And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
The children of Israel. The ethnic name of the descendants of Jacob was Hebrews. "The children of Israel," or "Israelites," was a religious designation; and Moses uses it here, as he is now commencing to relate the national history of that people who were separated from the general mass of corruption to be trained up in the knowledge and to the worship of God-the infant church.
Were fruitful ... A variety of expressions are employed to represent the rapidity of increase х paaruw (H6509), brought forth young, were fruitful; ( wayishrªtsuw (H8317), bred abundantly, like fish or reptiles; wayirbuw (H7235), and multiplied. This word is frequently coupled with paaraah (H6509) (Genesis 1:22; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 8:17; Jeremiah 3:16; Ezekiel 36:11, etc.); waya`atsmuw (H6105) bim'od (H3966) mª'od (H3966), and became exceedingly mighty]. And the land was filled with them - i:e., Goshen particularly; but the subsequent history shows that they were dispersed in great numbers throughout the Delta, or Lower Egypt. They were living in a land where, according to the testimony of ancient authors, mothers produced three and sometimes four at a birth (Aristotle, 'Hist. Animal.,' 7:, 4,5; 'Columella de re rust,' 3:, 8; Pliny, 7:, 3) and a modern writer declares that 'the females in Egypt, as well among the human race as among animals, surpass all others in fruitfulness. To this natural circumstance must be added the fulfillment of the premise made to the patriarchs (Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 28:14; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 46:3).
There was no miracle-no direct interference with the ordinary laws that regulate the production of the human race. The mean rate of increase was precisely the same as that which is occurring in thousands of instances within our own experience. But, contrary to the usual course of things, the same high average of growth in population continued to be the normal standard in Israel for a series of many generations, fostered by the combined influences of a salubrious climate, a fertile soil, and a friendly government. Thus, the promise was fulfilled, without miraculous interposition, by maintaining the established laws of Providence, with a special blessing to the posterity of the patriarchs (see further the note at Exodus 12:1-51; cf. Birks, 'The Exodus of Israel'). The period embraced by this verse was 'the first century of the occupation of Goshen by the Israelites, which would coincide with the last of the Hyk-Shos dynasty: the period of that frontier war which was carried on against them by the allied forces of Thebes and Ethtiopia, and which resulted in their expulsion' (Drew's 'Scripture Lands,' p. 43).