שמות א:א-ז

{א} וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ:{ב} רְאוּבֵ֣ן שִׁמְע֔וֹן לֵוִ֖י וִֽיהוּדָֽה: {ג} יִשָּׂשׂכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבִנְיָמִֽן: {ד} דָּ֥ן וְנַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר: {ה} וַיְהִ֗י כָּל-נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹֽצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ-יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף הָיָ֥ה בְמִצְרָֽיִם:{ו} וַיָּ֤מָת יוֹסֵף֙ וְכָל-אֶחָ֔יו וְכֹ֖ל הַדּ֥וֹר הַהֽוּא: {ז} וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל פָּר֧וּ וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֹתָֽם: (פ)

Exodus 1:1-7

(1) These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: (2) Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; (3) Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; (4) Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (5) The total number of persons that were of Jacob’s issue came to seventy, Joseph being already in Egypt. (6) Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. (7) But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them. (8) A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. (9) And he said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. (10) Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.” (11) So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. (12) But the more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the Israelites. (13) The Egyptians ruthlessly imposed upon the Israelites (14) the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field. (15) The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, (16) saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” (17) The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. (18) So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, letting the boys live?” (19) The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.” (20) And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. (21) And because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. (22) Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

בראשית מ״ו:ח׳-כ״ז

וְאֵ֨לֶּה שְׁמ֧וֹת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הַבָּאִ֥ים מִצְרַ֖יְמָה יַעֲקֹ֣ב וּבָנָ֑יו ... כָּל־הַנֶּ֧פֶשׁ לְבֵֽית־יַעֲקֹ֛ב הַבָּ֥אָה מִצְרַ֖יְמָה שִׁבְעִֽים׃

Genesis 46:8-27

(8) These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his descendants, who came to Egypt. Jacob’s first-born Reuben; (9) Reuben’s sons: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. (10) Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanite woman. (11) Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (12) Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah—but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan; and Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul. (13) Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. (14) Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. (15) Those were the sons whom Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. Persons in all, male and female: 33. (16) Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. (17) Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons: Heber and Malchiel. (18) These were the descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. These she bore to Jacob—16 persons. (19) The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. (20) To Joseph were born in the land of Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore to him. (21) Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. (22) These were the descendants of Rachel who were born to Jacob—14 persons in all. (23) Dan’s son: Hushim. (24) Naphtali’s sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. (25) These were the descendants of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. These she bore to Jacob—7 persons in all. (26) All the persons belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his own issue, aside from the wives of Jacob’s sons—all these persons numbered 66. (27) And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt were two in number. Thus the total of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt was seventy persons.

רש"י על שמות א׳:א׳:א׳

ואלה שמות בני ישראל. אע"פ שמנאן בחייהם בשמותם, חזר ומנאם במיתתם, להודיע חבתם, שנמשלו לכוכבים, שמוציאם ומכניסם במספר ובשמותם (שמות רבה), שנ' "המוציא במספר צבאם לכלם בשם יקרא" (ישעיהו מ'):

Rashi on Exodus 1:1:1

(1) ואלה שמות בני ישראל NOW THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL — Although scripture has already enumerated them by name whilst they were living, when they went down into Egypt (Genesis 46:8-27), it again enumerates them when it tells us of their death, thus showing how dear they were to God — that they are compared to the stars which also God brings out and brings in by number and name when they cease to shine, as it is said, (Isaiah 40:26) “He bringeth out their host by number, He calleth them all by name” (Exodus Rabbah 1:3; Tanchuma Yashan 1:1:2).

רש"י על שמות א׳:ה׳:א׳

ויוסף היה במצרים. והלא הוא ובניו היו בכלל שבעים, ומה בא ללמדנו? וכי לא היינו יודעים שהוא היה במצרים? אלא להודיעך צדקתו של יוסף, הוא יוסף הרועה את צאן אביו, הוא יוסף שהיה במצרים, ונעשה מלך, ועומד בצדקו (שמות רבה):

Rashi on Exodus 1:5:1

(1) ויוסף היה במצרים lit., AND JOSEPH WAS IN EGYPT — But were not he and his sons included in the seventy? What, then, is this statement intended to tell us? Do we not know that he was in Egypt? But its purpose is to inform you of Joseph’s righteousness: this is the same Joseph who tended his father’s sheep; this is the same Joseph who was in Egypt and became king there, and yet he remained steadfast in his righteousness, and the change from a humble position to exalted rank in Egypt caused no deterioration in his character (cf. Sifrei האזינו; Exodus Rabbah 1:7).

רש"י על שמות א׳:ז׳:א׳-ב׳

פרו. שלא הפילו נשותיהם ולא מתו כשהם קטנים:

וישרצו. שהיו יולדות ששה בכרס אחד (שם):

Rashi on Exodus 1:7:1-2

(1) That there women did not miscarry and did not die when they were young. (2) וישרצו AND THEY INCREASED ABUNDANTLY (more lit., they swarmed, a word used of the prolificness of reptiles) — they bore six children at one birth (the six words from פרו to מאד suggest or imply the number six) (Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot 5).

קיצור בעל הטורים על שמות א׳:ז׳:א׳

(ז) פרו וישרצו וירבו ויעצמו במאד מאד ששה לשונות הן כנגד ששה שהיו יולדות בכרס אחד:

Kitzur Ba'al HaTurim on Exodus 1:7:1

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מלבי"ם על שמות א׳:ז׳:א׳

ובני, ואם הענין השני מה שהיו מועטים רק שבעים נפש והיו חשובים כדבר יקר המציאות, הנה פרו, ר"ל שהולידו בנים, וישרצו שזה מורה ההפראה היתרה שלא כדרך טבע בני אדם רק כטבע השרצים שיולדות הרבה ולדות בפעם א', ובדרך הטבע שהאשה שיולדת תאומים וכ"ש יותר מזה לא יתקיימו, והם רבו, והגם שראוי שיהיו חלושים ורפויי כח, הם עצמו בכח וגבורה במאד מאד עד שצר להם ארץ גשן ותמלא הארץ אותם, ובזה התבטל החשיבות שהיה להם מצד מעוט מציאותם:

Malbim on Exodus 1:7:1

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ויקרא רבה ל״ב:ה׳

רַב הוּנָא אָמַר בְּשֵׁם בַּר קַפָּרָא בִּשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים נִגְאֲלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁלֹּא שִׁנּוּ אֶת שְׁמָם וְאֶת לְשׁוֹנָם וְלֹא אָמְרוּ לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, וְלֹא נִמְצָא בֵּינֵיהֶם אֶחָד מֵהֶן פָּרוּץ בְּעֶרְוָה. לֹא שִׁנּוּ אֶת שְׁמָן רְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן נָחֲתִין, רְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן סָלְקִין, לֹא הָיוּ קוֹרִין לִיהוּדָה רוּפָּא וְלֹא לִרְאוּבֵן לוּלְיָאנִי וְלֹא לְיוֹסֵף לֵיסְטֵיס וְלֹא לְבִנְיָמִין אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי.

Vayikra Rabbah 32:5

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