set
over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built
for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
They set over them task - masters, to afflict them -
With this very design. They not only made them serve, which was sufficient
for Pharaoh's profit, but they made them serve with rigour, so that their
lives became bitter to them; intending hereby to break their spirits, and
to rob them of every thing in them that was generous: to ruin their health,
and shorten their days, and so diminish their numbers: to discourage them
from marrying, since their children would be born to slavery; and to oblige
them to desert the Hebrews, and incorporate with the Egyptians. And 'tis
to be feared the oppression they were under did bring over many of them
to join with the Egyptians in their idolatrous worship; for we read, Joshua
24:14, that they served other gods in Egypt; and we find, Ezekiel 20:8,
that God had threatned to destroy them for it, even while they were in
the land of Egypt. Treasure - cities - To keep the king's money or corn,
wherein a great part of the riches of Egypt consisted.
[12] But the more they afflicted
them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because
of the children of Israel. [13] And
the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
[14] And they made their lives bitter with
hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in
the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied
- To the grief and vexation of the Egyptians. Times of affliction, have
oft been the church's growing times: Christianity spread most when it was
persecuted.
|