The only mention of God in the first chapter is when the Holy Spirit reveals to us that the midwives feared God and that God supported them (Exodus 1:17–21). In this way God reveals to us that he is supporting the growth of the people of God through the birth of children, and that this is the main point of chapter 1. This theme is highlighted by its repetition in Exodus 1:7, Exodus 1:9, Exodus 1:12, and Exodus 1:20, in the many different words that are used to describe the growth (“fruitful,” “increased” (Hebrew: “swarmed”), “multiplied,” “grew strong,” “filled the land,” “spread abroad”), and the emphatic adjectives that are used to describe this growth (Exodus 1:7, “increased greatly”, “exceedingly strong,” Exodus 1:20, “very strong”). It is clear that the powerful work of God could be seen in the growth of God’s people through the children he gave to them in the most harsh and unlikely conditions.