Bible Strands
Exodus 1:18
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The king of Egypt summons the Hebrew midwives immediately after they disobey his infanticide decree to let the baby boys live. He confronts them directly with two repeated questions about their actions.
The words — The text highlights מַדּוּעַ (ma.Du.a'), translated literally as "why?", and עֲשִׂיתֶן (a.si.Ten), meaning "you have done." These terms frame the king’s demand for an explanation of their deliberate disobedience.
The thread — This confrontation echoes the tension between human authority and divine fear in Ecclesiastes 8:4, where no one can challenge the king’s decree, and recalls Absalom’s covert orders in 2 Samuel 13:28. The midwives’ defiance establishes a pattern where civil disobedience becomes necessary when royal commands contradict divine law.
Why it lands — The verse forces readers to examine the cost of obedience when state power demands moral compromise. It asks whether one will prioritize fear of human authority or reverence for God when confronted with direct questions about conscience.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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?
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 8:4 For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
- 2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”