Verse: Exodus 1:15-16
Theme: Moral Courage in the Face of State-Sanctioned Murder, Divine Protection Through Human Agents, and the Power of Righteous Defiance
“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; and he said, ‘When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.'”
— Exodus 1:15-16, New King James Version (NKJV)
“The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth, watch as the baby is born. If the baby is a boy, kill him, but if it is a girl, let her live.'”
— Exodus 1:15-16, New Century Version (NCV)
“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.'”
— Exodus 1:15-16, English Standard Version (ESV)
“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 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.”
— Exodus 1:15-16, King James Version (KJV)
“Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, saying: ‘When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.'”
— Exodus 1:15-16, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Meaning of Exodus 1:15-16
Evil rarely announces itself with fanfare and dramatic declarations; it usually arrives wearing the mask of pragmatic necessity, speaking in measured tones about difficult but essential decisions. Pharaoh’s command to the Hebrew midwives represents one of history’s most chilling examples of how genocide begins not with mob violence but with bureaucratic directives delivered as routine administrative policy.
The calculated nature of this evil is breathtaking in its precision. Pharaoh didn’t order mass executions or public demonstrations of power. Instead, he attempted to weaponize the very process of birth itself, transforming places of joy into chambers of murder, turning women whose calling was to preserve life into agents of death. This was evil disguised as population control, genocide masquerading as state security.
Yet Scripture’s decision to name these midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, while leaving Pharaoh anonymous in this context, reveals a profound truth about how God views history. The names of tyrants fade, but the names of those who choose righteousness over convenience are written in eternal records. These women faced an impossible choice: obey earthly authority and become murderers, or defy imperial power and risk their own lives.
What makes their situation even more remarkable is that they were being asked to betray their fundamental identity as life-givers. Midwifery in the ancient world was more than a profession; it was a sacred calling to assist in the miracle of birth. Pharaoh was essentially demanding that they violate everything their hearts, training, and conscience told them was right.
Popular Words of Wisdom from Exodus 1:15-16
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke, British Statesman and Philosopher
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., Baptist Minister and Civil Rights Leader
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but action in spite of it.”
— General Mark A. Milley, American Military Leader
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
— Abraham Lincoln, American President and War Leader
“We must obey God rather than men.”
— The Apostle Peter, New Testament Apostle
“In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.”
— Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Independence Leader
“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran Pastor and Anti-Nazi Theologian
“I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.”
— General Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary Leader
Explaining the Context of Exodus 1:15-16
These verses mark a critical escalation in Pharaoh’s campaign against the Israelites. When forced labor failed to reduce their population, and when systematic oppression only seemed to strengthen their resolve, Pharaoh resorted to the ultimate solution: systematic infanticide disguised as medical policy.
The historical context reveals the calculated nature of this approach. Rather than ordering public massacres that might provoke rebellion or international criticism, Pharaoh chose a method that would appear to be natural infant mortality. By using Hebrew midwives, he hoped to make the murders look like complications during childbirth rather than state-sponsored genocide.
The specific targeting of male children reveals Pharaoh’s military thinking. In ancient warfare, armies were composed of men, so eliminating male infants would prevent future resistance while preserving female children who could be absorbed into Egyptian society through marriage or slavery. This was ethnic cleansing with a twenty-year timeline.
The mention of only two midwives has puzzled some scholars, given Israel’s population size. However, these may have been supervisory midwives who oversaw many others, or this may represent the beginning of Pharaoh’s plan before expanding to additional midwives. Either way, the strategy was to start with trusted personnel who could implement the policy quietly.
The naming of Shiphrah and Puah is significant because ancient Near Eastern texts rarely preserve the names of women in subordinate positions. Their inclusion in Scripture indicates their actions were considered historically significant enough to merit permanent remembrance.
Explaining the Key Parts of Exodus 1:15-16
“Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives”
The phrase “king of Egypt” rather than “Pharaoh” emphasizes the official, governmental nature of this command. This wasn’t a personal request but a state directive carrying the full weight of imperial authority.
The specification of “Hebrew midwives” reveals Pharaoh’s calculation; he needed insiders who would have access to Hebrew births and whose actions wouldn’t immediately arouse suspicion among the Israelite community.
“Of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah”
The preservation of these names in Scripture, while many pharaohs remain anonymous, demonstrates God’s perspective on historical importance. Those who choose righteousness over power are remembered when tyrants are forgotten.
Shiphrah means “beauty” or “brightness,” while Puah means “splendor,” names that suggest the moral beauty of their eventual defiance would match their given identities.
“When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women”
This phrase emphasizes that Pharaoh was attempting to corrupt their professional calling itself. He wasn’t asking them to take on additional duties but to pervert their existing responsibilities into instruments of murder.
The clinical language masks the horror of what was being requested, turning the most vulnerable moment of life into an opportunity for systematic killing.
“If it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live”
The gender-specific nature of this command reveals its military motivation. Pharaoh feared future soldiers, not future mothers, exposing how threatened he felt by the growing Israelite population.
The casual tone of “kill him” contrasts sharply with the sacred nature of birth, showing how evil normalizes atrocity through bureaucratic language.
Lessons to Learn from Exodus 1:15-16
1. Evil Often Disguises Itself as Administrative Necessity
Pharaoh’s clinical approach to genocide shows how moral atrocities are often presented as pragmatic solutions to complex problems, making resistance seem unreasonable or unpatriotic.
2. God Remembers Those Who Choose Righteousness Over Convenience
The preservation of Shiphrah and Puah’s names while Pharaoh remains anonymous in this context shows that moral courage has eternal significance that temporal power cannot match.
3. Professional Callings Cannot Be Separated from Moral Obligations
The midwives’ situation demonstrates that our vocations and careers must be subject to higher moral principles, not mere professional advancement or survival.
4. Small Acts of Defiance Can Have Enormous Historical Consequences
The refusal of two midwives to obey genocidal orders would ultimately preserve the deliverer of Israel, showing how individual moral choices can affect entire nations.
5. Authority Without Morality Is Tyranny Regardless of Its Legal Status
Pharaoh’s command carried legal weight but moral bankruptcy, illustrating that legitimate authority must align with divine law to deserve obedience.
Related Bible Verses
“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.'”
— Acts 5:29, Revised Standard Version (RSV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:9, New International Version (NIV)
“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
— Esther 4:14, New American Standard Bible (NASB)
“The righteous are bold as a lion.”
— Proverbs 28:1, English Standard Version (ESV)
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
— John 15:13, New Living Translation (NLT)
How This Verse Points to Christ
Exodus 1:15-16 powerfully foreshadows the threat that Herod would later pose to the infant Jesus, where another paranoid ruler would attempt to eliminate a perceived threat through the systematic murder of innocent children.
The midwives’ moral dilemma parallels the choice every person faces regarding Christ: whether to obey earthly authorities who oppose God’s purposes or to align with divine righteousness regardless of personal cost.
Shiphrah and Puah’s courage in protecting innocent life points to Christ’s role as the ultimate protector of the vulnerable, who laid down His life to save those who could not save themselves.
The preservation of Hebrew male children through the midwives’ defiance ensured that Moses would survive to become Israel’s deliverer, just as God preserved Christ through similar threats to accomplish ultimate deliverance.
The conflict between Pharaoh’s command and moral law foreshadows the eternal conflict between earthly kingdoms and God’s kingdom, which Christ would ultimately resolve through His victory over all opposing powers.
The naming of these faithful women while leaving Pharaoh anonymous parallels how Christ promises that those who lose their lives for righteousness will be remembered eternally while earthly powers fade into insignificance.
The midwives’ willingness to risk everything to preserve life reflects Christ’s own willingness to sacrifice everything to give life, transforming potential death into certain salvation.
Closing Reflection
Exodus 1:15-16 confronts us with one of history’s most sobering examples of how evil attempts to recruit good people as agents of destruction. Pharaoh’s approach was insidiously clever; rather than demanding open warfare against the Israelites, he tried to transform the very process of birth into an instrument of genocide.
The naming of Shiphrah and Puah in Scripture, while many pharaohs remain anonymous, reveals God’s perspective on what truly matters in history. Temporal power may seem impressive, but moral courage leaves eternal marks that outlast all earthly kingdoms.
These verses challenge us to consider our own response when authority figures demand actions that violate our deepest convictions. The midwives faced an impossible choice between professional survival and moral integrity, between earthly security and divine approval.
Their situation reminds us that some commands, regardless of their legal authority, cannot be obeyed by those committed to righteousness. There are moments when faithfulness to God requires defiance of human authority, when love for the innocent demands resistance to the powerful.
Perhaps most encouragingly, this passage shows us that individual acts of moral courage can have consequences far beyond what we imagine. The refusal of two midwives to become murderers would ultimately preserve Moses, through whom God would deliver an entire nation.
When we face our own moments of moral crisis, may we remember Shiphrah and Puah, ordinary women who chose extraordinary righteousness and found their names written in the eternal record of those who loved God more than life itself.
Say This Prayer
Righteous Judge,
Thank You for the inspiring example of Shiphrah and Puah, who chose moral courage over personal safety. When we face commands that violate Your laws, give us wisdom to distinguish between legitimate authority and tyrannical demands.
Strengthen us to protect the innocent and vulnerable, even when doing so requires defying powerful people or institutions. Help us remember that professional success means nothing if it requires moral compromise.
When evil disguises itself as administrative necessity or pragmatic policy, grant us discernment to see through deceptive language to the underlying truth. May we never become unwitting agents of injustice.
Give us courage to risk everything for righteousness, knowing that You remember those who choose faithfulness over convenience. Help us trust that small acts of defiance can have eternal consequences.
In moments of moral crisis, may our names be written among those who loved You more than life itself.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.