Exodus 1:17
in Exodus 1The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.
KJV
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
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This verse in Exodus 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe midwives feared God - Because they knew that God had forbidden murder of every kind; for though the law was not yet given, Exo 20:13, being Hebrews they must have known that God had from the beginning declared, Whosoever sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, Gen 9:6. Therefore they saved the male children of all to whose assistance they were called. See Clarke’s note on Exo 1:19.
This site's exposition
But the midwives feared God
on Exodus 1:17-18
The fear of God is set directly against the command of a king, and the midwives act on the first. Gill and Clarke both point out that Genesis 9:6 had already put the shedding of man's blood under sentence long before Sinai, so the women had a standard in hand to obey. The king then summons them to ask why, which means an order carrying the whole power of Egypt behind it had been quietly refused by two women whose names the text keeps.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
On the midwives' lie, by which they deceived Pharaoh and kept him from killing the Israelite males when they were born: The midwives said that Hebrew women did not give birth as Egyptian women did. It is usual to ask whether such lies have been approved by divine authority. Scripture says that God favored the midwives. It is unclear whether God, in his mercy, pardoned the lie or judged that the lie itself deserved a reward. For the midwives did one thing by letting the infant boys live and another by lying to Pharaoh. In letting them live they performed a work of mercy; but they used that lie for their own ends, to keep Pharaoh from harming the infants. This act could be the occasion not for praise but for pardon. It does not seem to me that the authority to lie has been given to those of whom it is said, "And a lie has not been found in their mouths." For if the lives of certain people, being far below the level of the saints' lives, include these sins of lying, these people are living in accord with their natural abilities, especially if they do not yet know that they should expect heavenly gifts but busy themselves with earthly things. As for those who live in such a way that their conversation, as the apostle says, is in heaven, I do not think that they should regulate the style of their speech, insofar as it affects speaking the truth and avoiding falsehood, on the example of the midwives. But we should consider this question more carefully, on account of the other examples that are found in Scripture.
Many lies indeed seem to be for someone's safety or advantage, spoken not in malice but in kindness: such was that of those midwives in Exodus, who gave a false report to Pharaoh, to the end that the infants of the children of Israel might not be slain. But even these are praised not for the fact but for the disposition shown; since those who only lie in this way will attain in time to a freedom from all lying.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
But the midwives feared God,.... And therefore durst not take away the life of an human creature, which was contrary to the express law of God, Gen 9:6, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them; knowing it was right to obey God rather than man, though ever so great, or in so exalted a station: but saved the men children alive; did not use any violence with them, by stifling them in the birth.
No power on earth can warrant us, much less oblige us, to sin against God, our chief Lord. Again, Where the fear of God rules in the heart, it will preserve it from the snare which the inordinate fear of man brings. Their justifying themselves in this disobedience, when they were charged with it as a crime,
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּירֶ֤אןָ | vatirena | and they feared | H3372 → | 315 times |
| הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ | hamyaledot | the midwives | H3205 → | 496 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| עָשׂ֔וּ | ʾasu | they did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| דִּבֶּ֥ר | diber | he had spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֖ן | ʾaleihen | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מִצְרָ֑יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ | vatechaiyeina | and they let live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַיְלָדִֽים׃ | hayladim | the [male] children | H3206 → | 89 times |
וַתִּירֶ֤אןָand they feared
vatirenaH3372 →315 times
הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙the midwives
hamyaledotH3205 →496 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
עָשׂ֔וּthey did
ʾasuH6213 →2628 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
דִּבֶּ֥רhe had spoken
diberH1696 →1141 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֖ןto them
ʾaleihenH413 →5510 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
מִצְרָ֑יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָand they let live
vatechaiyeinaH2421 →282 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַיְלָדִֽים׃the [male] children
hayladimH3206 →89 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ecclesiastes 12:13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your…
- Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Deuteronomy 6:2
so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that…
- Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!
- Job 28:28
And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
- Deuteronomy 10:12
Through
Matthew 10:28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
it leads to
- Luke 12:4–5
I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
- Isaiah 8:12–13
“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
- Luke 12:4–5
Through
Luke 12:5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
it leads to
- 2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
- 2 Peter 2:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, QUESTIONS ON EXODUS 1; Augustine of Hippo, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 5.7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.