Exodus 1:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Satan, asserting his dominion, appointed vile spirits over those he oppressed, burdening them with various passions that weighed heavily on the minds of all living souls. He did this perhaps out of fear that a focus on God might liberate them from his grasp, as human nature seeks freedom.

In a life of idleness, there is no glory, but those who choose to labor shall achieve honor and renown. Indeed, while the Israelites toiled in Egypt, the malevolent Pharaoh assigned ruthless taskmasters to oversee their labor. Despite this harsh and involuntary servitude, it served as a crucible of suffering that ultimately brought about greater benefits for them. Pharaoh, alarmed by the rapid increase of the Israelites, sought to halt their growth with cruel oppression. However, this very oppression ended up multiplying them even more, as God, in His wisdom, thwarted Pharaoh's wicked designs through His grace.

The results of Pharaoh's oppressive reign included ceaseless suffering from their labor of clay and bricks, constructing cities with imposing walls and embankments, all accomplished without remuneration and through great effort. The rulers of this present age, as noted in Ephesians 6:12, have ensnared beleaguered human souls, depleting their strength through earthly labors and conditional works that yield no true profit, forcing them into a harsh and miserable existence. What gain do carnal endeavors and passions really provide for our souls? The true benefit would simply accrue to the devil and his minions, bringing them riches and glory, similar to how Pharaoh reveled in the cities built by the Israelites, not compensating them for their efforts. Thus, the toil of the Israelites serves as a profound reflection of our own vanity and worldly pursuits, beset by Satan and the evil powers, who the Scriptures refer to as masters, burdening us with their malevolent cares, soaked in sweat and filled with impurity and base pleasures.

If you aim to seize Me, why do you desire to murder those alongside Me? It suffices for you to have the One you pursue. I do not seek a companion in suffering nor do I require assistance for the salvation of all. I do not dispatch a representative, nor do I need a messenger; I alone am the messenger, having willingly presented Myself to those who did not seek Me, surrendering Myself to be taken by those who did not welcome Me, in order to liberate those ensnared in the chains of death. You approach Me like a crumbling wall and a toppled fence (Psalm 61:4), failing to realize that I did not come to prop up the wall or dismantle the fence, but to obliterate them. I arrived in the world to unify the two and to eradicate the barrier that divides body and spirit, which hindered them from experiencing unity. This caused the flesh to contend against the spirit, which could not yield to it due to an obstructive barrier. Thus, the law of the body opposes the law of the spirit. This ancient enmity, likened to a wall, was torn down by the Lord Jesus, allowing the spirit and body to come together, enabling both to pursue the salvation that awaits. The wall represents the weight of sins; hence, Paul stated to the Jewish high priest, ‘God will strike you, whitewashed wall’ (Acts 23:3). A wall is made from earth and debris, much like how the Egyptians constructed cities by forcing the Israelites to make bricks. The soil was shaped in Egypt, and it was God's people who erred, leading to their cries of anguish. God heard their lamentations and rescued them from sin, granting them the law and promising grace, whereby the law temporarily contained sin and grace offered forgiveness for all.

While He was speaking, He suddenly observed a crowd of pursuers and, perceiving the threat, He felt alarmed—not for Himself, but for those He fervently wished to save: ‘As long as you assault mankind, you murderers of all’ (Psalm 61:4). If you seek Me, why do you wish to harm others? I offer Myself for many, for only He who is the Creator of all could offer Himself for all. He emulated Him whom He followed, proclaiming: ‘If you seek Me, release them, allow them to go, so that the words spoken by Jesus might be fulfilled: I have not lost any of them (John 18:8-9), except one (as recorded in another account). This individual perished by his own choice, not by Mine, and faced severe punishment. ‘And when I offered Myself willingly, you assailed Me, like a crumbling wall and a trembling fence (Psalm 61:4). This signifies that I, once the pinnacle of a noble and majestic throne and the steadfast defense of an empire extending across the Roman boundaries, now fall like a leaning wall or a shaken hedge. So be it; they pursued Me even unto death, seeking to end My life, declaring ‘Let us destroy the righteous man, let us eliminate the merciful man, for it is unbearable for us to gaze upon him.’ Even my virtuous reputation and integrity, they sought to tarnish with falsehoods.

Similarly, if the soul is under demonic influence and truly commits sin, it crushes its own intellect, desiring nothing spiritual and focusing solely on earthly matters, leading to earthly actions. The Israelites constructed three formidable cities for Pharaoh from the bricks they produced: Python, Ramessess, and Heliopolis, known as the city of the sun. These symbolize covetousness, an insatiable greed for wealth, from which all wrongdoing originates.

Those who were denied rest under the weight of oppression risked losing their sense of inherent dignity, and by dispersing them throughout different regions of Egypt for labor, Pharaoh aimed to prevent any unified resistance against their oppressors. Moreover, the relentless toil was intended to reduce the Israelite population, putting workers at risk of contracting deadly diseases in the harsh climate.

The Israelites contributed to the construction of cities, often referred to as “treasure cities,” built to store grain supplies for the military, or, in case of a poor harvest, for sale to the citizens. These cities might have also served as military fortifications to defend against enemy incursions, particularly given their strategic locations. Among these fortified cities were: 1) Pithom, near which Pharaoh Necho later excavated a canal from the eastern Nile to the Red Sea; 2) Ramesses, the central city of the Goshen region, where Jacob and his family settled. In Genesis (47:11), this area is referred to as the land of Rameses, a name that reflects the city’s significance from its founding; 3) On, or Imopolis in Greek, known as the city of the sun due to the temple dedicated to the sun that stood there. Joseph’s father-in-law served as a priest at this temple (Genesis 41:45). This city, recognized only in the Greek and Slavic versions of the Bible, was located near the Arabian desert and likely had been fortified by the Israelites, as it had existed prior to Joseph’s time.

The Israelites remained in their homes and tended their fields, yet the formidable pharaoh of ancient Egypt mandated that a contingent of laborers be requisitioned from the agricultural populace, thereby involving the people of Israel in state projects concurrently.

Pythos and Rameses is a notable location where a canal was excavated during the XII Dynasty, linking the Nile to the bay of the Black Sea, and also etching through Lake Taksah towards Epham. This canal served not only for irrigation in a region increasingly succumbing to arid conditions but also functioned as a strategic barrier against the nomadic Shazu, thus separating the desert from the Nile valley. To safeguard his domain from the possible resurgence of the Hyksos, the Pharaoh established two fortifications along this channel, remnants of which can still be found in the territories of Abassia and Abukeishid. The names of these fortresses, Pi-tum and Ra-me-su, carry meanings tied to the sun-god worship.

The term translated in the English Bible as “treasuries” can also imply shops or storehouses for food and military provisions. Heliopolis, the city dedicated to the sun, thrived during the rule of the Pharaohs from the 12th dynasty, where Joseph wed the daughter of the high priest of the sun temple, as noted in Genesis 41:45. Historical records suggest that Osirtasin of Sheperkar was the architect behind this temple, which was revered and maintained by the kings of this dynasty, with the sun priests enjoying a close rapport with the Pharaohs. However, has not the Septuagint’s mention of Ona among the cities constructed during Aameses’ reign conjured the narrative that Ona, or perhaps the sun temple itself, suffered devastation at the hands of the Hyksos? According to the Sallier Papyrus, it references the King Apepi of the Shepherd dynasty, who worshipped Sutekh and shunned the God of the land. Consequently, the Egyptian monarch aimed to either restore the temple’s former glory or transform the city of Heliopolis into a fortress, fortifying the defense line to protect the illustrious sun temple from potential plunder.