WOMEN WHO FEARED GOD
Key verse: 17
NIV
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,(A) whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”(B) 17 The midwives, however, feared(C) God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;(D) they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”(E)
20 So God was kind to the midwives(F) and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared(G) God, he gave them families(H) of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile,(I) but let every girl live.”(J)
Cross references
- Exodus 1:15 : S Ge 35:17
- Exodus 1:16 : ver 22
- Exodus 1:17 : ver 21; Pr 16:6
- Exodus 1:17 : 1Sa 22:17; Da 3:16-18; Ac 4:18-20; 5:29
- Exodus 1:19 : Lev 19:11; Jos 2:4-6; 1Sa 19:14; 2Sa 17:20
- Exodus 1:20 : Pr 11:18; 22:8; Ecc 8:12; Isa 3:10; Heb 6:10
- Exodus 1:21 : S ver 17
- Exodus 1:21 : 1Sa 2:35; 2Sa 7:11, 27-29; 1Ki 11:38; 14:10
- Exodus 1:22 : S Ge 41:1
- Exodus 1:22 : ver 16; Ac 7:19
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “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.” 17 But the midwives (A)feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 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.” 20 (B)So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, (C)he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, (D)“Every son that is born to the Hebrews[a] you shall cast into (E)the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 1:22 Samaritan, Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew lacks to the Hebrews
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Shiphrah and Puah fear God (15-19)
The cruel policies of the king did not slow down the birth rate of the Hebrews. The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied. So the king of Egypt took more drastic measures. He commanded the two Hebrew midwives to kill the newborn baby boys. But the midwives feared God more than they feared the king. The lamp of faith in Israel had not gone out.
2. God blessed the midwives (2
-22)
The king rebuked the midwives because the Israelites continued to increase in numbers. They told the king that Hebrew women were stronger than Egyptian women. God blessed the midwives with families, and he blessed the nation with increased population. God blesses and uses people who fear and obey him more than they fear men. The king, however, did not give up. He ordered the boy babies thrown into the Nile.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to love and fear you so that you may use me as a blessing to this nation.
One Word: Fear God more than the king
