The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
Parallel translations
- KJV 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:
- BSB Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
- NKJV 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;
- NASB Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah;
- NLT Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Pharaoh commands the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, beginning his plot to kill the male infants. The state turns to murder to control God's people.
Overview
That these two midwives are named while Pharaoh is not subtly elevates faithful, lowly servants above the mighty king. Pharaoh escalates from forced labor to attempted genocide. The episode introduces a recurring biblical pattern in which a tyrant tries to destroy God's people through their children, a threat God repeatedly overturns.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 1:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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