The Meaning of Exodus 1:7 Explained

Exodus 1:7

KJV: And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

YLT: and the sons of Israel have been fruitful, and they teem, and multiply, and are very very mighty, and the land is filled with them.

Darby: And the children of Israel were fruitful, and swarmed and multiplied, and became exceeding strong; and the land was full of them.

ASV: And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the children  of Israel  were fruitful,  and increased abundantly,  and multiplied,  and waxed exceeding  mighty;  and the land  was filled  with them. 

What does Exodus 1:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 1:1-14 - The Children Of Israel Afflicted
The buried seed began to bear an abundant harvest, notwithstanding the efforts of Pharaoh and his people. The kings of the earth take counsel together to thwart the divine purpose. They might as well seek to arrest the incoming tide. The days of persecution and opposition have always been the growing days of the Church.
The new king probably belonged to a great dynasty, intent on preventing the recurrence of shepherd domination. The first move of the new policy was to embitter Israel's existence by cruel bondage. The pictured walls of the Pyramids bear witness to sufferings inflicted on slaves of a Hebrew cast of face by taskmasters armed with whips. Pharaoh and his counselors had to learn that they were not only dealing with a subject nation, but with the Eternal God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 1

1  The children of Israel, after Joseph's death, increase
8  The more they are oppressed by a new king, the more they multiply
15  The godliness of the midwives in saving the male children alive
22  Pharaoh commands the male children to be cast into the river

What do the individual words in Exodus 1:7 mean?

But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly and multiplied and grew exceedingly greatly and was filled the land with them -
וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל פָּר֧וּ וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֹתָֽם פ

וּבְנֵ֣י  But  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
פָּר֧וּ  were  fruitful 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: פָּרָה 
Sense: to bear fruit, be fruitful, branch off.
וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ  and  increased  abundantly 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁרַץ  
Sense: (Qal) to teem, swarm, multiply.
וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ  and  multiplied 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ  and  grew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: עָצַם 
Sense: to be vast, be numerous, be mighty.
בִּמְאֹ֣ד  exceedingly 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
מְאֹ֑ד  greatly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א  and  was  filled 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
הָאָ֖רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
אֹתָֽם  with  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation