Exodus 1:17 means that when a human ruler orders something God forbids, the fear of God comes first, and the midwives in Egypt chose to protect Hebrew baby boys rather than obey Pharaoh’s command to kill them. The verse explains their quiet act of resistance: they feared God more than they feared the king. It is spoken by the narrator of Exodus, describing two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, who were given a deadly order by the king of Egypt.
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 verse begins with “the midwives feared God.” In Scripture, fear of God is not mainly terror. It means reverence, a settled awareness that God is the one to whom we answer, and that his commands carry more weight than anyone else’s. The midwives’ faith shaped what they were willing to do with their hands.
Next, the verse says they “didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them.” Their refusal was specific and practical. They did not stage a rebellion or give a speech. They simply declined to carry out the murder, which is why the text describes their action so plainly. Faithfulness often looks like this: an ordinary choice made in the middle of a job.
Finally, they “saved the baby boys alive.” The verse reports the result without any dramatic language. It does not promise that obedience always ends in safety for the one who obeys, since the midwives themselves faced Pharaoh’s anger in the verses that follow. What the verse does show is that God’s purposes for the children were carried forward through people willing to choose life.
The Context of Exodus 1:17
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and tells how God brought the descendants of Jacob out of slavery in Egypt. Verses 8 through 14 describe a new Pharaoh who fears the growing Hebrew population and makes their lives bitter with hard labor. Verses 15 and 16 record his order to the midwives, and verse 17 is their response. Verses 18 through 20 follow with Pharaoh confronting them and the midwives giving a clever answer, and then the text notes that God dealt well with them and the people multiplied.
Read in that setting, the verse is a turning point in the book’s opening story. Pharaoh’s power is shown to be real but limited, because ordinary women refuse to serve his cruelty. The text ends the scene by stating that God blessed the midwives, which tells the reader that the faithful resistance of these women was not overlooked by heaven.
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 a similar answer when the authorities forbid them to preach. Like the midwives, they recognize that when human command clashes with God’s clear command, obedience must go to God. The verse shows the same principle carried into the early church.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(WEB)
This proverb names the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. It helps explain why the midwives acted with such clarity. Their reverence for God was not separate from their practical good sense, and the wisdom they showed in that moment grew from the same root.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 1:17
Lord, you are the one whose word holds the deepest authority in my life. When pressure comes from people who hold power over me, help me remember that you are greater than any voice that demands I act against your ways. Give me the reverence that steadies my heart, and the courage to refuse what is wrong in small, faithful steps. Where I am tempted to protect myself at the expense of others, turn my heart toward mercy and life. Let my obedience, however ordinary, serve your good purposes in the lives around me. Amen.
