Library Theodoret Questions on Exodus
Questions on Exodus 1: “They became common”
How should one understand “they became common”?
He did not set it down abusively, as some have taken it, but indicated their multitude. For he says they increased so much that they were poured out over all that land. Those around Aquila also rendered it this way. What follows makes the same point clear: “for the land multiplied them,” he says. And a little later: “But the more they humbled them, the more they became and grew exceedingly strong.”
Greek: Theodoret of Cyrus, Quaestiones in Octateuchum / Questions on Exodus (CPG 6200.02; cf. Fernández Marcos and Sáenz-Badillos; also PG 80, cols. 225–298). English: study translation for BWAB Library—not the copyrighted Robert C. Hill (CUA Press) translation. The full Questions on Exodus (72 questions) is hosted here.