Kommentar zu Schemot 1:18

מדוע עשיתם, “why did you betray my trust?” After all, when I gave you these instructions you did not refuse the task, making me believe that you would indeed cause the death of these boy babies. “My trust has been betrayed.”

מדוע לא עשיתם…זתחיינן את הילדים? "Why did you not do…and you kept these children alive?" What did the king refer to when he asked the midwives: "why did you do, etc?" Their crime was what they had not done! Not killing the babies surely is not described as an activity! The king should have asked: "why did you not do etc.?" Furthermore, what did the king mean when he accused the midwives of keeping the children alive? If he referred to the fact that they supplied food and water, how did the midwives' answer satisfy him? Their answer would be equivalent to rebellion against the king's command!

ותחיינה את הילדים, not only did you not kill these babies, but you were actively involved in ensuring their survival!

Perhaps Pharaoh was not really sure that they had been supplying food to these babies as they certainly would not do this while other Egyptians were looking on. One could certainly not accuse any Israelites as reporting such a thing to the king. Basing itself on Exodus 3,22 where the Israelites were told 12 months before the Exodus that at that time women would "borrow" silver trinkets from their neighbours, Vayikra Rabbah 32,5 points out that not a single Israelite revealed this information to Pharaoh or to any other Egyptian. Israelites did not snitch on one another during that time. It must be assumed therefore that Egyptians did observe the midwives bringing victuals to the houses of pregnant Israelite women. These Egyptians also became aware that boy babies were being born and raised. Pharaoh therefore referred to the food the midwives were bringing to the pregnant mothers when he asked: "why did you do this?" Unless the midwives kept the boy babies alive, Pharaoh would have attributed their actions as designed to help the baby girls stay alive. Under the circumstances, i.e. the appearance of live baby boys, he had to assume that their existence was due to the midwives' action. Pharaoh simply used his powers of imagination. He had no proof of any sort that the midwives had contravened his orders.