Exodus 1 · Verse 15

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:
Exodus 1:15, King James Version

Exodus 1:15 in other translations

BSBThen the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
WEBThe king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
ASVAnd the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
YLTAnd the king of Egypt speaketh to the midwives, the Hebrewesses, (of whom the name of the one is Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah),
DARBYAnd the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives — of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other was Puah —
BBEAnd the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew women who gave help at the time of childbirth (the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah),
WebsterAnd the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives (of which the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:)

What does Exodus 1:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
15. the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives--Two only were spoken to--either they were the heads of a large corporation [Laborde], or, by tampering with these two, the king designed to terrify the rest into secret compliance with his wishes [Calvin].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 Hebrew midwives - Shiphrah and Puah, who are here mentioned, were probably certain chiefs, under whom all the rest acted, and by whom they were instructed in the obstetric art. Aben Ezra supposes there could not have been fewer than five hundred midwives among the Hebrew women at this time, but that very few were requisite see proved on Exo 1:19 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 1:15-22
The Egyptians tried to destroy Israel by the murder of their children. The enmity that is in the seed of the serpent, against the Seed of the woman, makes men forget all pity. It is plain that the Hebrews were now under an uncommon blessing. And we see that the services done for God's Israel are often repaid in kind. Pharaoh gave orders to drown all the male children of the Hebrews. The enemy who, by Pharaoh, attempted to destroy the church in this its infant state, is busy to stifle the rise of serious reflections in the heart of man. Let those who would escape, be afraid of sinning, and cry directly and fervently to the Lord for assistance.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Exodus 1:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙vai.Yo.merand he saidH559
מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
מִצְרַ֔יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖תlam.ya.le.Dotto the midwivesH3205
הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑תha.'iv.ri.Yot<the> HebrewH5680
אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherwhoH834
שֵׁ֤םshem[the] name ofH8034
הָֽאַחַת֙ha.'a.Chatthe oneH259
שִׁפְרָ֔הshif.Rah[was] ShiphrahH8236
וְשֵׁ֥םve.Shemand [the] name ofH8034
הַשֵּׁנִ֖יתha.she.Nitthe secondH8145
פּוּעָֽה\׃pu.'Ah[was] PuahH6326

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Context

  • Exodus 1:14

    And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

  • 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:

  • Exodus 1:16

    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.

Read all of Exodus 1

Exodus 1:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y habló el rey de Egipto á las parteras de las Hebreas, una de las cuales se llamaba Siphra, y otra Phúa, y díjoles:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le roi d’Égypte parla aux sages-femmes hébreues, dont l’une avait nom Shiphra et la seconde se nommait Pua,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der König von Ägypten sprach zu den hebräischen Hebammen, von denen der Name der einen Schiphra und der Name der anderen Pua war,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixit autem rex Ægypti obstetricibus Hebræorum, quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua,