Exodus 1:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,

NIV: The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

NASB: Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah;

CSB: The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives--the first, whose name was Shiphrah, and the second, whose name was Puah--

NLT: Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:

KJV: 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:

NKJV: Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;

Pharaoh's first attempts to decrease the Hebrew population have failed (Exodus 1:12). This verse introduces a new plan, clearly added in addition to the slave labor mentioned in verses 11 through 14. Pharaoh, called "king of Egypt," spoke to two Hebrew midwives named Shiphrah and Puah. There were certainly more than just two midwives in Israel, based on the population of the Jews. However, these two women may have superintended over the other midwives who served Jewish women in childbirth and were therefore mentioned by name. The two women have Hebrew names and were most likely Jewish women themselves.

Pharaoh's plan, as described in the next verses, is murderous. He wants the Hebrew midwives to kill all of the male Israeli babies as they are born.

Prior to this time, Genesis mentioned midwives on two occasions. In Genesis 35:17, a midwife speaks to Rachel as she gives birth to Benjamin and dies. In Genesis 38:28, the midwife tied a scarlet thread around Perez's hand when he came out to indicate which twin was born first. No other mention of midwives occur beyond Exodus 1, leaving much unknown about their work in Old Testament times. However, these verses reveal the important role of midwives, as well as their faithful response to God when faced with the ungodly demands of an evil political leader.

Exodus 1:15–22 describes the Egyptian king's third, most drastic attempt to curb Israeli population growth. After enslavement and brutality, the Hebrews are still growing. Out of political fears and racial disgust, 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.