Exodus 1:18

18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

Exodus 1:18 in Other Translations

18 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?

18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?"

18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”

18 The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!"

18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?"

Exodus 1:18 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 1:18

And the king called for the midwives
Perceiving, by the increase of the Israelites, that they did not obey his commands:

and said unto them, why have ye done this thing, and have saved the
men children alive?
not only did not kill them, but did everything for them that was necessary for their future preservation and health; see ( Ezekiel 16:4 ) .

Exodus 1:18 In-Context

16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”

17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

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