Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died in Egypt, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in number, and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, to whom Joseph
meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. He set slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Ramesses as store cities for Pharaoh. (Exo 1:6–11, Acts 7:17–19, Psalm 105:24–25).
Watch the following short video: Israelites in Egypt.
Ramesses was rebuilt as the capital of Egypt under Pharaoh Ramses II, when it probably also also got its name, which is used in the Bible even before it got its name just to locate its place (Gen 47:11, Exo 1:11). This is called an
anachronism. In ancient times this city was called Avaris. This Avaris is the city located below the capital of Ramesses, which was found during archaeological excavations. Avaris is a place where Semitic people lived for hundreds of years.
The Hebrews lived in the land of Goshen. It's the place known as Avaris and later as Pi-Ramesses = the biblical Ramesses.
But the more the Hebrews were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. They had to work with bricks and mortars and with all kinds of work in the fields. The king of Egypt ordered the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill the Hebrew child born if it was a boy, but let it live if it was a girl. But the midwives feared God and didn't do as the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them why they had let the boys live. "The midwives said to Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.'" (Exo 1:19). God was kind to the midwives, and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them their own families. Then Pharaoh ordered all his people to throw all Hebrew boys born into the Nile, but let every girl live.
(Exo 1:12–22).
There were most likely more Hebrew midwives than those two, but they were the ones who represented the Hebrew midwives to Pharaoh.
The midwives were blessed because they feared God more than they feared Pharaoh. See To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man. They probably told the truth although not the whole truth. The Hebrew women became vigorous because of their hard work and the good food they received (Exo 16:3). If they had told the whole truth, they probably would have been replaced by midwives who did as they were told. God approved of what these midwives were doing. They did what was right before God by disobeying an ungodly command from Pharaoh and God blessed their bold obedience in that. God used these brave midwives to accomplish his will.
For the next part, see Moses; Part 3: The First Time of Moses.
For all parts, see Moses; Part 1: Introduction.
