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When Critics Ask (1960)

Exodus 1:15-22

How could an all-loving God command the Hebrews to plunder the Egyptians of their riches?

PROBLEM: Exodus 3:22 states, “So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” The Bible presents God as all-loving. However, it does not seem to be a loving thing for God to command the Hebrews to plunder the Egyptians.

SOLUTION: First, it is a misunderstanding of the text to claim that God commanded the Hebrews to plunder the Egyptians. Actually, God commanded the Hebrews to “ask” the Egyptians for various costly items, and God would give them favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. By asking the Egyptians for these items they would not plunder them. Plundering, or spoiling, in this instance would be the taking of the possessions of another people by means of force. But by their asking, and the willful giving by the Egyptians, the effect would be the same as if they had plundered them.

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See also Exodus 1:15-22 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Exodus 1:15. _HEBREW MIDWIVES_] _Shiphrah_ and _Puah_, who are here mentioned, were probably certain _chiefs_, under whom all the rest acted, and by whom they were instructed in the _obstetric_...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HEBREW MIDWIFES - Or “midwives of the Hebrew women.” This measure at once attested the inefficacy of the former measures, and was the direct cause of the event which issued in the deliverance of Israe...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE EGYPTIANS 1. The House of Bondage CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The names of the children of Israel; their increase (Exodus 1:1)_ 2. The...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    EXODUS 1:15 E ( EXODUS 1:20 B J). ATTEMPT TO DESTROY MALE CHILDREN. From another source we learn of two more ineffectual measures to restrict population. The two midwives, whose names tradition loved...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    AND THE KING OF EGYPT, &C.— Pharaoh finding, by the experience of at least ten years, that neither the hardships he laid upon the Hebrews, nor all the cruelties which his officers and people used towa...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    THE TEXT OF EXODUS TRANSLATION 1 Now these are the names of the sons of Is-ra-el, who came into E-gypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): (2) Reu-ben, Sim-e-on, Le-vi, and Ju-dah, (3) Is-s...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND THE KING OF EGYPT SPAKE TO THE HEBREW MIDWIVES, OF WHICH THE NAME OF THE ONE WAS SHIPHRAH, AND THE NAME OF THE OTHER PUAH:_ The king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives. It appears from the mo...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    OPPRESSION OF THE ISRAELITES 5. Seventy souls] Jacob himself is included in the number: cp. Genesis 46:8. Of the seventy, sixty-eight were males. If to the direct descendants of Jacob we add the wives...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    The names of only two of the mid-wives have been preserved. These two were probably connected with the royal palace....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    EXODUS: ISRAEL BECOMES A NATION THE *ISRAELITES LEAVE EGYPT EXODUS CHAPTER S 1 TO 18 _HILDA BRIGHT AND KITTY PRIDE_ ABOUT THE BOOK OF EXODUS Exodus is one of the first 5 books of the *Old Testa...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THE HEBREW MIDWIVES. — Or _the midwives of the Hebrew women_ (ταῖς μαίαις τῶν Έβραίων, LXX.). The Hebrew construction admits of either rendering. In favour of the midwives being Egyptians is the consi...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יֹּ֨אמֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לַֽ † מְיַלְּדֹ֖ת...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE OPPRESSION. Exodus 1:7. At the beginning of the history of Israel we find a prosperous race. It was indeed their growing importance, and chiefly their vast numerical increase, which excited the j...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    GOD PROTECTS HEBREW BABES FROM PHARAOH'S DECREE Exodus 1:15 Egypt's _second_ stroke of policy was to begin with the children. Pharaoh and Herod set us an example in turning their attention to young...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The first word of Exodus, "Now," might with equal accuracy be rendered "And." Either word serves to suggest continuity. The story of Genesis is taken up in Exodus. It begins by recording the prolific...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one [was] (f) Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: (f) These seem to have been the main of the rest....

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Midwives. Egyptian women, who assisted all of that district. (Josephus, [Antiquities] xi. 5.) There were others under them. Some think all these midwives were of Hebrew extraction, as their names are...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Reader! This subject considered spiritually is very interesting. The enemy would destroy as soon as born everyone of the spiritual seed of Christ, as Herod thought to have done Christ himself. Matthew...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    There is hardly a book of the Old Testament that stands out in more decided contrast with the book of Genesis than the one which follows it most closely. And this is the more striking, because God emp...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    15._And the king of Egypt spake. _The tyrant now descends from the open violence and cruelty which had availed nothing, to secret plots and deceit. He desires the infants to be killed at their birth;...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 1 AND 2. First, we have the historical circumstances which relate to the captivity of Israel-the persecutions which this people had to endure, and the provide...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THE KING OF EGYPT SPAKE TO THE HEBREW MIDWIVES,.... It is difficult to say who these midwives were, whether Egyptian or Hebrew women. Josephus is of opinion that they were Egyptians, and indeed th...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one [was] Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: Ver. 15. _To the Hebrew midwives._] In Egypt and Greece the midwives o...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _The king spake to the Hebrew midwives_ The two chief of them. They are called Hebrew midwives, probably not because they were themselves Hebrews; for sure Pharaoh could never expect they should be so...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The children of Israel after Iosephs death do multiply. 8 The more they are oppressed by a new King, the more they multiply. 15 The godlines of the Midwiues, in sauing the men children aliue. 22...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE COMMAND TO KILL ALL THE MALE CHILDREN...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, their names being recorded to their lasting honor;...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    EXODUS THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES (וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת; _Ἐξοδος: Exodus_) THE PROPHETICO-MESSIANIC THEOCRACY—OR THE GENESIS, REDEMPTION AND SANCTIFICATION OF THE COVENANT PEOPLE FIRST DIVISION: MOSES AN...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    ISRAEL MULTIPLIED (vs.1-7) The first five verses of Exodus indicate its continuity with the book of Genesis, for they confirm what is written in more detail in Genesis 46:8. This small number of 70 p...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    15-22 The Egyptians tried to destroy Israel by the murder of their children. The enmity that is in the seed of the serpent, against the Seed of the woman, makes men forget all pity. It is plain that...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THE HEBREW MIDWIVES; such as not only were employed about the Hebrew women, but were Hebrews themselves, not Egyptians, as some suppose; as may appear, 1. Because they are expressly called, not _the...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    We now approach, by the mercy of God, the study of the Book of Exodus, of which the great prominent theme is redemption. The first five verses recall to the mind the closing scenes of the preceding bo...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Exodus 1:15 king H4428 Egypt H4714 spoke H559 (H8799) Hebrew H5680 midwives H3205 (H8764) name H8034 one...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    PHARAOH SEEKS TO DESTROY ISRAEL THROUGH ITS MIDWIVES (EXODUS 1:15). a The king of Egypt calls on the Hebrew midwives who are told at births to slay sons and let the daughters live (Exodus 1:16). b T...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Israel in Egypt and their bondage. CHARACTERS: Joseph, Pharaoh, Shiprah, Puah. CONCLUSION: God's providences may at times seem to thwart His promises that His peoples' faith may be tried a...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Exodus 1:1. _The children of Israel._ Some think we should read here, the sons of Israel. Paul, Galatians 4:3; Galatians 4:5, makes a distinction between children and sons, in the words νηπιοι and υιο...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _The children of Israel were fruitful _ THE INCREASE OF THE CHURCH I. Notwithstanding the removal of its chief officer (Exodus 1:6). Joseph dead; his influence gone; his counsel inaccessible. To-day...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 1:15 The defiant actions of the HEBREW MIDWIVES show that they FEARED GOD (vv. Exodus 1:17,...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 1:1 Exodus 1:1 of Israel from Egypt. The first half of Exodus 1:1 focuses on the

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— Exodus 1:15. Hebrew midwives] It is curious, though it may not throw light on the precise relation in which these women stood to the Hebrew women, that their names should be of a lik...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION EXODUS 1:15-2 Some time—say five or six years—having elapsed and the Pharaoh's first plan having manifestly failed, it was necessary for him either to give up his purpose, or to devise som...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    And the king spake to the Hebrew midwives — The two chief of them. They are called Hebrew midwives, probably not because they were themselves Hebrews; for sure Pharaoh could never expect they should b...

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