Exodus 1:13

Or, cruelty, or, tyranny; with hard words and cruel usage, without mercy or mitigation. This God permitted for wise and just reasons.

1. As a punishment of their idolatry, into which divers of them fell there. Joshua 24:14 Ezekiel 20:5,7,8 23:8

2. To wean them from the land of Egypt, which otherwise was a plentiful and desirable land, and to quicken their desires after Canaan.

3. To prepare the way for God's glorious works, and Israel's deliverance.