Exodus 1:15
"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:"

Commentary

Gill's Exposition

And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives,.... It is difficult to say who these midwives were, whether Egyptian or Hebrew women. Josephus is of opinion that they were Egyptians, and indeed those the king was most likely to succeed with; and it may seem improbable that he should offer such a thing to Hebrew women, who he could never think would ever comply with it, through promises or threatenings; and the answer they afterwards gave him, that the Hebrew women were not as the Egyptian women, looks as if they were of the latter: and yet,

after all, it is more likely that these midwives were Hebrew women, their names are Hebrew; and besides, they are not said to be the midwives of Hebrew women, but Hebrew midwives; nor does it seem probable that the Hebrew women should have Egyptian midwives, and not those of their own nation; and they were such as feared the Lord; and the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem are express for it, and they pretend to tell us who they were: "of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah"; the one, they say, was Jochebed, the wife of Amram, and mother of Moses and Aaron, and the other Miriam their sister; and this is the sense of many of the Jewish writers (f): but whatever may be said for Jochebed, it is not credible that Miriam should be a midwife, who was but a girl, or maid, at this time, about seven years of age, as the following chapter shows, and much less one of so much repute as to be spoke to by the king. It may seem strange, that only two should be spoke to on this account, when, as Aben Ezra supposes, there might be five hundred of them: to which it may be answered, that these were the most noted in their profession, and the king began with these, that if he could succeed with them, he would go on to prevail on others, or engage them to use their interest with others to do the like; or these might be the midwives of the principal ladies among the Israelites, in one of whose families, according as his magicians had told, as the Targum of Jonathan observes, should be born a son, by whom the land of Egypt would be destroyed; of which Josephus (g) also takes notice; and therefore he might be chiefly solicitous to destroy the male children of such families; but Aben Ezra thinks, that these two were the chief over the rest of the midwives, and who collected and paid to the king the tribute out of their salaries, which was laid upon them, and so he had an opportunity of conversing with them on this subject. (f) T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 11. 2. Midrash Kohelet, fol. 74. 1. Jarchi in loc. (g) Ut supra. (Antiq. l. 2. c. 9. sect. 1.)

Source: Gill's Exposition (Public Domain)

Hebrew Word Studies (12 words)

H0559 אָמַר
Definition:

1+, etc.;ImperfectיאֹמַרGenesis 31:8+;וַיּאֹ֫מֶרGenesis 1:3+;וַיּאֹמַ֑רGenesis 14:19+; in Job alwaysוַיּאֹ֑מַרJob 3:2+; 3 feminine singularתּאֹמַרGenesis 21:12+;תּאֹמֵר֑Proverbs 1:21; 1singularאֹמַרGe 1+, etc.;ImperfectיאֹמַרGenesis 31:8+;וַיּאֹ֫מֶרGenesis 1:3+;וַיּאֹמַ֑רGenesis 14:19+; in Job alwaysוַיּאֹ֑מַרJob 3:2+; 3 feminine singularתּאֹמַרGenesis 21:12+;תּאֹמֵר֑Proverbs 1:21; 1singularאֹמַרGe

Possible Meanings:
  • lamb (semantic_range)
H4428 מֶלֶךְ
Definition:

4המלכן; Phoenicianמלך; ZinjirliמלךDHMSendsch. 60; Assyrianmaliku,malku,prince(Assyrianšarru=king); Arabicking(original Hebrew *מַלִחinferred, LagBN 73BaNB § 112WMMAs. u. Europ.76); SabeanמלכןSabDenkmN 4המלכן; Phoenicianמלך; ZinjirliמלךDHMSendsch. 60; Assyrianmaliku,malku,prince(Assyrianšarru=king); Arabicking(original Hebrew *מַלִחinferred, LagBN 73BaNB § 112WMMAs. u. Europ.76); SabeanמלכןSabDenkmN

Possible Meanings:
  • counsel (semantic_range)
  • advice (semantic_range)
H4714 מִצְרַיִם
Definition:

7,masculineExodus 12:33,masculine pluralGenesis 41:55etc. (see below2),Egypt, Egyptians(Phoenicianמצרם; AssyrianMªƒªr(u), Muƒru, Miƒir, DlPar 308SchrCOT Glossary KGF 246 ff., Tel AmarnaMiƒrî, WklTA 39 7,masculineExodus 12:33,masculine pluralGenesis 41:55etc. (see below2),Egypt, Egyptians(Phoenicianמצרם; AssyrianMªƒªr(u), Muƒru, Miƒir, DlPar 308SchrCOT Glossary KGF 246 ff., Tel AmarnaMiƒrî, WklTA 39

H3205 יָלַד
Definition:

18(3 t. in verse) + 16 t.;יָלָ֑דJeremiah 17:11;וְיָלַדconsecutivePsalm 7:15; suffixיְלָֽדְךָDeuteronomy 32:18; 2masculine singular suffixילדתניJeremiah 2:27Kt; Qrיְלִדְתָּנוּ(Köi. 410Ges§ 70, 2. R. 4) 18(3 t. in verse) + 16 t.;יָלָ֑דJeremiah 17:11;וְיָלַדconsecutivePsalm 7:15; suffixיְלָֽדְךָDeuteronomy 32:18; 2masculine singular suffixילדתניJeremiah 2:27Kt; Qrיְלִדְתָּנוּ(Köi. 410Ges§ 70, 2. R. 4)

Possible Meanings:
  • child (semantic_range)
  • son (semantic_range)
  • boy (semantic_range)
  • youth (semantic_range)
H5680 עִבְרִי
Definition:

2,3E), but possibly in fact (if name given in Cannan)from beyond the Jordan; compare Ges§ 2bSta§ 1 bKöi. 18 ff.WeIsrael u. Jüd. Geschichte. 7Kau'Eber' and 'Hebräer'in RiHWB 332; 600. — On connection o 2,3E), but possibly in fact (if name given in Cannan)from beyond the Jordan; compare Ges§ 2bSta§ 1 bKöi. 18 ff.WeIsrael u. Jüd. Geschichte. 7Kau'Eber' and 'Hebräer'in RiHWB 332; 600. — On connection o

Possible Meanings:
  • Hebrew (semantic_range)
H0834 אֲשֶׁר
Definition:

1according to TsepreghiDiss. Lugd. p. 171MühlauBö. Lb. ii. 79 n.StaMorg. Forsch. 1875, 188; Lb. § 167HomZMG 1878, 708 ff.Müll§ 153SayceHebraica. ii. 51LagM. i. 255 &especially KraeHebraica. vi. 298 ff 1according to TsepreghiDiss. Lugd. p. 171MühlauBö. Lb. ii. 79 n.StaMorg. Forsch. 1875, 188; Lb. § 167HomZMG 1878, 708 ff.Müll§ 153SayceHebraica. ii. 51LagM. i. 255 &especially KraeHebraica. vi. 298 ff

Possible Meanings:
  • Asher (semantic_range)
  • happy one (semantic_range)
  • Felix (semantic_range)
  • the tribe (semantic_range)
H8034 שֵׁם
Definition:

9name(√ unknown; Thesשׁמה, compare BaZMG xli (1887), 635; LagBN 160ושׁם, Arabicbrand, mark, compare RSK 213, 303 ff.Köii. 1. 104; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew (especiallyהַשֵּׁם=יהוה); PhoenicianשםLz 9name(√ unknown; Thesשׁמה, compare BaZMG xli (1887), 635; LagBN 160ושׁם, Arabicbrand, mark, compare RSK 213, 303 ff.Köii. 1. 104; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew (especiallyהַשֵּׁם=יהוה); PhoenicianשםLz

H0259 אֶחָד
Definition:

5#NAME?אַחַ֫דGenesis 21:15+; so even before preposition1 Samuel 9:3and elsewhere see Dr; feminine absoluteאַחַ֫תGenesis 2:21+;אֶחָ֑תGenesis 11:1+; constructאַחַ֫תDeuteronomy 13:13+; plural masculineאֲ 5#NAME?אַחַ֫דGenesis 21:15+; so even before preposition1 Samuel 9:3and elsewhere see Dr; feminine absoluteאַחַ֫תGenesis 2:21+;אֶחָ֑תGenesis 11:1+; constructאַחַ֫תDeuteronomy 13:13+; plural masculineאֲ

Possible Meanings:
  • one (semantic_range)
  • one (semantic_range)
  • each (semantic_range)
  • every (semantic_range)
  • a certain (semantic_range)
H8236 שִׁפְרָה
Definition:

151(E);Σεπφωα(compare LagBN 90).Topical LexiconIdentity and Setting in ExodusShiphrah appears inExodus 1:15as one of two Hebrew midwives serving the enslaved Israelites in Egypt. Her brief but pivotal 151(E);Σεπφωα(compare LagBN 90).Topical LexiconIdentity and Setting in ExodusShiphrah appears inExodus 1:15as one of two Hebrew midwives serving the enslaved Israelites in Egypt. Her brief but pivotal

Possible Meanings:
  • fairness (semantic_range)
  • clearness (semantic_range)
H8034 שֵׁם
Definition:

9name(√ unknown; Thesשׁמה, compare BaZMG xli (1887), 635; LagBN 160ושׁם, Arabicbrand, mark, compare RSK 213, 303 ff.Köii. 1. 104; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew (especiallyהַשֵּׁם=יהוה); PhoenicianשםLz 9name(√ unknown; Thesשׁמה, compare BaZMG xli (1887), 635; LagBN 160ושׁם, Arabicbrand, mark, compare RSK 213, 303 ff.Köii. 1. 104; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew (especiallyהַשֵּׁם=יהוה); PhoenicianשםLz

H8145 שֵׁנִי
Definition:

13+, etc. (שֵׁנִי82t. +Nehemiah 3:30, readשֵׁנִית; readוְהַשֵּׁנִיalso1 Chronicles 6:13forושני);בַּשָּׁנָההַשֵּׁנִיתGenesis 47:18+, etc. (שֵׁנִית72t. +Nehemiah 3:30see above),׳שִׁבְעַת יָמִים שׁLeviti 13+, etc. (שֵׁנִי82t. +Nehemiah 3:30, readשֵׁנִית; readוְהַשֵּׁנִיalso1 Chronicles 6:13forושני);בַּשָּׁנָההַשֵּׁנִיתGenesis 47:18+, etc. (שֵׁנִית72t. +Nehemiah 3:30see above),׳שִׁבְעַת יָמִים שׁLeviti

Possible Meanings:
  • second (semantic_range)
H6326 פוּעָה
Definition:

15,Φουα.Topical LexiconIdentity and Historical SettingPuah appears once in Scripture, inExodus 1:15, where she is named alongside Shiphrah as a Hebrew midwife serving in Egypt during the period of Isr 15,Φουα.Topical LexiconIdentity and Historical SettingPuah appears once in Scripture, inExodus 1:15, where she is named alongside Shiphrah as a Hebrew midwife serving in Egypt during the period of Isr

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