(טו) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ שִׁפְרָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית פּוּעָֽה׃ (טז) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן֙ אֶת־הָֽעִבְרִיּ֔וֹת וּרְאִיתֶ֖ן עַל־הָאָבְנָ֑יִם אִם־בֵּ֥ן הוּא֙ וַהֲמִתֶּ֣ן אֹת֔וֹ וְאִם־בַּ֥ת הִ֖יא וָחָֽיָה׃ (יז) וַתִּירֶ֤אןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְלֹ֣א עָשׂ֔וּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר דִּבֶּ֥ר אֲלֵיהֶ֖ן מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃ (יח) וַיִּקְרָ֤א מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֔ת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ן מַדּ֥וּעַ עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ן הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃ (יט) וַתֹּאמַ֤רְןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה כִּ֣י לֹ֧א כַנָּשִׁ֛ים הַמִּצְרִיֹּ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת כִּֽי־חָי֣וֹת הֵ֔נָּה בְּטֶ֨רֶם תָּב֧וֹא אֲלֵהֶ֛ן הַמְיַלֶּ֖דֶת וְיָלָֽדוּ׃ (כ) וַיֵּ֥יטֶב אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֑ת וַיִּ֧רֶב הָעָ֛ם וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃ (כא) וַיְהִ֕י כִּֽי־יָֽרְא֥וּ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיַּ֥עַשׂ לָהֶ֖ם בָּתִּֽים׃
(15) The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, (16) saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” (17) The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. (18) So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, letting the boys live?” (19) The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.” (20) And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. (21) And because the midwives feared God, [God] established households for them.
Hebrew Women
(ב) שפרה. יוֹכֶבֶד, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁמְּשַׁפֶּרֶת אֶת הַוָּלָד (שם):
(1040-1105, France)
(2) שפרה SHIPHRAH — This was Jochebed; she bore this additional name because she used to put the babe after its birth into good physical condition (משפרת) by the care she bestowed upon it (Sotah 11b).
(1085–1158, France)
(1) La-meyaldot ha-ivriyot; to the midwives who are themselves Hebrews.
This is also the translation of the text that can be found in all three traditional Aramaic targums:
| Onkelos |
לחיתא יהודיתא |
Jewish midwives |
| Pseudo-Jonathan |
לְחַיָיתָא יְהוֹדַיְיתָא |
Jewish midwives |
| Yerushalmi |
יוֹלַדְתָּא עִיבְרַיְיתָא |
Hebrew midwives |
Egyptian Women
Josephus
(37-100, Jerusalem/Rome)
[The King of Egypt commanded] … that the midwives of the Egyptians should watch carefully the pangs of childbirth of the Hebrew women and should observe closely their deliveries. For he ordered that they should be delivered of children by these who because of kinship were not likely to transgress the wish of the king. Those, however, who disregarded the decree and dared secretly to save the child that had been born to them, he ordered to be put to death together with their offspring.
…שפרה ופועה מצריות היו מתחילה ונתגיירו דאל”כ היאך ציוה אותם להרוג את היהודים…
Yehudah HaChasid
(1150-1217, Germany/Bavaria)
…Shifra and Puah were originally Egyptian and then converted. If this were not the case, how could it be that [Pharaoh] commanded them to kill Jews? …
(א) למילדות העבריות: דעת רז"ל ואנקלוס ורשב"ם ורמבמ"ן וראז' שהיו המילדות האלה מזרע ישראל, ודעת המתרגם האלכסנדרי והיירונימוס ויוסף פלאויוס ודון יצחק שהיו מצריות מילדות העבריות, וכן נראה, כי איך יתכן שיצוה לבנות ישראל להכרית את כל בני עמם, ויאמין שלא תגלינה הדבר?
(1800-1865, Italy)
(1) The Hebrew midwives - the understanding of our sages, o blessed memory, and Onkelos, and Rashbam, and Ramban and Ra"z is that those midwives were from the seed of Israel, and the understanding of the Alexandrian translator, and [Eusebius Sophronius] Hieronymos, and Yoseohus Flavius, and Don Itzchak [Abrabanel] is that they were Egyptian, these midvives of the Hebrews. And this is right, since how does it make any sense that [Pharaoh] would order Jewish women to destroy all the children of their own people and believe that they won't reveal such a thing?
במילדות בפועה ובשפרה המצריות נ’א [=נאמר] כן ויאמר מלך מצרים למילדות [ותיר]אן המילדות את האי’ם [=האלהים] ויקרא מלך מצרים למילדות כל ה’פ [=הפרשה].
Cairo Genizah Fragment
It was said so regarding the midwives, Puah and Shifra the Egyptians (Exodus 1:15-18) “and the king of Egypt said to the midwives… but the midwives feared God… and the king of Egypt called to the midwives, etc.”
The head of the column is missing, so its opening is unknown. The list includes Asenath (Joseph’s Egyptian wife), Shifra and Puah, Pharaoh’s daughter, Tziporah (Moses’ Midianite wife), Rahab, and Ruth.
ועוד יש נשים חסידות גיורות כשרות מן הגוים ואלו הן: אסנת צפורה שפרה פועה בת פרעה רחב רות ויעל. והראיה שלהן…
ועוד יש גיורות מן הגוים,
בהגר נאמר וימצאה מלאך ה’ (בראשית ט”ז) ונאמר וישמע אלהים את קול הנער (שם כ”א),
באסנת אשת יוסף נאמר אשר ילדה לו אסנת (שם מ”ו),
במילדות פועה ושפרה נאמר ותיראן המילדות את האלהים (שמות א’).
Midrash Tadshe
(10th-11th centuries, Ashkenaz)
And there are also righteous convert women from among the gentiles: Asenath, Ziporah, Shifrah, Puah, the daughter of Pharaoh, Rahab, Ruth, and Yael. And their evidence is…
And there are also converts from the gentiles: It is written regarding Hagar ” And the angel of Adonai found her” (Gen 16:7) and it is written ” And God heard the voice of the lad” (Gen 21:17);
It is written regarding Asenath the wife of Joseph “whom Asenath… bore unto him” (Gen 46:20);
It is written regarding the midwives, Shifra and Puah: “But the midwives feared God” (Exod 1:15).
יש נשים חסידות גיורות: הגר, אסנת, צפרה, שפרה, פועה, בת פרעה, רחב, רות, ויעל אשת חבר הקיני:
Yalkut Shimoni
(13th-14th century)
There are righteous convert women: Hagar, Asenath, Ziporah, Shifrah, Pua’ah, the daughter of Pharaoh, Rahab, Ruth, and Yael, the wife of Hever the Kenite.