Exodus 1:15-16
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The text highlights Shiphrah and Puah by name, but it's easy to miss that they likely weren't Hebrew themselves. Pharaoh specifically chose them, probably because as Egyptians, he thought he could manipulate them to carry out his wicked decree against the Israelites.
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pharaoh, frustrated by the Israelites' rapid population growth, shifts from open oppression to a more insidious plan. He directly commands the chief Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every newborn Israelite boy, showing a chilling descent into secret plots and barbarity. This dangerous command sets the stage for the midwives' courageous defiance and ultimately leads to the birth of Moses.
Pharaoh's plan was insidious, targeting the very future of Israel. But who did he turn to? Not soldiers, but the women closest to the act of birth.
Pharaoh's strategy shifts from open oppression to subtle, deadly control. He summons the chief midwives, Shiphrah and Puah. While the text doesn't explicitly state their ethnicity, the commentary offers a fascinating debate: Were they Hebrew, or Egyptian women entrusted with this horrific task?
Regardless of their exact background, these two women emerge as pivotal figures, tasked with a command that would shatter the hope of a nation.
When direct force fails, tyranny often resorts to clever, hidden plots. Pharaoh’s next move is a chilling example of this.
Pharaoh, frustrated that his initial oppression wasn't stopping the Israelites' growth, escalates his tactics. He moves from indirect methods to a direct, yet disguised, order to kill the newborn boys.
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Understand the original words
Ibriy · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
An ethnic group distinct from the Egyptians, identified as the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, to whom God’s covenant promises were given.
meyaledet · Hebrew Noun
Women who assist in the delivery of infants; in this context, they are noted for their defiance of Pharaoh's decree, demonstrating fear of God over fear of man.
mĕyalledet · Hebrew Noun
A woman who assists in the delivery of babies. In this context, it refers to those acting as specialized health providers for the Israelites in Egypt.
ʾŏbĕnayim · Hebrew Noun
The technical apparatus used during childbirth in the ancient Near East, often consisting of two stones or a low seat upon which the mother would sit or crouch while giving birth.
ʿibrî · Hebrew Adjective
The proper noun for the chosen people, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The term often distinguishes them from other nations and emphasizes their covenantal identity with Yahweh.
This verse is set in a time of intense oppression where Pharaoh's fear of the growing Israelite population leads him to enact a cruel and systematic plan to exterminate them, starting with the male newborns.
c. 1500s BC
Hebrews Multiply in Egypt
The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who initially came to Egypt as a family, have grown into a large population, becoming a significant demographic within Egypt.
c. 1400s BC
New Pharaoh Rises to Power
A new dynasty or ruler comes to power in Egypt, one who does not remember Joseph and sees the growing Hebrew population as a potential threat to the nation's stability.
c. 1400s BC
Hebrews Enslaved
Pharaoh institutes harsh labor policies, forcing the Israelites into servitude and building projects like the store cities of Pithom and Raamses to control their burgeoning numbers.
c. 1400s BC
First Attempt to Control Hebrew Births
Pharaoh's initial strategy to reduce the Hebrew population involves enslaving them, but this only leads to further multiplication, frustrating his efforts.
c. 1400s BC— this verse
Order to Kill Hebrew Males
Pharaoh escalates his oppressive tactics, commanding the Hebrew midwives, possibly Egyptians, to kill all newborn Hebrew boys, but spare the girls.
This passage highlights the faith of Moses' parents in hiding him, paralleling the courage and faith of the midwives who defied Pharaoh's wicked decree.
Daniel 3:16-18Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's refusal to bow to the king's idol mirrors the midwives' defiance of Pharaoh, both demonstrating a profound 'fear of God' over the fear of human authority.
1 Samuel 2:2Hannah's prayer, 'There is none holy like the LORD,' reflects the midwives' understanding that God's holiness and will supersede any earthly king's command.
Matthew 2:13-15Joseph fleeing to Egypt with the infant Jesus echoes the theme of protecting the chosen child from a murderous ruler, just as the midwives protected the Israelite male infants.
Acts 5:29Peter's declaration, 'We must obey God rather than men,' is the very principle the midwives lived out when they chose to obey God's commands over Pharaoh's wicked decree.
bensonExodus 1:15: "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:"
Exodus 1:15 . The king spake to the Hebrew midwives — The two chief of them. They are called Hebrew midwives, probably not because they were themselves Hebrews; for sure Pharaoh could never expect they should be so barbarous to those of their own nation; but because they were generally made use of among the Hebrews, and being Egyptians, he hoped to prevai…
calvinExodus 1:15-22: "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:"
- And the king of Egypt spake. The tyrant now descends from the open violence and cruelty which had availed nothing, to secret plots and deceit. He desires the infants to be killed at their birth; and commands the midwives to be the instruments of this dreadful barbarity. We read of no such detestable example of inhumanity since the world began. I ad…
The text highlights Shiphrah and Puah by name, but it's easy to miss that they likely weren't Hebrew themselves. Pharaoh specifically chose them, probably because as Egyptians, he thought he could manipulate them to carry out his wicked decree against the Israelites.
Pharaoh, frustrated by the Israelites' rapid population growth, shifts from open oppression to a more insidious plan. He directly commands the chief Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every newborn Israelite boy, showing a chilling descent into secret plots and barbarity. This dangerous command sets the stage for the midwives' courageous defiance and ultimately leads to the birth of Moses.
Pharaoh, frustrated by the Israelites' rapid population growth, shifts from open oppression to a more insidious plan. He directly commands the chief Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every newborn Israelite boy, showing a chilling descent into secret plots and barbarity. This dangerous command sets the stage for the midwives' courageous defiance and ultimately leads to the birth of Moses.
"Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daught…" — The text highlights Shiphrah and Puah by name, but it's easy to miss that they likely weren't Hebrew themselves. Pharaoh specifically chose them, probably because as Egyptians, he thought he could ma…
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Last reviewed October 2026
