Exodus 1:16

If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live: This command called for killing only the male children. It would not remove the Hebrews as a source of forced labor.

When the girls grew up, they could marry male slaves from other ethnic groups. In this way, the Hebrews would lose their unity as a people. At the same time, Egypt would still keep a large supply of slaves.

The need for rescue was clearly related to the Israelites' condition. The Egyptians forced the people of Israel to work without mercy (1:13). It was also related to promises God had made to the patriarchs years earlier.

The Lord had promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation, living freely in the land of Canaan. At this time, Abraham's descendants were slaves in Egypt under a pharaoh who wanted to destroy them as a people. God would have to rescue them to fulfill his promises.