And he said to his people: Behold the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we.
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֶל־עַמּ֑וֹ הִנֵּ֗ה עַ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֥ב וְעָצ֖וּם מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Reflecting on the actions of the Pharaoh in Egypt following the deaths of Jacob and Joseph reveals his relentless attempts to diminish their descendants and halt their growth. Despite his endeavors, he could not succeed; instead, Jacob's lineage continued to flourish and expand. This underscores the wondrous provision of God and affirms that His divine will is unstoppable, regardless of the multitude of barriers anyone may create.
Pharaoh, observing the growth of the Hebrew people and their significant role in sustaining all of Egypt, became envious of their increasing numbers.
The declaration from the Egyptian ruler that the Israelites were becoming more numerous and stronger than the Egyptians signifies that the growth of the Israelite population was significantly quicker compared to that of the Egyptians. This advantage the Israelites held over the Egyptians, regardless of any natural or societal conditions that favored the latter, primarily stemmed from the divine providence of God, which allowed the Israelites to endure far less suffering from the prevalent diseases, famines, wars, and other calamities that afflicted the region around the Nile. Pharaoh exclaimed, “Come, let us outwit them, lest they multiply,” indicating a desire to devise clever strategies to hinder the further growth of the Israelites.
The methods employed by Pharaoh, which we will examine, were brutal and severe, qualifying as strategies only in that they aimed to deprive the numerous and strong Hebrews of their capacity to resist their oppressors. For Pharaoh, it was essential for state reasons to curb the increase of the Hebrew population, as he worried that their increasing numbers might be used against the Egyptians.
Pharaoh perceived a twofold threat the Hebrews posed to his people. First, in the event of conflict, the Hebrews could ally with the enemies of Egypt, particularly with the tumultuous Arab tribes to the east, leading to their alliance resulting in defeat for the Egyptians. Instead of acting as a defensive barrier for Egypt against these eastern aggressors, the Hebrews might find it beneficial to allow them to invade and assist their endeavors against Egypt. Secondly, Pharaoh feared that in the event of Egyptian defeat, the Hebrews would seize the chance to abandon Egypt, where they lived as foreigners and sojourners, seeking to return to the land of Canaan promised to them by God through the covenants made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph had reminded his brothers of this promise while on his deathbed, instructing them to carry his bones to the promised land. Pharaoh was likely aware of the aspirations of the Hebrews towards their inheritance; he did not fear them becoming rulers of Egypt but rather feared their potential exodus from the land in the wake of Egyptian defeat.
Pharaoh should have recognized that the Hebrews had come to Egypt by happenstance and were merely temporary residents. Nonetheless, he was reluctant to release the Hebrews, fearing the potential loss of laborers and realizing that they, residing on the eastern border of Egypt, provided a defense against external threats. Thus, Pharaoh resolved to implement harsh measures to curb the strength and numbers of the Hebrews while maintaining control over them. His initial actions involved subjecting them to strenuous labor, followed by covert instructions to the midwives to eliminate male newborns, culminating in a public decree to cast all male infants into the river. The current narrative specifically addresses only the first two of these measures.
As Aames took control of Lower Egypt, he found himself among a populace that felt almost foreign to him. Even the indigenous Egyptians, influenced by the reign of the Khetes—which likely persisted for over a hundred years—had begun to forget their ancestral language and religious traditions. This is evidenced by the restoration of temples linked to Aames, the antagonistic stance of the Shepherd dynasty kings towards the priests of Heliopolis observed in various monuments, and their reverence for the serpent deity Sutekh. Worship of serpents is a notable practice among Turanian tribes.
Aames thus speaks to his own people, namely the Egyptians from Upper Egypt who accompanied him, along with the commanders of his forces, making it clear that they are mightier than those in Lower Egypt, which, as noted, was filled with followers of the Khetes.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS