The Meaning of Exodus 1:10 Explained

Exodus 1:10

KJV: 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.

YLT: give help! let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it hath come to pass, when war happeneth, that it hath been joined, even it, unto those hating us, and hath fought against us, and hath gone out up of the land.'

Darby: Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that, if war occur, they take side with our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land.

ASV: come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Exodus 1:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 1:1-14 - The Children Of Israel Afflicted
The buried seed began to bear an abundant harvest, notwithstanding the efforts of Pharaoh and his people. The kings of the earth take counsel together to thwart the divine purpose. They might as well seek to arrest the incoming tide. The days of persecution and opposition have always been the growing days of the Church.
The new king probably belonged to a great dynasty, intent on preventing the recurrence of shepherd domination. The first move of the new policy was to embitter Israel's existence by cruel bondage. The pictured walls of the Pyramids bear witness to sufferings inflicted on slaves of a Hebrew cast of face by taskmasters armed with whips. Pharaoh and his counselors had to learn that they were not only dealing with a subject nation, but with the Eternal God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 1

1  The children of Israel, after Joseph's death, increase
8  The more they are oppressed by a new king, the more they multiply
15  The godliness of the midwives in saving the male children alive
22  Pharaoh commands the male children to be cast into the river

What do the individual words in Exodus 1:10 mean?

Come let us deal shrewdly with him lest he multiply and it happen when there falls out war that may join also he to our enemies and fight against us and [so] go up out of the land
הָ֥בָה נִֽתְחַכְּמָ֖ה ל֑וֹ פֶּן־ יִרְבֶּ֗ה וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־ תִקְרֶ֤אנָה מִלְחָמָה֙ וְנוֹסַ֤ף גַּם־ הוּא֙ עַל־ שֹׂ֣נְאֵ֔ינוּ וְנִלְחַם־ בָּ֖נוּ וְעָלָ֥ה מִן־ הָאָֽרֶץ

הָ֥בָה  Come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: הַב 
Sense: to give, provide, ascribe, come.
נִֽתְחַכְּמָ֖ה  let  us  deal  shrewdly 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: חָכַם  
Sense: to be wise.
ל֑וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
פֶּן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
יִרְבֶּ֗ה  he  multiply 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
וְהָיָ֞ה  and  it  happen 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
תִקְרֶ֤אנָה  there  falls  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
מִלְחָמָה֙  war 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וְנוֹסַ֤ף  that  may  join 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָסַף 
Sense: to add, increase, do again.
גַּם־  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
שֹׂ֣נְאֵ֔ינוּ  our  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: שָׂנֵא  
Sense: to hate, be hateful.
וְנִלְחַם־  and  fight 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
בָּ֖נוּ  against  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
וְעָלָ֥ה  and  [so]  go  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מִן־  out 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הָאָֽרֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.