Exodus 1:16 records a royal order from the king of Egypt, Pharaoh, given to the Hebrew midwives: if a Hebrew woman gives birth to a son, the child must be killed, but a daughter may live. The verse shows a ruler trying to wipe out the Israelites by targeting their newborn boys. It is a command of cruelty, not a promise, and it sets the stage for the story of how God protects his people.
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 opens with Pharaoh speaking directly to the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and assigning them a grim task. Their usual job was to help women in childbirth, but now the king wants them to act as agents of death. The phrase “on the birth stool” places the order at the very moment of delivery, so the midwives would be the first to see each newborn and decide its fate.
The logic of the command is blunt. A boy is a threat, because he could grow into a man who fights or rebels, while a girl is judged harmless. The verse does not describe how the midwives were to carry out the order, nor does it explain how Pharaoh expected them to hide what they did. What it does make plain is the king’s intent to control a people he already feared.
The Context of Exodus 1:16
Exodus is the second book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses, and it tells how Israel grew from a family into a nation in Egypt and then was delivered out of slavery. The original readers were the Israelites who had lived through that oppression and were hearing their own history told again. Verses 13 and 14 describe the harsh labor the Egyptians forced on them, so Pharaoh’s order in verse 16 is the next step in a campaign of pressure.
The verses that follow, 17 through 19, matter just as much. The midwives “feared God” and refused the order, saving the boys, and when Pharaoh confronts them they give a clever answer that protects them. Reading verse 16 in this setting shows that the command was not the final word. It was a test of loyalty, and it revealed who the midwives trusted more than 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 shows the midwives’ response to Pharaoh’s command, as they feared God and let the boys live. It completes the story begun in verse 16 and reveals the reason behind their courage. Reading it right after the king’s order makes clear that obedience to God outweighed obedience to the throne.
Acts 5:29
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
(WEB)
In this verse Peter and the apostles tell the authorities that they must obey God rather than men. The same principle appears in the midwives’ refusal, where a clear conscience before God takes precedence over a human command to do wrong. Placing these two passages side by side shows how the call to faithfulness has carried through God’s people across generations.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 1:16
Lord, you see the fear that pressures people to do harm, and you know how easily we can be pushed toward decisions that hurt others. Give us the courage of the midwives, who chose to honor you when the king demanded something cruel. Help us to fear you above any human authority, and to refuse to take part in what is wrong. Guard the vulnerable people in our lives, and give us wisdom to protect them. Amen.
