Shiphrah and Puah were the two midwives asked by Pharaoh to kill the sons of Hebrew women as soon as they were born (Ex 1:15–21). These midwives served Hebrew women at a time when Hebrews were considered low-class citizens by Egyptians (Gen 43:32).
They served these women in an “unclean” moment with the bodily fluids and “immodesty” of childbirth, so their work was considered the “lowest profession of the low”¹. Pharaoh therefore stooped very low to make his request from them, demonstrating his desperation to get rid of the Israelites¹. Not only was he desperate, but also wicked to have considered that the same people whose career was to bring life into this world would tarnish its sanctity by killing babies.
Yet, Shiphrah and Puah “feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.” (v. 17).
Different views have been shared about Shiphrah and Puah’s response to Pharaoh when he found out that they had let the baby boys live (v. 18–19). Some share that it was an outright lie that still served God’s purpose of preserving Israel; similar to Rahab’s lie to hide the spies (Josh 2:3–6). In both cases, the women lied because of their fear of God, and their intent was counted to them as righteousness¹. Shiphrah and Puah’s lie is also contrasted with that of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11) with a key difference being the motivation behind the lies. The midwives lied to the Egyptian tyrant to cover their disobedience of his ungodly edict, whilst the couple lied for selfish reasons. Thirdly, Shiphrah and Puah lied to an evil, murderous king; Ananias and Sapphira lied to God². Finally, their lie was not merely an excuse to throw Pharaoh off, because Pharaoh could have easily verified their assertion. Rather, a middle ground was possible as some Hebrew women probably gave birth that quickly thus making it half-truth³.
The Bible and scholars are also not clear if these two women were Hebrew midwives (of Hebrew origin and in practice) or if they were Egyptian Hebrew midwives (Egyptian in origin but assigned to only Hebrew women). Regardless of origin however, they had such an understanding of Israel’s God, our God, that they feared Him. They chose to obey Him over Pharaoh’s order, fully aware of the possible consequences of their action. Not only did these women risk their lives because of their fear of God, they also played a significant role in foreshadowing God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt⁴ (Ex. 6:6).
What does the fear of God, as seen in Shiphrah and Puah’s selflessness, look like in our time? Are we willing to defy the dictates of our society that are contrary to the nature of God and His commands? Matthew 37:40 (NLT) tells us the main idea of all God’s instructions:
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
In a world that promotes selfishness disguised as “self-love*” and “love your neighbor as yourself, not more than yourself”, perhaps Shiphrah and Puah would have obeyed Pharaoh in an effort to save their lives, only to have lost out on God’s great plan toward the deliverance of Israel and on His blessing (vs. 21). Similar to Shiphrah and Puah, our Christian walk calls us to an excessive expression of love as shown by Christ, our Lord:
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.(emphasis mine, Jn 15:12–13)
*Self-love here is different from self-care (meeting basic needs for living).
References
- Reynolda Church. (2017, February 12th). Hidden Jewels 4-Puah and Shiprah. Youtube.com. Retrieved February 1st, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzfRUC7MSI
- Gotquestions.org. (n.d.). Should the Hebrew midwives be commended for lying? Gotquestions.org. Retrieved February 1st, 2021, from https://www.gotquestions.org/Hebrew-midwives.html
- Schochet, D. (n.d.). Who Were Shifra and Puah-the ‘Hebrew Midwives’. Chabad.org. Retrieved February 1st, 2021, from https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3555182/jewish/Who-Were-Shifra-and-Puah-the-Hebrew-Midwives.htm
- Pressman, H. G. (n.d.). How Two Midwives Tricked Pharaoh. My Jewish Learning. Retrieved February 1st, 2021, from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/birthings-and-beginnings/
