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  • From: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] midwives
  • Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2005 22:28:59 -0600

Dear Steve,

>And what would be the reason for the Hebrew women to use non-Hebrew
midwives?

The same reason that in the U.S. most gardeners and domestic help in Jewish
neighborhoods are not Jewish, as well as most synagogue janitors. The
Hebrews (up until verse 9) were too affluent to take such low paying or low
esteemed jobs.

Hh: Yes, but this is verse 15, and a lot has happened. The Israelites are not doing well any more but are slaves.

Then when the Hebrews were afflicted and made slaves, they did not get the
chance to learn such a valuable trade.

HH: Midwives? This need not be a trade but can be a traditional role that other women would play in childbirth.

I believe the midwives were gentiles because:
1) Pharoah expected them to obey his command to kill the Hebrew baby boys
(v15).

HH: But pharaoh considered himself a god. Everybody had to obey him.

2) v18 When Pharoah finds out that the Hebrew baby boys have not been
killed, he asks the midwives, "Why have ye done this thing, and have saved
the men children alive?" It seems he doesn't understand why they would not
have done this expedient thing. If the midwives were themselves Hebrews,
wouldn't the answer be obvious? Would Pharoah have phrased the question in
this way?

HH: Why not? He's a god and king?

3) v19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not
as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the
midwives come in unto them.
If the midwives were Hebrews, could they have gotten away with saying that
the Hebrew women are more lively than the Egyptian women?

HH: It could have been true. God blessed the Israelites in childbirth:

Ex. 1:7 but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

Ex. 1:12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites

Ex. 1:20 ΒΆ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.

Hh: The arguments on the side of the women being Hebrew seem more numerous and stronger by far.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard







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