Exodus 1: Bondage and Brave Midwives
A new king who never knew Joseph turns Israel's growth into slavery, but two God-fearing midwives quietly defy his murderous decree.
Exodus 1 (WEB)
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10 Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land.”
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
15 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
16 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.”
17 But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?”
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
22 Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
Exodus 1 (KJV)
1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
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.
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:
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.
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
Exodus 1 (ASV)
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:
14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.
15 And 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:
16 and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?
19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.
20 And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
Summary
Exodus opens by naming the sons of Israel who came down to Egypt with Jacob, seventy souls in all, with Joseph already there. That generation dies, but the children of Israel are fruitful and multiply until the land is filled with them, fulfilling God's ancient promise to Abraham. Then a new king arises who does not know Joseph, and he sees the growing people as a threat. He sets cruel taskmasters over them, embittering their lives with hard service in mortar and brick, yet the more they are afflicted, the more they multiply. Pharaoh then commands the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every baby boy at birth. But the midwives fear God and refuse, saving the boys alive, and God deals well with them and gives them families. Frustrated, Pharaoh widens his cruelty into a public decree: every Hebrew son is to be cast into the river. The chapter sets the stage for a deliverance only God can bring, and already two faithful women remind us that reverence for God outweighs the fear of kings.
Main Characters
- The children of Israel — Jacob's descendants who multiply mightily in Egypt and are forced into bitter slavery under a Pharaoh who fears their numbers.
- The new king of Egypt — A Pharaoh who does not know Joseph, enslaves Israel, and finally decrees the drowning of every Hebrew baby boy.
- Shiphrah and Puah — Hebrew midwives who fear God more than Pharaoh, refusing to kill the newborn boys and so saving lives at great risk.
Key Verse
Exodus 1:17 (WEB)
But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
Lessons Learned
- God's promises advance even under oppression; the more Israel is afflicted, the more they multiply.
- Earthly power is no match for the purposes of God, however ruthless it becomes.
- Reverence for God gives ordinary people courage to defy unjust commands.
- God notices and honors quiet faithfulness, even when no one else sees it.
- God's blessing cannot be suppressed by human cruelty. “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out” (Exodus 1:12, WEB). Oppression cannot overturn God's word of blessing.
- The fear of God overcomes the fear of man. The midwives “feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them” (Exodus 1:17, WEB). Holy reverence frees us to disobey wicked orders.
- God rewards faithfulness. “Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families” (Exodus 1:21, WEB). The Lord remembers and blesses those who honor him.
- Sin escalates when unchecked. Pharaoh moves from hard labor to secret murder to open genocide, commanding that every son be cast “into the river” (Exodus 1:22, WEB). Evil rarely stays still.
- How does Israel's situation change between the death of Joseph's generation and the rise of the new king?
- Why does Pharaoh see the growth of Israel as a threat rather than a blessing?
- What motivates Shiphrah and Puah to disobey the king, and how does God respond to them?
- Trace how Pharaoh's plans grow more violent through the chapter. What does this reveal about unchecked sin?
- Where might God be calling you to a quiet act of courage because you fear him more than the people around you?
- Under Joseph, Israel had been welcomed; now a king “who didn’t know Joseph” (1:8) turns their God-given growth into a reason for fear and forced labor. The favored guests become slaves almost overnight, setting up the cry for deliverance that drives the book.
- Pharaoh fears the people are “more and mightier than we” (1:9) and might side with enemies in war. His logic is political and faithless; he treats God's blessing on Israel as a danger to be managed rather than a sign to be honored.
- They “feared God” (1:17) and so refused to take innocent life, even when the king himself commanded it. God deals well with them and gives them families (1:20-21), showing that he sees, approves, and rewards their costly obedience.
- Pharaoh moves from oppressive labor (1:11) to a secret command to the midwives (1:16) to a public decree to drown every boy (1:22). The progression shows how sin, when it does not get its way, grows bolder and more brutal.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name, even silently, a setting where pressure pushes against conscience. As leader, encourage small, concrete steps of faithfulness and remind the group that God sees and honors what others overlook.