Shiphrah and Puah

Biblical Account

Shiphrah and Puah are two midwives who appear in Exodus 1:15-21. A midwife is a woman who assists at childbirth.

After Joseph's death, the children of Israel multiplied greatly in Egypt. A new king who did not know Joseph oppressed them with hard labor (Exodus 1:8-14). When the people nonetheless continued to increase, the Egyptian king, Pharaoh, summoned the two midwives. He ordered them, when they assisted Hebrew women in childbirth, to kill the child if it was a son but to let it live if it was a daughter (Exodus 1:16).

The midwives, however, feared God; they disobeyed the command and saved the male children alive (Exodus 1:17). When the king asked them why, they answered that the Hebrew women, unlike the Egyptian women, were "lively" and gave birth before the midwives could reach them (Exodus 1:19). According to the text, God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied all the more. Moreover, because the midwives feared God, "he made them houses" (Exodus 1:20-21).

Pharaoh then commanded all his people to cast every Hebrew son into the Nile (Exodus 1:22). Immediately afterward comes the account of Jochebed giving birth to Moses and hiding him (Exodus 2).

Significance Within Scripture

In this passage the Egyptian king who oppressed Israel is never named, whereas the two powerless women are recorded by name, a contrast that is frequently noted. The midwives' actions form the prelude to the Exodus narrative, in which Moses is born and survives.

The New Testament does not mention Shiphrah and Puah by name, though it does contain related passages.

• Hebrews 11:23 records that Moses' parents hid the infant and "were not afraid of the king's commandment."
• In Acts 7:19, Stephen recalls how Pharaoh caused infants to be cast out.

Interpretations and Issues

• Hebrew or Egyptian? The Hebrew text can be read either as "the Hebrew midwives" or as "the midwives of the Hebrew women." Because both names are Semitic, many interpreters regard the midwives as Hebrew women. Some ancient interpreters, however, such as the Jewish historian Josephus, understood them to be Egyptian.
• Only two? It is difficult to suppose that two women attended every birth among so large a population. For this reason, some regard them as representatives or supervisors of the midwives.
• The problem of lying: Whether their answer to the king was true, and, if not, whether it was justified, is a long-standing ethical question. Augustine held that the lie itself was wrong but that God rewarded the midwives for their mercy and their fear of God. John Calvin likewise held that their answer was not without fault, but that God looked upon their piety and blessed them. Other interpreters, by contrast, consider their deception of an unjust power justified because it protected life. This discussion is often treated together with the case of Rahab.
• Refusing unjust commands: The episode is frequently cited as an example of refusing an unjust command of the state out of the fear of God. It is sometimes read alongside "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
• Extrabiblical tradition: Jewish rabbinic tradition (the Talmud) contains accounts identifying Shiphrah with Jochebed and Puah with Miriam. The same tradition interprets the phrase "he made them houses" to mean that the priestly and royal lines descended from them. This is a later interpretation not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Shiphrah and Puah are presented mainly in two settings: sermons on the theme of "those who fear God," and Sunday school lessons on the birth of Moses. They are commonly taken to illustrate two lessons.

• The fear of God takes precedence over the fear of worldly power.
• Even the faithfulness of the lowly and unnamed is used in God's work of salvation.

They are also cited in sermons and writings addressing respect for life and the issue of abortion.