Person Old Testament
Puah
Puah, one of the two Hebrew midwives, along with Shiphrah, who defied Pharaoh's order to kill male Hebrew babies. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Exodus 1:15.
Why it matters. Hebrew midwife in Egypt
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Puah
Puah was one of the two Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exo.1.15, along with Shiphrah. They lived in Egypt during the time when the Israelites were enslaved and oppressed by the Egyptians. The Pharaoh, fearing the growing population of the Hebrews, ordered the midwives to kill any male children born to Hebrew women (Exo.1.15-16). However, Puah and Shiphrah feared God and did not follow Pharaoh's command. Instead, they allowed the male children to live (Exo.1.17). When questioned by Pharaoh about their disobedience, the midwives claimed that the Hebrew women gave birth quickly, before they could arrive (Exo.1.18-19). God blessed Puah and Shiphrah for their bravery and gave them families of their own (Exo.1.20-21). The defiance of Puah and Shiphrah is an example of faith and courage in the face of oppression, and their actions played a role in the preservation of the Hebrew people during a time of great adversity.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Exodus (1 verse)