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.

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Other translations

WEBBE

But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

BSB

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

KJV

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

ASV

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

BBE

But the women had the fear of God, and did not do as the king of Egypt said, but let the male children go on living.

Original Hebrew

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Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 15–22

The Egyptians tried to destroy Israel by the murder of their children. The enmity that is in the seed of the serpent, against the Seed of the woman, makes men forget all pity. It is plain that the Hebrews were now under an uncommon blessing. And we see that the services done for God's Israel are often repaid in kind. Pharaoh gave orders to drown all the male children of the Hebrews. The enemy who, by Pharaoh, attempted to destroy the church in this its infant state, is busy to stifle the rise of serious reflections in the heart of man. Let those who would escape, be afraid of sinning, and cry directly and fervently to the Lord for assistance.

Read Matthew Henry on Exodus 1 →

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Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.