Exodus 1:15 records the moment Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gives his first direct order to put Israel’s newborn sons to death. He speaks to two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, whose work places them at the birth of every Hebrew child. The verse is the opening of a plan to control a growing people through fear and violence, and the midwives become the first people in the story to refuse it.
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…
Exodus 1:15 (WEB)
What Exodus 1:15 Means
The verse begins with “the king of Egypt spoke,” which tells you the threat is official and carries the weight of state power. Pharaoh is not whispering a private grudge. He is using the authority of the throne to direct the work of ordinary women.
Next, the verse names the audience with care. The midwives are “Hebrew,” meaning they belong to the enslaved people Pharaoh fears, and they are given names, Shiphrah and Puah, which is rare for minor figures in this part of the book. The narrator wants you to see real people standing in front of the king.
The verse promises nothing directly. It sets the scene for a conflict. What it does establish is that the rest of the chapter turns on how these two women will answer a command that goes against life itself.
The Context of Exodus 1:15
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and tells how God brought Israel out of Egypt and formed them into a people who would worship him at Sinai. Its first chapter sets up the problem the rest of the book solves: a family that God had blessed with growth now finds itself enslaved and feared. The original readers were the Israelites, who needed to understand how their suffering began and that God had not lost track of them.
Verses 12 through 14 describe the harsh labor the Egyptians impose, and verses 16 through 18 show Pharaoh’s order spelled out and then his anger when the midwives defy him. Because the verse sits between the cruelty of the labor and the court confrontation, it reads as the hinge of the story. The midwives’ courage is the first counterweight to Pharaoh’s power, and it prepares the way for the deliverance that follows.
Key Phrases in Exodus 1:15
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 tells you directly why the midwives refused the king. They feared God more than they feared Pharaoh, and their courage flows from that reverence. Reading it alongside verse 15 shows that the king’s command was the test, and their response was the answer.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
(WEB)
Proverbs links the fear of the Lord to the beginning of wisdom. The midwives’ choice in Exodus was a practical act of wisdom grounded in reverence for God. This passage helps you see that their refusal was not reckless but rooted in a settled understanding of what honors God.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 1:15
Lord, you saw the fear and the cruelty pressing on your people in Egypt, and you did not look away. Give me the courage of Shiphrah and Puah when I face pressure to do what I know is wrong. Help me to fear you more than I fear the people who hold power over my life. When my choices feel small, remind me that you can use faithful obedience in ordinary places to accomplish your purposes. Keep my heart steady and my conscience clear, and let my actions reflect the life and protection you desire for everyone. Amen.
