I love exploring the stories of women (especially obscure ones) in the Bible. Learning what they did has empowered and helped me discover what I can do as a daughter of God. Take Shiphrah and Puah for instance. We find their brave example in chapter one of the biblical book of Exodus.

¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ¹⁶  “When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” ¹⁹ The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women—for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!” ²⁰ So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them.

Exodus 2:15–21

How remarkable that after all these years, we are still talking about two lowly servants by name—Shiphrah and Puah—and do not know the name of the king (the Pharoah).

These ladies may have been Egyptian or Hebrew since the original language can be translated “Hebrew midwives” or “midwives to the Hebrews.” Commentator David Guzik says their names are Semitic and mean “beauty” and “splendor.”¹ which makes me think they were Hebrew. Either way, they were courageous, God-fearing women.

While the text only lists Shiphrah and Puah, it seems unlikely they could have serviced an entire nation. Perhaps they were in charge of other midwives, or maybe they were the only ones who refused to kill the infants. Either way, their defiance had enough of an impact to catch Pharaoh’s attention.

Stop and consider what it meant for women with a calling to bring life into the world to be ordered to destroy it! Bear in mind too that disobeying the king meant defying the “god of Egypt.” Surely, any civil disobedience would bring swift punishment, even death. But Shiphrah and Puah feared the Creator God, Elohim, (Gen 2:7) more than the “son of Ra” (Acts 5:29). They knew that God detests the shedding of innocent blood (Gen 9:5–6; Pr 6:16–17) so they risked their lives to do what was right.

Basically, they preferred to trust their fate to a good and holy God (Hosea 3:5) rather than to an evil man (Matt 10:28).

But what about Shiphrah and Puah’s answer to Pharaoh? Were the Hebrew women truly that vigorous and healthy? Perhaps God enabled all of them to have quick safe births. Perhaps a portion of the mothers did not need the help of the midwives. Most commentators believe the midwives lied or told a partial-truth and the text doesn’t clarify this. What is clear is that God did not call them out for dishonesty nor did he reward them for being “deceitful.” 

Instead God blessed Shiphrah and Puah because they feared him (Ps 112:1) by giving them families and a legacy of their own (1 Sam 2:35; 1 Kin 11:38). Perhaps these women were unmarried or unable to have children or maybe their family simply grew larger.

But most significantly these two brave and God-fearing women helped ensure that one of God’s greatest servants was born. Moses, who led his nation out of bondage, who authored large portions of scripture, and who conversed with God, owes his life (albeit indirectly) to them. And incidentally also to his mother Jochebed, his sister Miriam, his adopted mother Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife Zipporah, and his six sisters-in-law. I find it fascinating that Pharaoh allowed the baby girls to live (who today are typically thrown away), when it was the women—the ones he thought did not pose a thread—whom God used to save the nation.

Shiprah and Puah remind us of another significant time in history when baby boys were at risk. Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus and fled into Egypt to avoid the sentence of death by king Herod (Matt 2:16–21).

I may never be forced to make a choice to do right at the threat of losing my life like many believers do every day.² But I am faced with small ways I can choose to do right and defy evil in my corner of the world. I can confront bullies, defend the marginalized, give a voice to the voiceless, invite the outsider to the table, and refuse to participate in name calling and gossip.

How can you follow the example of Shiphrah and Puah? What opportunity to do right are you facing?

PRAYER

Thank you, Lord God, for the example of these brave women who feared you and did what was right even as they risked their own lives. Help me to be like them in my corner of the world. Show me how to defy evil and refuse to sin.

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1. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/exodus-1/ ↩︎
2. For these, I pray that they will be like Shiphrah and Puah. ↩︎

See also https://blogs.bible.org/taking-a-stand-for-what-is-right/ and https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/html/exodus/exodus.htm#head15