Exodus 1 KJV
Israel's Oppression in Egypt
Exodus Chapter 1: Israel's Oppression in Egypt
The naming of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah while leaving the Pharaoh anonymous elevates the moral agency of these Hebrew women over the unnamed tyrant, inverting typical ancient Near Eastern royal propaganda that centers the king.
1ow these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
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:
16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
19 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.
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
โ โ arrow keys to navigate chapters ยท spacebar to play/pause audio
Did You Know?
The naming of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah while leaving the Pharaoh anonymous elevates the moral agency of these Hebrew women over the unnamed tyrant, inverting typical ancient Near Eastern royal propaganda that centers the king.
The midwives' refusal to obey Pharaoh's command establishes an early biblical model of conscientious resistance to unjust authority, grounded in the fear of God rather than political loyalty, anticipating later examples like Daniel's companions.
The narrative's use of the same Hebrew root for 'increased' that appears in the creation account and Abrahamic promises signals that Israel's growth is a continuation of divine creational and covenantal blessing amid Egyptian hostility.
Pharaoh's strategic targeting of male infants specifically, rather than a general infanticide, reflects an ancient awareness that population control through gender-selective killing could curb future military threats while preserving a labor force of females.
The report that the midwives 'dealt well' with the Hebrew women uses language that echoes God's own covenantal faithfulness, implying their protective actions participate in the divine plan to preserve the promised seed.