And there they became a ‘great’ nation - This teaches us that Israel became distinctive there: Like its English counterpart, the word “Gadol” ‘great,’ has two meanings; it can mean “large” in a physical sense or it can also mean “great” in a qualitative and spiritual sense. In this verse it is not clear in which sense “Gadol’ is being used. Did Israel become physically great by increasing in number or did they become a great nation by vitrue of the character and integrity? The Maggid understands ‘great’ in the second sense of the word but it is not clear how he arrives at this conclusion. Rabbi Epstein explains that the Maggid arrives at this interpretation based on the use of the word “Am” instead of the word “Goy” for nation. Although these two words mean nation they have different connotations. The word “Am” implies a large nation and is often used in a disparaging way in the Bible. (See Rashi, Numbers 11:1.) When Israel is referred to as a “Goy,” it is usually used in a more complimentary way, such as Samuel 11, 7:23, “Israel is a unique nation on earth,” and Genesis 25:23, “There are two nations in your womb,” implying that the two sons to which Rebecca would give birth would each be the father of a great nation. The fact that the verse calls Israel a “Goy Gadol” implies that they are a great nation and not just a large nation....

Great, mighty (Deuteronomy 26:5) as it is said, “And the children of Israel multiplied, were prolific, and increased.” (Exodus 1:7): If the word “Gadol” refers to quality, the other words in this part of the verse refer to the quantitative increase of the nation. Each term in Exodus 1:7 refers to a different aspect of Israel’s physical increase: “They increased” implies that there were no barren women among the people*. “They were prolific”* is a reference to the Midrash which claims that the Israelite women each gave birth to sextuplets. “They increased” suggests that they not only gave birth to many children but they were also raised them in a healthy and well adjusted way. “They grew mighty” means that they were not only many but the women also gave birth to strong and healthy children.