Shemot - שְׁמוֹת - Exodus 1:1 - 6:1 Making Torah Personal ~ Ometz Lev

(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.

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Yet^*Yet: Despite the disappearance of the politically influential generation of Yosef, the Israelites’ success continues (Cassuto). the Children of Israel bore fruit, they swarmed,^*swarmed: This verb is usually applied to animals (see Gen. 1:20) (Greenberg 1969). Here the term is positive, as part of God’s plan; shortly, it will carry a negative connotation for Pharaoh. they became many, they grew mighty [in^*grew mighty (in number): This reflects the promise of God to Avraham in Gen. 18:18 (to become “a mighty nation”) (Keil and Delitzsch). number]—exceedingly, yes, exceedingly; the land filled up with them.

(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.”

(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 [God] established households for the midwives, because they feared God. (22) Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (end of chapter)

(1) A certain member of the house of Levi went and took [into his household as his wife] a woman of Levi. (2) The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. (3) When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. (4) And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him.

(5) The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She spied the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to fetch it. (6) When she opened it, she saw that it was a child, a boy crying. She took pity on it and said, “This must be a Hebrew child.”

(11) Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. (12) He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (13) When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?” (14) He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known!

Everett Fox translation:

He turned this-way and that-way, and saw that there was no man [there],^*no man (there): Although some have interpreted this as “no man around to help,” the expression taken in context would seem to indicate that Moshe was afraid of being seen. This incident reveals Moshe’s concern and early leanings toward being a liberator, but also demonstrates his youthful lack of forethought. In fact, it will take God, not Moshe’s own actions, to set the liberation process in motion.
so he struck down^*struck down: This is the same verb (Heb. hakkeh) that the narrator used in v.11 to describe the fatal beating received by the Israelite slave. the Egyptian
and buried him in the sand.

Hope to Hashem, be strong, and let your heart take courage, and [(if your prayer is not answered, then give hope to Hashem.

It was the result of God's wisdom that the Israelites were led about in the wilderness until they acquired courage.

“Be strong and resolute, for you shall apportion to this people the land that I swore to their fathers to assign to them.

“I charge you: Be strong and resolute; do not be terrified or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”