Exodus 1:17 tells how two Hebrew midwives chose to disobey Pharaoh’s order to kill the baby boys born to the Israelites. Their courage came from a deeper loyalty: they feared God more than they feared the king of Egypt. The verse is spoken by the narrator of Exodus, traditionally attributed to Moses, and it describes the actions of the midwives, whose names are Shiphrah and Puah.
But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
Exodus 1:17 (WEB)
What Exodus 1:17 Means
The phrase “feared God” does not mean the midwives were terrified of a distant tyrant. In Hebrew wisdom language, to fear God means to give Him ultimate reverence, to take His authority and character seriously above every other power. Because they held that reverence, the midwives found they could not carry out a command that required the deaths of innocent children.
The verse then says they “didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded,” and instead “saved the baby boys alive.” This is a plain account of disobedience to an unjust human order, carried out quietly and without violence. The verse does not promise that obedience to God will always remove danger, nor does it say the midwives were safe from consequences. It shows what faithfulness looked like in one specific moment.
The Context of Exodus 1:17
Exodus opens with the Israelites multiplying in Egypt after the death of Joseph, and a new Pharaoh who fears their growing numbers. Verses 14 through 16 describe the harsh slavery imposed on them and then Pharaoh’s order to the midwives to kill any newborn son. Verse 17 is the turning point of that scene, and verses 18 through 20 show Pharaoh confronting the midwives, who give him a clever answer, and God rewarding them for their actions.
Because the verse sits between a cruel command and God’s favor toward the midwives, it reads as the hinge of a story about a faithful resistance that God honors. The original audience was the Israelite people hearing their own history, so the midwives stood as early examples of trusting God when earthly power demanded otherwise.
Key Phrases in Exodus 1:17
Acts 5:29
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
(WEB)
Peter and the apostles give this answer when ordered to stop preaching, saying they must obey God rather than men. It echoes the midwives’ decision to put divine authority above a human command, showing the same principle at work in a later generation of God’s people.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(WEB)
This verse says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, which helps explain why the midwives acted wisely rather than just bravely. Their reverence for God shaped their judgment about what was right to do in a dangerous moment.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 1:17
Lord, you are the One whose authority reaches beyond every ruler and every pressure I face. Teach me to fear you more than I fear the people who hold power over my work, my family, or my future. When I am asked to do what I know is wrong, give me the courage of the midwives to refuse quietly and the wisdom to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Keep my heart steady in you, and let my choices show that I trust you to honor faithfulness. Amen.
