“Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 1:10 Mean?
"Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land." Pharaoh proposes a STRATEGY against the Israelites: deal 'wisely' — which means oppressively. The 'wisdom' is POLITICAL CALCULATION: the Israelites are multiplying too fast. If war comes, they might join the enemy. They might FIGHT against Egypt. They might LEAVE. The fear is THREEFOLD: multiplication (demographic threat), alliance with enemies (military threat), and departure (economic threat — losing the slave-labor force).
The phrase "let us deal wisely with them" (havah nitchakemah lo — come, let us act shrewdly/wisely toward them) uses WISDOM language for OPPRESSION: the 'wisdom' Pharaoh proposes is the calculated, strategic, systematic oppression of an entire people. The word 'wisely' (nitchakemah — from chakham, wisdom) CORRUPTS the concept: this isn't wisdom for BUILDING. It's wisdom for DESTROYING. The shrewdness serves the persecution. The intelligence enables the cruelty. The 'wise' dealing is the methodical enslavement.
The THREE FEARS — multiply, join enemies, leave — reveal what Pharaoh actually DREADS: not that the Israelites will HARM Egypt but that they'll become INDEPENDENT of it. The multiplication threatens demographic BALANCE. The enemy-joining threatens military SECURITY. The leaving threatens economic LABOR. Pharaoh's fear is fundamentally about CONTROL — the loss of power over a people who might become too numerous to manage.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'wise' strategy of control is actually fighting against God's plan?
- 2.What does wisdom being used for OPPRESSION teach about the corruption of good capacities?
- 3.How does Pharaoh's fear being about CONTROL (not about harm) describe the psychology of oppression?
- 4.What departure is being prevented that God has already decided will happen?
Devotional
Come, let us deal 'wisely' — the wisdom that plans oppression. The 'wisdom' is political calculation: they're multiplying too fast, they might join our enemies, they might LEAVE. The three fears driving the persecution: too many, too dangerous, too free. Pharaoh's 'wisdom' is the strategic, calculated, methodical enslavement of a people he can't afford to lose.
The 'deal wisely' CORRUPTS the concept of wisdom: the word is chakham — the same word used for Solomon's wisdom, for divine wisdom, for the skill of the craftsmen. But HERE the wisdom serves OPPRESSION. The intelligence is aimed at SUBJUGATION. The shrewdness enables CRUELTY. The corruption of wisdom is the corruption of everything: when wisdom serves evil, the result is MORE EFFICIENT evil. The wise oppressor is more dangerous than the foolish one.
The THREE FEARS reveal the REAL concern: Pharaoh doesn't fear the Israelites' HOSTILITY. He fears their INDEPENDENCE. The multiplication means he can't CONTROL them by numbers. The enemy-joining means he can't TRUST them in crisis. The leaving means he can't USE them as slaves. Every fear is about CONTROL — maintaining power over a people who are growing beyond his capacity to manage.
The 'lest they get them up out of the land' is the DEEPEST fear: the Israelites might LEAVE. The exodus that Pharaoh fears is the exodus God plans. The departure that Pharaoh tries to prevent is the departure God will accomplish. The 'wisdom' that tries to stop the leaving is working AGAINST the God who has already decided the leaving will happen.
What 'wise' strategy of control in your world is actually fighting against what God has already planned?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Come on,.... Which is a word of exhortation, stirring up to a quick dispatch of business, without delay, the case…
Any war - The Northeastern frontier was infested by the neighboring tribes, the Shasous of Egyptian monuments, and war…
They join also unto our enemies - It has been conjectured that Pharaoh had probably his eye on the oppressions which…
The land of Egypt here, at length, becomes to Israel a house of bondage, though hitherto it had been a happy shelter and…
Cross References
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