Exodus 1:15-22

Exodus 1:15-22

[15] 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:  [16] 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.  [17] But the midwives  feared  God,  and did  not as the king  of Egypt  commanded  the men children  alive.  [18] And the king  of Egypt  called  for the midwives,  and said  unto them, Why  have ye done  this thing,  the men children  alive?  [19] And the midwives  said  unto Pharaoh,  Because the Hebrew  women  are not as the Egyptian women;  for they are lively,  and are delivered  ere  the midwives  come in  [20] Therefore God  dealt well  with the midwives:  and the people  multiplied,  and waxed very  mighty.  [21] And it came to pass, because the midwives  feared  God,  that he made  them houses.  [22] And Pharaoh  charged  all his people,  saying,  Every son  that is born  ye shall cast  into the river,  and every daughter  ye shall save alive. 

What does Exodus 1:15-22 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Plan B consisted of ordering the Hebrew midwives to kill all the male Hebrew babies at birth. Albriight confirmed that these women"s names were Semitic. [1]
"They were to kill them, of course, secretly, in such a way that the parents and relatives would be unaware of the crime, and would think that the infant had died of natural causes either before or during birth." [2]
"Infanticide was commonly practiced by the nations of antiquity." [3]
As I mentioned, plan A ( Exodus 1:9-14) may have been in effect for several years. Because of the chronology of Moses" life many evangelical commentators felt that the Pharaoh the writer referred to in Exodus 1:15-22 was Ahmose"s successor, Amenhotep I (1546-1526 B.C.). More likely he was the man who followed him, Thutmose I (1525-ca1512 B.C.).
"Although the biblical term "Hebrew" [4] is probably cognate to the similar word "apiru (found in Egyptian, Babylonian, and Canaanite texts), the latter was applied to a population element that was ethnically diverse and that had in common only a generally inferior social status. The word "Hebrew" is almost always used by Gentiles to distinguish Israelites ethnically from other peoples and apparently denotes descent from Eber ( Genesis 10:24-25; Genesis 11:14-17), whose ancestor was Noah"s son Shem ( Genesis 10:21)." [5]
The two midwives mentioned by name ( Exodus 1:15) were probably the chief midwives who were responsible for others under them. [6]
Ancient Near Easterners preserved national identity through the males, and it is for this reason that Pharaoh ordered their deaths. In contrast, modern Jews trace their ethnic identity through their mother. The change evidently took place during the Middle Ages. One writer suggested that Pharaoh spared the girls, "perhaps to serve later as harem girls." [7]
The midwives" fear of God ( Exodus 1:17; Exodus 1:21) led them to disobey Pharaoh"s command to practice genocide. They chose to obey God rather than man since Pharaoh"s order contradicted a fundamental divine command (cf. Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:1; Genesis 9:7). All life belongs to God, so He is the only person who has the right to take it or to command when others should take it. The midwives" fear of God resulted in their having reverence for human life. Their explanation of their actions ( Exodus 1:19) may have been truthful or it may not have been entirely truthful.
"Even though these women lied to Pharaoh (which the Bible, as is often the case, does not stop to specifically condemn at this point), they are praised for their outright refusal to take infant lives." [8]
God blessed these women with families of their own ( Exodus 1:21) in spite of their deceit, if they practiced it, because they feared God.
This second plan "miscarried" too.
The intent of plan C was also to do away with the male Hebrew babies ( Exodus 1:22). However instead of relying on the Hebrew midwives Pharaoh called on all his subjects to throw every Hebrew boy that was born into the Nile River. Since the Egyptians regarded the Nile as a manifestation of deity, perhaps Pharaoh was making obedience to his edict an act of worship for the Egyptians. This plan evidently failed too. The Egyptians do not appear to have cooperated with Pharaoh. Even Pharaoh"s daughter did not obey this command ( Exodus 2:6-8). This plan, too, may very well have continued in effect for many years.
The Pharaoh Moses referred to in Exodus 1:22 was probably Thutmose I. [9]
"The central idea [3] is that God faithfully fulfills His covenant promises in spite of severe and life-threatening opposition. Even Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth could do nothing to thwart God"s purpose. In fact, God actually used Pharaoh"s opposition as a means of carrying out His promises." [11]," Exegesis and Exposition1:1 (Fall1986):27.]
"It is interesting to note that the author has placed two quite similar narratives on either side of his lengthy treatment of the Exodus and wilderness wanderings. The two narratives are Exodus 1-2 , the Egyptian king"s attempt to suppress Israel, and Numbers 22-24 , the Moabite king"s attempt to suppress Israel. Both narratives focus on the futility of the nations" attempts to thwart God"s plan to bless the seed of Abraham ..." [12]