Person Old Testament
Shiphrah
Shiphrah, along with Puah, was a Hebrew midwife who feared God and disobeyed Pharaoh's command to kill male babies. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Exodus 1:15.
Why it matters. Hebrew midwife who feared God and disobeyed Pharaoh.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Shiphrah
Shiphrah is mentioned in Exo.1.15 as one of the two Hebrew midwives, along with Puah, who were ordered by the king of Egypt to kill any male children born to Hebrew women. However, Shiphrah and Puah feared God and did not follow Pharaoh's command. Instead, they allowed the male children to live. When questioned by Pharaoh about why they let the boys live, they cleverly replied that Hebrew women gave birth quickly before the midwives could arrive. Because of their faith and courage, God blessed Shiphrah and Puah, giving them families of their own. Their actions were instrumental in preserving the lives of Hebrew boys, including Moses, who would later lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
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.
Connections
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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)