Exodus 1:19

New Life Version

The nurses answered Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are strong. They give birth before the nurse comes to them."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The midwives said to Par`oh, "Because the Hebrew women aren't like the Mitzrian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

King James Version
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 midwives come in unto them.

Lexham English Bible
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, because they are vigorous; before the midwife comes to them, they have given birth."

New Century Version
The nurses said to him, "The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can get there."

New English Translation
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women—for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!"

Amplified Bible
The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth quickly and their babies are born before the midwife can get to them."

New American Standard Bible
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the midwiues answered Pharaoh, Because the Ebrewe women are not as the women of Egypt: for they are liuely, and are deliuered yer the midwife come at them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can come to them."

Contemporary English Version
They answered, "Hebrew women have their babies much quicker than Egyptian women. By the time we arrive, their babies are already born."

Complete Jewish Bible
The midwives answered Pharaoh, "It's because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women — they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives."

Darby Translation
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian; for they are strong, and they have borne before the midwife comes to them.

Easy-to-Read Version
The nurses said to the king, "The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can go to help them."

English Standard Version
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

George Lamsa Translation
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they themselves are midwives, and are delivered before a midwife comes in to them.

Good News Translation
They answered, "The Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they give birth easily, and their babies are born before either of us gets there."

Christian Standard Bible®
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”

Literal Translation
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous. Before the midwives come to them they bear.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The mydwyues answered Pharao: The wemen of the Hebrues are not as the wemen of Egipte, for they are sturdy wemen: or euer the mydwyues come at them, they are delyuered.

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
And they said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are strong, and the birth takes place before we come to them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the mydwyfes aunswered Pharao: that ye Hebrues women are not as the women of Egypt: for they are more liuely women, and are deliuered yer the mydwyfes come at them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.'

King James Version (1611)
And the midwiues said vnto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they are liuely, and are deliuered ere the midwiues come in vnto them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children.

English Revised Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whiche answeriden, Ebrew wymmen ben not as the wymmen of Egipt, for thei han kunnyng of the craft of medewijf, and childen bifore that we comen to hem.

Young's Literal Translation
And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, `Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them -- they have borne!'

Update Bible Version
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwife comes to them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women: for they [are] lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in to them.

World English Bible
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

New King James Version
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."

New Living Translation
"The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women," the midwives replied. "They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time."

New Revised Standard
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the midwives said unto Pharaoh. Because not like the Egyptian women, are the Hebrew women, for they are full of life, ere yes the midwife can come in unto them, they have given birth,

Douay-Rheims Bible
They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they themselves are skilful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.

Revised Standard Version
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and are delivered before the midwife comes to them."

THE MESSAGE
The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; they're vigorous. Before the midwife can get there, they've already had the baby."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them."

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew nurses. The name of one was Shiphrah. The name of the other was Puah. ¹⁶ He said, "When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth, and see the baby before the mother does, if it is a son, kill him. But if it is a daughter, let her live." ¹⁷ But the nurses feared God. They did not do what the king of Egypt told them. They let the boys live. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called the nurses and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the boys live?" ¹⁹ The nurses answered Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are strong. They give birth before the nurse comes to them." ²⁰ So God was good to the nurses. And the people became many and strong. ²¹ Because the nurses feared God, He gave them families. ²² Then Pharaoh told all his people, "Throw every son who is born to the Hebrews into the Nile. But keep every daughter alive."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Joshua 2:4-24, 1 Samuel 21:2, 2 Samuel 17:19, 2 Samuel 17:20

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women,.... Not so tender, weak, and feeble, nor so ignorant of midwifery, and needed not the assistance of midwives, as the Egyptian women:

for they [are] lively; or midwives themselves, as Kimchi k says the word signifies; and so l Symmachus translates the words, "for they are midwives"; or are skilful in the art of midwifery, as Jarchi interprets it; and so the, Vulgate Latin version is, "for they have knowledge of midwifery"; and so could help themselves; or, "for they are as beasts" m, as animals which need not, nor have the assistance of any in bringing forth their young; and so Jarchi observes, that their Rabbins n explain it, they are like to the beasts of the field, who have no need of a midwife; or they were so lively, hale, and strong, as our version, and others, and their infants also, through a more than common blessing of God upon them at this time, that they brought forth children as soon as they were in travail, with scarce any pain or trouble, without the help of others: nor need this seem strange, if what is reported is true, of women in Illyria, Ireland, Italy o, and other places p, where it is said women will go aside from their work, or from the table, and bring forth their offspring, and return to their business or meal again; and especially in the eastern and hotter countries, women generally bring forth without much difficulty, and without the use of a midwife q:

and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them; which doubtless was true in some cases, though not in all, because it is before said, they saved the men children alive; and had it been so at all times, there would have been no proof and evidence of their fearing God, and obeying his commands, rather than the king's; and in some cases not only the strength and liveliness of the Hebrew women, and their fears also, occasioned by the orders of the king, might hasten their births before the midwives could get to them; and they might not choose to send for them, but use their own judgment, and the help of their neighbours, and do without them, knowing what the midwives were charged to do.

k Sepher Shorash. חיה "sie alii", כי חיות הנה "quia obstetrices ipsae", Pagninus, Montanus; so the Syriac version. l μαιαι γαρ εισι, Symmachus apud Drusium. m In T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 11. 1. Chronicon Mosis, fol. 2. 1. n Vid Wagenseil. Sotah, p. 249. & Varro & Gataker in ib. o Posidonius apud Strabo. Geograph. l. 3. p. 114. p See Harte's History of the Life of Gustavus Adelphus, vol. 1. p. 233. q Ludolph. Ethiopic. l. 1. c. 14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 1:19. The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women — This is a simple statement of what general experience shows to be a fact, viz., that women, who during the whole of their pregnancy are accustomed to hard labour, especially in the open air, have comparatively little pain in parturition. At this time the whole Hebrew nation, men and women, were in a state of slavery, and were obliged to work in mortar and brick, and all manner of service IN THE FIELD, Exodus 1:14, and this at once accounts for the ease and speediness of their travail. With the strictest truth the midwives might say, The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: the latter fare delicately, are not inured to labour, and are kept shut up at home, therefore they have hard, difficult, and dangerous labours; but the Hebrew women are lively, חיות chayoth, are strong, hale, and vigorous, and therefore are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. In such cases we may naturally conclude that the midwives were very seldom even sent for. And this is probably the reason why we find but two mentioned; as in such a state of society there could be but very little employment for persons of that profession, as a mother, an aunt, or any female acquaintance or neighbour, could readily afford all the assistance necessary in such cases. Commentators, pressed with imaginary difficulties, have sought for examples of easy parturition in AEthiopia, Persia, and India, as parallels to the case before us; but they might have spared themselves the trouble, because the case is common in all parts of the globe where the women labour hard, and especially in the open air. I have known several instances of the kind myself among the labouring poor. I shall mention one: I saw a poor woman in the open field at hard labour; she stayed away in the afternoon, but she returned the next morning to her work with her infant child, having in the interim been safely delivered! She continued at her daily work, having apparently suffered no inconvenience!

I have entered more particularly into this subject because, through want of proper information, (perhaps from a worse motive,) certain persons have spoken very unguardedly against this inspired record: "The Hebrew midwives told palpable lies, and God commends them for it; thus we may do evil that good may come of it, and sanctify the means by the end." Now I contend that there was neither lie direct nor even prevarication in the case. The midwives boldly state to Pharaoh a fact, (had it not been so, he had a thousand means of ascertaining the truth,) and they state it in such a way as to bring conviction to his mind on the subject of his oppressive cruelty on the one hand, and the mercy of Jehovah on the other. As if they had said, "The very oppression under which, through thy cruelty, the Israelites groan, their God has turned to their advantage; they are not only fruitful, but they bring forth with comparatively no trouble; we have scarcely any employment among them." Here then is a fact, boldly announced in the face of danger; and we see that God was pleased with this frankness of the midwives, and he blessed them for it.