complete verse (Exodus 1:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 1:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “But their children reproduced so much until they became many and strong in that land.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “However, the offspring of Israel increased in number abundantly. Because of that, they filled the whole country of Egypt.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “but their descendants multiplied/became-many quickly. [Due] to their great numbers they spread-out to every part of Egipto.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “the Israel people bore many children and so they became a very strong tribe and so they filled up that area.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And people of Israel multiplied be many. When number their increased exceedingly, they filled land of Egypt all.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “But Jacob’s descendants kept giving birth to many children. The number of his descendants kept becoming larger and larger. As a result, there were so many of them that they were everywhere in Egypt (OR, that they became a threat to the Egyptians).” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 1:7

The Hebrew literally says “the sons of Israel” as in verse 1, where the twelve sons of Jacob are meant. Here, however, the reference is to the descendants of those sons, who later became known as the “Israelites.” Descendants is not an easy concept to express in some languages. Other ways of rendering But the descendants of Israel are “But their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, called the people of Israel…” or “But the people who followed after them [or, came down from them], the Israelites….”

Three expressions in this verse say exactly the same thing: they were fruitful, they increased greatly, and they multiplied. This means simply that they “had many children and became … numerous.” But they also grew exceedingly strong. The word for strong means strong in number. It refers to the corporate strength of a large group of people rather than to the physical strength of an individual. The Israelites were not in a position to form a political organization that would threaten the Egyptians, but their large population was becoming a threat to the king (see verse 9). An alternative translation for grew exceedingly strong is “they grew so large in numbers that they became a threat [or, dangerous] to the Egyptians.”

So that the land was filled with them is an exaggeration. It describes the result of the increasing population of the Israelites as well the impact of their corporate strength upon the people of Egypt. The land refers to the territory of Egypt, and filled with them means that they seemed to be everywhere in the land of Egypt. Thus New English Bible says that “the country was overrun by them.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• But the people who followed after them, who were called the Israelites, had many children. There were so many of them and they grew so large in number that they became a threat [or, dangerous] to the Egyptians. They were everywhere in the land of Egypt.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .