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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

JPS Old Testament

Exodus 1:20

And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Integrity;   Israel;   Midwifery;   Oppression;   Servant;   Usurpation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Exodus;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Abortion;   Lie, Lying;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Pharaoh;   Puah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Shiphrah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Midwife;   Shiphrah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Moses;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Quotations;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Israel in Egypt;   Midwives;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Puah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Egypt;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Shiph'rah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Enslavement, the;   Encampment at Sinai;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Exodus, the;   Exodus, the Book of;   Midwife;   Puah;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Amalekites;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
King James Version
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Lexham English Bible
And God did the midwives good, and the Israelite people became many and were very numerous.
New Century Version
God was good to the nurses. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger.
New English Translation
So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong.
Amplified Bible
So God was good to the midwives, and the people [of Israel] multiplied and became very strong.
New American Standard Bible
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.
Geneva Bible (1587)
God therefore prospered the midwiues, and the people multiplied and were very mightie.
Legacy Standard Bible
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very mighty.
Contemporary English Version
God was good to the two women because they truly respected him, and he blessed them with children of their own. The Hebrews kept increasing
Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful.
Darby Translation
And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.
Easy-to-Read Version
The nurses trusted God, so he was good to them and allowed them to have their own families. The Hebrews continued to have more children, and they became very strong.
English Standard Version
So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, because they spared the males; and the people multiplied, and grew exceedingly strong.
Good News Translation
Because the midwives were God-fearing, God was good to them and gave them families of their own. And the Israelites continued to increase and become strong.
Christian Standard Bible®
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous.
Literal Translation
And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became exceedingly strong.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore God dealt well with the mydwyues. And the people multiplied, and became exceadinge mightie.
American Standard Version
And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Bible in Basic English
And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And God dealt well therefore with the mydwyfes: and the people multiplied and waxed very myghtie.
King James Version (1611)
Therefore God dealt well with the midwiues: and the people multiplied and waxed very mighty.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very strong.
English Revised Version
And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Berean Standard Bible
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor God dide wel to medewyues; and the puple encreesside, and was coumfortid greetli.
Young's Literal Translation
And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty;
Update Bible Version
And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.
World English Bible
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
New King James Version
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
New Living Translation
So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.
New Life Bible
So God was good to the nurses. And the people became many and strong.
New Revised Standard
So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then God dealt well with the midwives, - and the people multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.
Revised Standard Version
So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and grew very strong.
THE MESSAGE
God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number—a very strong people. And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.

Contextual Overview

15 And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said: 'When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birthstool: if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.' 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. 18 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?' 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.' 20 And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses. 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: 'Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Psalms 41:1, Psalms 41:2, Psalms 61:5, Psalms 85:9, Psalms 103:11, Psalms 111:5, Psalms 145:19, Proverbs 11:18, Proverbs 19:17, Ecclesiastes 8:12, Isaiah 3:10, Matthew 10:42, Matthew 25:40, Luke 1:50, Hebrews 6:10

the people: Exodus 1:7, Exodus 1:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 1:5 - seventy Job 12:23 - increaseth Ecclesiastes 8:5 - keepeth Acts 7:17 - the people

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
Genesis 1:14
And God said: 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'
Genesis 1:24
And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:30
and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.
Genesis 2:19
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof.
Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.'
1 Kings 4:33
span data-lang="eng" data-trans="jps" data-ref="1ki.4.1" class="versetxt"> And king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister and the king's friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in the hill-country of Ephraim; the son of Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; the son of Hesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher; the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars; Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife; Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and one officer that was [over all the officers] in the land. Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.
Psalms 148:10
Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore God dealt well with the midwives,.... He approved of their conduct upon the whole, however difficult it may be to clear them from all blame in this matter; though some think that what they said was the truth, though they might not tell all the truth; yea, that they made a glorious confession of their faith in God, and plainly told the king, that it was nothing but the immediate hand of God that the Hebrew women were so lively and strong, and therefore were resolved not to oppose it, let him command what he would; so Dr. Lightfoot r, who takes the midwives to be Egyptians:

and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty; became very numerous, and strong, and robust, being the offspring of such lively women.

r Works, vol. 1. p. 700.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 1:20. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. — This shows an especial providence and blessing of God; for though in all cases where females are kept to hard labour they have comparatively easy and safe travail, yet in a state of slavery the increase is generally very small, as the children die for want of proper nursing, the women, through their labour, being obliged to neglect their offspring; so that in the slave countries the stock is obliged to be recruited by foreign imports: yet in the case above it was not so; there was not one barren among their tribes, and even their women, though constantly obliged to perform their daily tasks, were neither rendered unfruitful by it, nor taken off by premature death through the violence and continuance of their labour, when even in the delicate situation mentioned above.


 
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