Did the Hebrew women really enjoy unique childbirth like the midwives claimed?

The situation revolving around the birth of Moses was a period of despondency during the time of Israel in Egypt—Pharaoh had ordered the execution of every male child born to the Hebrew women. 

He had earlier tried a Plan A to weaken the Israelites and reduce them. 

Exodus 1:8–11(NKJV)

8 - Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

9 - And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;

10 - come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land."

11 - Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.

But apparently, Plan A did not work. 

12 - But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.

So Plan B was to kill every newly born male child. 

15 - Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;

16 - 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."

But the midwives refused to do Pharaoh’s bidding.

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

18 - 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?"

19 - And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them."

So the question is, did the Hebrew women really enjoy unique childbirth like the midwives claimed? 

Well, truly, there were physical differences between the Hebrew women and the Egyptian women. There are archaeological and other historical findings that reveal that, unlike the Egyptian women, who were delicate and essentially of small stature, the women of Israel were bigger and stronger. This served as an advantage during childbirth. And this was what the midwives meant by saying, “The Hebrew women are lively,” meaning they were physically strong and active (verse 19). A number of versions translate the word as vigorous. This was a fact that Pharaoh could apparently relate with, so he believed the midwives. 

So, in that context, their childbirth came with much more ease than the Egyptian women. 

But what about the additional claim by the midwives that the Hebrew women usually gave birth before their arrival? 

Well, that's not exactly true.

Take a good look at verse 17 again. It shows a deliberate disregard of the king's order by these midwives. This was not because it was out of their control, in that the pregnant women always gave birth before their arrival. It was rather because the midwives were available during the process of delivery; hence, they had they opportunity to kill the male children without the knowledge of the mothers but they refused to do so. 

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

This tone shows an obviously deliberate action by the midwives. Pharaoh had expected them to kill the male children as they came out of their mothers and claim stillbirth or death due to other natural causes, but they feared God. 

So, did the Hebrew women really enjoy unique childbirth such that they gave birth before the arrival of the midwives? No, actually. 

In addition, it is doubtful that these midwives were Hebrews as it would have been logical to Pharaoh that they wouldn't obey his orders to kill the male children of their compatriots. They were most likely Egyptians. The expression “Hebrew midwives” in verse 15 most likely means “the midwives of the Hebrews,” meaning the midwives that attended to the Hebrews. Many Egyptians mingled with the children of Israel in Egypt then (Exodus 11:1–3, 12:37–38). 

And were there only two midwives? Definitely not. That was far from possible in light of the population of the children of Israel. The two midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) were most likely the head midwives in charge of others. 

All in all, the childbirth of the Hebrew women was not supernatural. It was natural in every way, just that, due to their physical configuration, they were able to give birth with less difficulty compared to the Egyptian women. 

Victor Ibosiola © 2023