Exodus 1:16 records a royal order from the king of Egypt to two Hebrew midwives: when they attend a Hebrew woman in childbirth, they are to kill any newborn boy and let any girl live. The verse shows how far Pharaoh was willing to go to weaken the Israelite people, and it sets up the courage of the women who refused to obey him. The words belong to the king himself, spoken directly to the midwives Shiphrah and Puah.
And he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
Exodus 1:16 (WEB)
What Exodus 1:16 Means
The verse begins with the king giving a job description. He expects the midwives to attend Hebrew mothers at the birth stool, the common way women gave birth in that time, and to be present when the child arrives. Then comes the instruction itself: a son is to be put to death, while a daughter is spared. The sentence is short, but it is built around a choice between two newborns, decided only by their sex.
What the verse does not do is explain why Pharaoh wanted this, or describe the full scope of his plan. It records a command rather than a justification. Read alone, it shows a ruler using ordinary acts of care, like delivering a baby, as tools of violence. It does not promise anything to the reader, but it makes clear that the threat to the Hebrews was real and personal.
The Context of Exodus 1:16
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and tells how the descendants of Jacob grew into a large people in Egypt, were enslaved, and were eventually led out by God. Chapter 1 sets the stage with the Israelites multiplying greatly and a new king who “did not know Joseph.” Verses 13 and 14 describe the harsh labor imposed on them. Verse 16 is the first explicit act of state violence against the Hebrew children, and it is directed through the midwives rather than through soldiers.
The verses that follow change how we read the command. The midwives “feared God” and disobeyed the king, saving the boys. When Pharaoh calls them to account, they answer with a explanation that the Hebrew women are vigorous and give birth before help arrives. Verse 16 therefore marks the moment the plan is set in motion, and the rest of the passage shows that it could not be carried out through fear of the king.
Key Phrases in Exodus 1:16
Exodus 1:17
But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
(WEB)
This verse records the midwives’ decision to fear God rather than the king, which is the direct response to the command in verse 16. Reading the two together shows the choice that defined their courage and why it mattered for the children who were saved.
Acts 5:29
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
(WEB)
Peter’s words before the council echo the same principle: when human commands conflict with obedience to God, God must be obeyed. The New Testament statement gives a broader frame for the midwives’ refusal and shows that this principle has long shaped faithful resistance to unjust authority.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 1:16
Lord, you see the people who are asked to do hard and unjust things, and you see the children who are at risk because of decisions made by those in power. Give me the wisdom to recognize when an instruction runs against your ways, and the courage to refuse it without losing my integrity. Help me to fear you more than I fear any human authority, and to trust that you are working even in places where I cannot see. Amen.
