Exodus 1:18 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

The king of Egypt called the midwives to him and said, 'Why have you done this? Why have you let the baby boys live?'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The writer is showing us that Pharaoh confronted the Hebrew midwives because they disobeyed his order to kill newborn Hebrew boys.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites had grown numerous in Egypt, leading the Pharaoh to fear their increasing power and influence. He issued a cruel decree commanding the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn boys to suppress the population. When the midwives chose to fear God and disobey this order by saving the boys, Pharaoh summoned them to question their defiance.

Explore Similar Verses

Exodus 1:15

The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives. One was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah.

Exodus 1:16

And he said, 'When you help Hebrew women give birth and see them on the delivery chairs, if the baby is a boy, you must kill him. But if it's a girl, let her live.'

Exodus 1:19

The midwives told Pharaoh, 'The Hebrew women are different from Egyptian women. They are strong and give birth quickly, before we can even get there to help them.'

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