Exodus 1:19-22

Context
1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew¹ women are not like the Egyptian women – for the Hebrew women² are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!”³ 1:20 So God treated the midwives well,⁴ and the people multiplied and became very strong. 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he made⁵ households⁶ for them.

1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “All sons⁷ that are born you must throw⁸ into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”⁹

[1:19] ¹sn See further N. Lemche, “‘Hebrew’ as a National Name for Israel,” ST 33 (1979): 1-23.

[1:19] ²tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Hebrew women) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:19] ³tn Heb “before the midwife comes to them (and) they give birth.” The perfect tense with the vav consecutive serves as the apodosis to the preceding temporal clause; it has the frequentative nuance (see GKC 337-38 §112.oo).

[1:20] ⁴tn The verb וַיֵּיטֶב (vayyetev) is the Hiphil preterite of יָטַב (yatav). In this stem the word means “to cause good, treat well, treat favorably.” The vav (ו) consecutive shows that this favor from God was a result of their fearing and obeying him.

[1:21] ⁷tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) focuses attention on the causal clause and lays the foundation for the main clause, namely, “God made households for them.” This is the second time the text affirms the reason for their defiance, their fear of God.

[1:21] ⁸tn Or “families”; Heb “houses.”

[1:22] ¹⁰tn The substantive כֹּל (kol) followed by the article stresses the entirety – “all sons” or “all daughters” – even though the nouns are singular in Hebrew (see GKC 411 §127.b).

[1:22] ¹¹tn The form includes a pronominal suffix that reiterates the object of the verb: “every son…you will throw it.”

[1:22] ¹²tn The first imperfect has the force of a definite order, but the second, concerning the girls, could also have the nuance of permission, which may fit better. Pharaoh is simply allowing the girls to live.