Exodus 1:16
New International Version
“When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”

New Living Translation
“When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

English Standard Version
“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

Berean Standard Bible
“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”

King James Bible
And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

New King James Version
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.”

New American Standard Bible
and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

NASB 1995
and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

NASB 1977
and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Legacy Standard Bible
and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Amplified Bible
“When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

Christian Standard Bible
“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.”

American Standard Version
and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said to them, “When you happen to deliver for a Hebrew woman, be looking, when kneeling; if it is a male, you kill him, and if it is a female, you save her.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said, When ye do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and they are about to be delivered, if it be a male, kill it; but if a female, save it.

Contemporary English Version
He told them, "If a Hebrew woman gives birth to a girl, let the child live. If the baby is a boy, kill him!"

Douay-Rheims Bible
Commanding them: When you shall do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery is come: if it be a man child, kill it: if a woman, keep it alive.

English Revised Version
and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birthstool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth, look at the child when you deliver it. If it's a boy, kill it, but if it's a girl, let it live."

Good News Translation
"When you help the Hebrew women give birth," he said to them, "kill the baby if it is a boy; but if it is a girl, let it live."

International Standard Version
"When you help the Hebrew women give birth," he said, "watch them as they deliver. If it's a son, kill him; but if it's a daughter, let her live."

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.'

Literal Standard Version
and says, “When you cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children, if it [is] a son, then you have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter, then she has lived.”

Majority Standard Bible
“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”

New American Bible
“When you act as midwives for the Hebrew women, look on the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she may live.”

NET Bible
"When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live."

New Revised Standard Version
“When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.”

New Heart English Bible
and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it shall be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it shall be a daughter, then she shall live.

World English Bible
and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Young's Literal Translation
and saith, 'When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it is a son -- then ye have put him to death; and if it is a daughter -- then she hath lived.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Oppression by a New King
15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.…

Cross References
Acts 7:19
He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

Hebrews 11:23
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king's edict.

Exodus 1:15
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,


Treasury of Scripture

And he said, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the stools; if it be a son, then you shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

and see them.

Exodus 1:22
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.

Matthew 21:38
But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

Revelation 12:4
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Jump to Previous
Bear Birth Boy Cause Childbirth Children Daughter Death Delivery Duty Girl Hebrew Help Helping Kill Live Midwife Observe Office Perform Serve Stool Stools Women
Jump to Next
Bear Birth Boy Cause Childbirth Children Daughter Death Delivery Duty Girl Hebrew Help Helping Kill Live Midwife Observe Office Perform Serve Stool Stools Women
Exodus 1
1. The children of Israel, after Joseph's death, increase.
8. The more they are oppressed by a new king, the more they multiply.
15. The godliness of the midwives in saving the male children alive.
22. Pharaoh commands the male children to be cast into the river














(16) Upon the stools.--Literally, upon the two stones. It has been suggested that a seat corresponding to the modern hursee elwiladeh is meant. This is a "chair of a peculiar form," upon which in modern Egypt the woman is seated during parturition. (See Lane, Modern Egyptians, vol. iii. p. 142.) But it does not appear that this seat is composed of "two stones;" nor is there any distinct evidence of its employment at the time of child-birth in Ancient Egypt. The emendation of Hirsch--banim for abnaim, is very tempting. This will give the sense, "When ye look upon the children."

Verse 16. - The stools. The explanation furnished by a remark of Mr. Lane ('Modem Egyptians,' vol. 3. p. 142) is more satisfactory than any other. In modern Egypt, he says, "two or three days before the expected time of delivery, the midwife conveys to the house the kursee elwiladeh, a chair of a peculiar form, upon which the patient is to be seated during the birth." A chair of the form intended is represented on the Egyptian monuments.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“When you help the Hebrew
הָֽעִבְרִיּ֔וֹת (hā·‘iḇ·rî·yō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine plural
Strong's 5680: Hebrews -- perhaps descendant of Eber, also another name for an Israelite

women give birth,
בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן֙ (bə·yal·leḏ·ḵen)
Preposition-b | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | second person feminine plural
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

observe
וּרְאִיתֶ֖ן (ū·rə·’î·ṯen)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person feminine plural
Strong's 7200: To see

them as
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

they deliver.
הָאָבְנָ֑יִם (hā·’ā·ḇə·nā·yim)
Article | Noun - md
Strong's 70: A pair of stones, a potter's wheel, a midwife's stool

If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

[the child]
הוּא֙ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is a son,
בֵּ֥ן (bên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

kill
וַהֲמִתֶּ֣ן (wa·hă·mit·ten)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person feminine plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

him;
אֹת֔וֹ (’ō·ṯōw)
Direct object marker | third person masculine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

but if
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

it is
הִ֖יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

a daughter,
בַּ֥ת (baṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1323: A daughter

let her live.”
וָחָֽיָה׃ (wā·ḥā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2425: To live, to revive


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OT Law: Exodus 1:16 And he said When you perform the (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 1:15
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