Exodus 1:16 kjv

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.

Exodus 1:16 nkjv

and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."

Exodus 1:16 niv

"When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."

Exodus 1:16 esv

"When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live."

Exodus 1:16 nlt

"When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live."

Exodus 1 verses

Exodus 1 16 Meaning

Exodus 1:16 records Pharaoh's direct command to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, instructing them to kill every male child born to Hebrew women while allowing female children to live. This decree was a deliberate and calculated act of genocide, aimed at controlling and ultimately diminishing the rapidly growing Israelite population by eliminating the future male "seed" who could become soldiers or leaders. It represents an evil attempt to thwart God's promise of multiplication and prosperity for His people.

Exodus 1 16 Context

Exodus chapter 1 opens with a demographic shift: the small family of Jacob has blossomed into a numerous and mighty people in Egypt, fulfilling God's covenant promises. A new pharaoh, unfamiliar with Joseph, observes their growth with alarm, viewing it as a potential threat to national security. His initial strategy is to impose severe forced labor, but when the Israelites continue to multiply, he escalates his measures to outright ethnic cleansing. Exodus 1:16 marks this horrific shift to infanticide, demonstrating Pharaoh's extreme cruelty and deep-seated fear. The verse sets the immediate context for a profound moral dilemma for the midwives and ultimately for God's dramatic intervention. Historically, ancient pharaohs wielded absolute power, and their decrees were considered divine law, making the midwives' subsequent disobedience an act of immense courage and faith.

Exodus 1 16 Word analysis

• and he said (וַיֹּאמֶר vayyomer): This phrase emphasizes a direct, authoritative pronouncement from the king, underscoring the gravity and official nature of the command.
• When you help the Hebrew women give birth (בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן אֶת הָעִבְרִיּוֹת beyalledkhen et ha'Ivriyot):
  • beyalledkhen (from yalad, to give birth): Implies "in your acting as midwives." The Hiphil form highlights their active role in assisting childbirth.
  • ha'Ivriyot: "The Hebrew women." This specific ethnic designation points to the targeted nature of Pharaoh's command, singling out this distinct group of foreign inhabitants. "Hebrew" likely carried connotations of a nomadic, outsider people, setting them apart from the Egyptians.
• and see them (וּרְאִיתֶן ure'iten): Requires direct observation during the intimate process of birth, indicating a mandate for close inspection and immediate action.
• on the birthstool (עַל הָאָבְנָיִם al ha'ovnayim):
  • ovnayim (plural of oven): Often translated as "stones" or "potter's wheel." In this context, it refers to a birthing stool, perhaps two supporting bricks, or some device that helped a woman deliver. Its mention highlights the precise, vulnerable moment of birth where the midwives were expected to act.
• if it is a son (אִם בֵּן הוּא im ben hu): The explicit target: male infants. This reveals Pharaoh's fear of a male population growing into a military or political threat. Sons were also crucial for carrying on lineage and tribal identity.
• you shall kill him (וַהֲמִתֶּן אֹתוֹ vahamitennu oto):
  • vahamitennu (Hiphil of mut, to die): "You shall cause him to die," or "you shall kill him." A direct, unambiguous command to commit murder. This is a violent perversion of the midwife's life-giving role.
• but if it is a daughter, she shall live (וְאִם בַּת הִיא וְחֵיָה אֹתָהּ ve'im bat hi vechayyah otah): Daughters were perceived as less of a threat. They would not become soldiers and could potentially be integrated through intermarriage or labor into Egyptian society, thus reducing their long-term threat.
• Words-group analysis:
  • "When you help the Hebrew women give birth and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him": This clause sets up a perverted medical instruction. The intimate and sacred act of childbirth, typically a moment of joyous expectation and preservation of life, is here commanded to be an act of systematic extermination based on sex. It pits a foundational human compassion against a brutal, totalitarian decree.

Exodus 1 16 Bonus section

• The targeting of male infants aligns with a broader pattern in the biblical narrative where the "seed" through whom God's promises are to be fulfilled (e.g., the lineage to Abraham, the tribe of Judah, the Messiah) is often under existential threat from opposing forces (seen from Cain and Abel, through Herod's slaughter of innocents in Matt 2). Pharaoh's act in Exodus 1:16 is an early and stark example of this spiritual warfare.
• Pharaoh's command implicitly reveals his spiritual ignorance; he acts out of human fear and political calculation, completely oblivious to the fact that he is setting himself against the Almighty God who purposed to multiply Israel. His scheme, far from frustrating God's plan, ironically provides the precise context for Moses's miraculous survival and unique upbringing within the very house of the oppressor, thus preparing him to become Israel's deliverer.
• The phrase "Hebrew women" might indicate that these midwives served primarily Hebrew clients, allowing Pharaoh to implement his plan ethnically. However, their status as "Hebrew" midwives themselves made the moral test even more acute for them.
• This verse foreshadows the institution of the Passover in Exodus 12, where God executes judgment on the firstborn males of Egypt, demonstrating His ultimate power over life and death and redeeming His own firstborn son, Israel, from bondage, in direct contrast to Pharaoh's actions.

Exodus 1 16 Commentary

Exodus 1:16 is the chilling record of state-sanctioned genocide, representing Pharaoh's most extreme and insidious attempt to control the Hebrew population. By directing his order to the Hebrew midwives, Pharaoh not only sought to limit the number of Israelite males, who were seen as a military threat, but also to morally implicate members of the Israelite community in the destruction of their own future. The precision of the command—specifying male infants at the moment of their birth on the birthing stool—underscores the cruel intentionality and the comprehensive nature of Pharaoh's plan to extinguish the Hebrew "seed." This command forced the midwives into an impossible dilemma: obey the ultimate human authority (Pharaoh) or obey God's unwritten law against murder and His promise to make Israel a great nation. The verse powerfully introduces the spiritual conflict underlying the Exodus narrative, where the schemes of oppressive human powers stand in direct opposition to God's sovereign will and the protection of His chosen people. Pharaoh's edict also mirrors future attempts by spiritual adversaries to destroy the messianic lineage, positioning this struggle as part of a larger, ongoing conflict against God's plan for redemption.