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Portrait of Shiphrah and PuahPortrait · Shiphrah and Puah

Exodus · Old Testament

Shiphrah and Puah

Fearless Midwives Who Saved Children

Name meaning
Shiphrah: beauty; Puah: splendid or girl
Name origin
Hebrew: שִׁפְרָה (Shiphrah), commonly "beauty"; פּוּעָה (Puah), commonly "splendid"

Quick facts

Occupation
  • Midwives
Birthplace
Egypt (Hebrew midwives)
Modern-day location
Egypt; the specific city or region is not recorded.
Family
  • No family listed; servants to Hebrew mothers
First mention
Exodus 1:15-17
Last mention
Exodus 1:20-21
Key artifacts
  • Birthing stools
  • Pharaoh's command defied
  • Houses God built for them

Key verses

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

    Exodus 1:17

  • “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.”

    Exodus 1:20

  • “And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.”

    Exodus 1:21

Biography

Early Life

Shiphrah and Puah served as Hebrew midwives in Egypt during Israel's enslavement.

Defining Biblical Moments

Pharaoh commanded them to kill Hebrew boys at birth. The midwives feared God and did not do as ordered, saying Hebrew women gave birth quickly. God dealt well with them and gave them families.

Strengths

They show moral courage, reverence for God above a king, and solidarity with vulnerable mothers and infants.

Weaknesses & Lessons

The narrative praises their fear of God; their civil disobedience is presented as faithful resistance to an unjust decree.

Life Lessons for Today

Quiet, brave refusal to do wrong can protect many lives; reverence for life may require defying powerful orders.

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Shiphrah and Puah appears in Women of the Bible: Profiles in Courage & Faith, alongside more profiles like this one.

Page #37 in Women of the Bible: Profiles in Courage & Faith

Women of the Bible: Profiles in Courage & Faith front cover

Women whose courage shaped Scripture

Vivid profiles of the women of the Bible whose faith, wisdom, and quiet courage carried them through extraordinary moments.

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