Exodus 1:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

NIV: The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."

NASB: The midwives said to Pharaoh, 'Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.'

CSB: The midwives said to Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them."

NLT: The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,' the midwives replied. 'They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.'

KJV: And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

NKJV: And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

Pharaoh has ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill male babies (Exodus 1:15–16) to curb the growth of the nation of Israel (Exodus 1:10–14). Seeing that the population is not shrinking, he confronts the women to whom he'd given his initial order. The midwives responded with a lie. While possibly true on rare occasions, their answer is clearly a ploy to protect innocent lives (Exodus 1:18). The implication is that Jewish women are giving birth without a midwife and hiding newborn boys to protect their lives. Pharaoh will address this excuse by expanding his command to all of Egypt, that they throw every Hebrew son into the Nile River (Exodus 1:22). In this way, the king will take away the midwives' ability to oppose his plans.

Interestingly, this command must have been limited according to some kind of time frame. Pharaoh didn't order that all male Israeli newborns be killed, from that day on, forever. For example, Moses was hidden as a newborn to protect his life. However, no mention is made regarding a similar situation for his older brother Aaron. Aaron was likely born early enough to avoid being thrown into the Nile, though Moses was under threat of dying in this way. God's sovereign plan allowed their births to occur at exactly the right times to allow His plan to unfold and bring Israel from slavery to freedom.

Exodus 1:15–22 describes the most drastic attempt to curb Israeli population growth. After enslavement and brutality, the Hebrews are still growing. Out of fear, the Egyptians seek other ways of reducing Israeli power. Here, Pharaoh will enact a program of infanticide: ordering Hebrew midwives to murder male Jewish babies. When they resist, Egypt's king extends this command to the Egyptian people in general. This backdrop of murder sets the scene for the rise of Moses, the eventual leader of the nation of Israel.

The children of Abraham and Jacob grow rapidly, forming a prosperous nation made up of twelve tribes, one for each son of Jacob. This inspires fear and hate from the Egyptians. Their king first tries to slow down the Hebrews' growth by enslaving them. Next, he increases the brutality of their work. Then, he tries to command Jewish midwives to kill their own people's newborn baby boys. When these all fail, he openly orders the murder of all Jewish infant boys. Inadvertently, this creates the very situation which leads to the rise of Israel's eventual leader, Moses.

Exodus chapter 1 establishes the difficult reality faced by the nation of Israel. At the end of Genesis, Abraham's descendants were finally safe. In this passage, they become prosperous and expand rapidly. This, however, results in fear and hatred from the native Egyptians, who enact a program of slavery and infanticide against the Hebrews. This sets the scene for the arrival of Israel's greatest leader, the prophet Moses, who will speak for God during this time of Israel's rescue. The next chapter explains Moses' dangerous childhood and exile in the desert.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.