What does Exodus 1:15-21 mean?
Exodus 1:15-21 teaches that the Hebrew midwives refused Pharaoh’s evil order because they feared God more than the king. God protected them and gave them families. Early Christian writers like Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Theophilus of Antioch used this passage to praise faithful obedience and mercy. The story also sets up Moses’ rescue in the next chapter.
133 early-church witnesses · 217 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What does Exodus 1:15-21 mean?
Exodus 1:15-21 means that the midwives chose to fear God instead of obeying Pharaoh’s order to kill Hebrew baby boys. They protected life, told Pharaoh they were arriving too late, and God blessed them for it. Early Christian writers used the story as a model of courage, mercy, and obedience to God over rulers. Tertullian says God blessed the midwives in Egypt for protecting the infants, and Cyprian and Clement treat the same event as a sign that God supports the righteous under pressure.
Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Passage context
Pharaoh feared the growing number of Israelites and tried to stop their increase by commanding the midwives to kill the male babies. The midwives refused, so Pharaoh then ordered all his people to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile in the next verse. This passage comes right before Moses is born and hidden in Exodus 2.
Why early Christian sources matter
Early Christian writers help show how the church read this passage as more than a history story. They saw it as a clear example of fearing God above human power, and of God rewarding people who protect life. Tertullian gives the clearest direct use of the midwives’ action, while others use nearby Exodus themes to reinforce the same lesson.
Common interpretation points
- The main lesson is obedience to God over a ruler’s sinful command.
- The passage does not praise lying as such; it praises the midwives’ fear of God and their protection of life.
- Most later Christian citations in this set are indirect or about other Exodus events, so the direct early witness set is limited.
Evidence-Based Summary
Exodus 1:15-21 says Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the Hebrew baby boys, but they feared God, refused the order, and God dealt well with them by giving them families. Early Christian writers mainly used this passage as a clear example of obeying God over a king and of God rewarding faithful mercy. The strongest direct witness here is Tertullian, who explicitly says God blessed the midwives in Egypt because they protected the Hebrew infants;
Clement, Theophilus, and Cyprian echo the same moral reading with related Exodus passages. The evidence is strong for the plain meaning of the story, but thin for any deep debate beyond that, since most other cards are only background or near matches to other Exodus scenes.
Key Takeaways
- The passage teaches that the midwives feared God and refused Pharaoh’s murderous command.
- God rewarded their courage and mercy.
- Early Christians used this story to support obedience to God above human власти and to defend the protection of life.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did the early Christians see the midwives as faithful for refusing Pharaoh?
Yes. They saw Shiphrah and Puah as faithful because they feared God and would not kill the Hebrew boys. The passage is read as a model of courage, mercy, and obedience to God above a ruler’s evil command.
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Direct teaching
And as God is good, He so loves infants as to have blessed the midwives in Egypt, when they protected the infants of the Hebrews which were in peril from Pharaoh's command.
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness
For how can one miss seeing that the pains which women suffer in childbed, and the oblivion of their labours which they afterwards enjoy, are sent in order that the word of God may be fulfilled, and that the race of men may increase and multiply?
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
And lest any, when the opportunity either of a certificate or of any such matter is offered to him whereby he may deceive, should embrace the wicked part of deceivers, let us not be silent, moreover, about Eleazar, who, when an opportunity was offered him by the ministers of the king, that having received the flesh which it was allowable for him to partake of, he might pretend, for the misguiding of the king, that he ate those things which were forced upon him from the sacrifices and unlawful meats, would not consent to this deception, saying that it was fitting neither for his age nor nobility to feign that, whereby others would be scandalized and led into error;
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Exodus 1:17 Direct teaching
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
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Exodus 1:15 Direct teaching
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
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Exodus 1:16 Direct teaching
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.”
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Exodus 1:18 Direct teaching
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
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Exodus 1:20 Direct teaching
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
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Exodus 1:21 Direct teaching
And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
More related quotations from this section 4 shown
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Exodus 1:22 Supporting witness
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
The Hebrews having increased in Egypt to a great multitude, and the king of the country being afraid of insurrection in consequence of their numbers, he ordered all the female children born to the Hebrews to be reared (woman being unfit for war), but the male to be destroyed, being suspicious of stalwart youth.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
But the child being goodly, his parents nursed him secretly three months, natural affection being too strong for the monarch's cruelty.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
Then to the Hebrew race proclaimed, That each male child should in deep-flowing Nile Be drowned.
Common Questions
Why did the midwives disobey Pharaoh?
They feared God more than Pharaoh and would not kill the Hebrew boys.
Did God reward the midwives in Exodus 1?
Yes. Exodus says God dealt well with them and gave them families.
How did early Christians use Exodus 1:15-21?
They used it to teach that God is to be obeyed before rulers when rulers command evil.
What is the main message of Exodus 1:15-21?
The main message is that God honors people who fear Him and refuse evil orders.
Who were Shiphrah and Puah?
They were the Hebrew midwives named in Exodus 1:15 who refused Pharaoh’s command.
Source Index for Exodus 1:15-21
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 217 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 133
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 84
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.