Exodus 1:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When discussing the deceit of the midwives who misled Pharaoh to prevent the slaughter of newborn Israelite boys by claiming that Hebrew women gave birth unlike Egyptian women, a question arises about the Divine judgment on such deception. It is recorded that God favored the midwives, leading to the inquiry of whether He pardoned their falsehood out of grace or deemed the deception itself deserving of commendation. While the midwives acted justly in safeguarding the lives of infants, their lies to Pharaoh were a different matter. Their act of preserving life was merciful, but their motivation for lying stemmed from self-preservation, which is objectionable, though potentially pardonable.

The women chose not to obey the king's command, despite having made a pledge. Rather than ending the lives of the infants as instructed, they were prepared to give up their own lives to protect them.

Ultimately, it is expressed regarding other Jewish women that they deliver their children before the midwives arrive, for the spirits of the righteous do not await the development of particular skills and knowledge for their assistance. Instead, they naturally and abundantly produce results beyond what is anticipated.

Consequently, Pharaoh of Egypt is often seen as a representation of the devil, as he ordered that male infants be ruthlessly thrown into the river while allowing the female infants to live. This parallels the actions of the devil, who from Adam to Moses ruled over great Egypt, symbolizing the world, and sought to drown the male and rational aspects of the soul in the torrents of sinful desires, while attempting to promote and amplify the carnal and irrational.

The individual who possesses a reverence for God experiences no dread of earthly misfortunes or the opinions of others, nor does he fear death itself. If he were to face adversity, even to the point of death or committing sin, he would prefer to endure hardship and die rather than to sin. In the awe of God, every adversity and the very prospect of death are vanquished, much like a person afflicted with a serious illness becomes oblivious to lesser ailments, or like someone who is distracted by a loud commotion is unable to perceive softer sounds. The Hebrew midwives rejected the unjust edict of Pharaoh and spared the lives of male infants because they revered God (Ex. 1:21).

The midwives, defying the cruel order, preserved the lives of male infants because their fear of divine retribution for obeying such a command outweighed their concern for the earthly monarch's anger over their rebellion. Similarly, the Apostles were driven by a comparable sense of devotion when they responded to the Jewish Sanhedrin's command to cease preaching the Gospel: ‘Judge whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God’ (Acts IV:19).

In this context, the term God is utilized in a manner familiar to all humanity. It has been noted previously in Chronicles that amid the polytheistic beliefs of Egypt, one can detect remnants of the most ancient, nearly untainted monotheism.