What About Shiphrah and Puah?

 

Shiphrah and Puah, two names you may not recognize but their remarkable deed you’ve probably heard of…

Long story short…

Several centuries had passed since Joseph, during a great famine, had not only saved the lives of his own family but thousands of Egyptians as well. He and many generations after him were now long gone and his awesome deed forgotten when a particular king of Egypt was newly appointed.

By this time, the Israelite population had grown exponentially from Jacob’s seventy-member family to hundreds of thousands. The Hebrews occupied all of Egypt’s fertile eastern Nile Delta region, in the best of the land…in the land of Goshen (see Genesis 47:6).

As fertile as this region was so too the Hebrew women. In this ancient time, Israel had become a burgeoning nation. With no slowing in the population growth in sight, the newly appointed Pharoah, fearful, devised a plan to curb this birth spurt (read Exodus 1).

His first tactic, revealed in Exodus 1:11-14, failed miserably.

His second, revealed in verses 15-16, was a dastardly act of a pusillanimous king. And here is where we are introduced to two women who saved a nation.

Their names, Shiphrah and Puah, only appear this one time but their good deed is etched in eternity, for these two incredibly courageous midwives stymied the plan of a ruthless tyrant driven by craven fear.

Shiphrah and Puah’s reverential fear of God superseded their fear of Pharaoh, as they put their lives at risk to shield the innocent from unmitigated violence.

Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell. – Matthew 10:28 (ERV)

Looking at Pharaoh, Shiphrah and Puah, though very different in source, we see that fear is a powerful motivator.

the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. – Exodus 1:17 (ERV)

Unlike these two God-fearing Hebrew midwives, this Egyptian king had never seen the hand of God in action.

Their names may be embedded in obscurity but without Shiphrah and Puah there would be no story to tell, no Moses to lead a people to freedom.

The integral participation of these two midwives in the birthing of a nation, birthed their own irrevocable blessings from God (see Numbers 23:20).

And because the midwives revered and feared God, He made them households [of their own]. – Exodus 1:21 (AMPC)

In the natural scheme of things, Pharoah’s plan should have worked but nothing and no-one can thwart God’s plans, for it is written,

I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted. – Job 42:2 (AMPC)

Yes beloved, God can do all things, but He uses people to carry out His purpose here on earth, and just as He used two ordinary midwives to do the extraordinary, He will use you too. Are you ready and willing?

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “What About Shiphrah and Puah?” © August 21, 2025