וַתֹּאמַ֤רְןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה כִּ֣י לֹ֧א כַנָּשִׁ֛ים הַמִּצְרִיֹּ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת כִּֽי־חָי֣וֹת הֵ֔נָּה בְּטֶ֨רֶם תָּב֧וֹא אֲלֵהֶ֛ן הַמְיַלֶּ֖דֶת וְיָלָֽדוּ׃
Para bidan itu menjawab Firaun, “Sebab perempuan-perempuan Ibrani tidak seperti perempuan-perempuan Mesir. Mereka sendiri cakap menolong persalinan seperti bidan. Sebelum bidan datang kepada mereka, mereka sudah bersalin.”
Shemot Rabbah
The midwives said to Pharaoh: Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, as they are vigorous; before the midwife comes to them, they have delivered (Exodus 1:19).
“As they are vigorous [ḥayot].” If you say that they are midwives,32One of the interpretations of the Hebrew word ḥaya is midwife. does one midwife not require another midwife to assist her? Rather, this is what they said to him: This nation is analogized to the beasts of the field, which do not require midwives. Judah is likened to a lion, as it is written: “Judah is a lion’s cub (Genesis 49:9); Dan, “Dan will be a serpent [on the road]” (Genesis 49:17); Naftali, “a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21); Issachar is “a strong-boned donkey” (Genesis 49:14); Joseph, “a firstborn bull” (Deuteronomy 33:17); Benjamin is “a wolf that claws” (Genesis 49:27). Regarding the rest it is written: “How your mother was a lioness, she lay among lions” (Ezekiel 19:2).
God was good to the midwives; the people increased and they grew very mighty (Exodus 1:20).
“God was good to the midwives.” What was this good? The king of Egypt accepted their explanations and did not harm them.
Alternatively, “God was good,” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya ben Rabbi Abba: That is what is written: “He said to man: Behold, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). What is the reward for fear? It is Torah. Because Yokheved feared the Holy One blessed be He, He produced Moses, of whom it is written: “That he was good” (Exodus 2:2), from her. And the Torah, that is called “a good acquisition” (Proverbs 4:2), was given through him, and it is called after his name, as it is stated: “Remember the Torah of Moses My servant” (Malachi 3:22).
As for Miriam, Betzalel, who was filled with wisdom, as it is written: “I filled him with the spirit of God, [with wisdom]” (Exodus 31:3), emerged from her. And he crafted an ark for the Torah, which is called “good” – that is: “God was good to the midwives.”
“The people increased,” to fulfill what is stated: “Who is it who says and it is realized, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37). If Pharaoh commanded to kill all the males, to what avail was his decree when God did not command it? Rather: “The people increased and they grew very mighty.”
“As they are vigorous [ḥayot].” If you say that they are midwives,32One of the interpretations of the Hebrew word ḥaya is midwife. does one midwife not require another midwife to assist her? Rather, this is what they said to him: This nation is analogized to the beasts of the field, which do not require midwives. Judah is likened to a lion, as it is written: “Judah is a lion’s cub (Genesis 49:9); Dan, “Dan will be a serpent [on the road]” (Genesis 49:17); Naftali, “a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21); Issachar is “a strong-boned donkey” (Genesis 49:14); Joseph, “a firstborn bull” (Deuteronomy 33:17); Benjamin is “a wolf that claws” (Genesis 49:27). Regarding the rest it is written: “How your mother was a lioness, she lay among lions” (Ezekiel 19:2).
God was good to the midwives; the people increased and they grew very mighty (Exodus 1:20).
“God was good to the midwives.” What was this good? The king of Egypt accepted their explanations and did not harm them.
Alternatively, “God was good,” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya ben Rabbi Abba: That is what is written: “He said to man: Behold, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). What is the reward for fear? It is Torah. Because Yokheved feared the Holy One blessed be He, He produced Moses, of whom it is written: “That he was good” (Exodus 2:2), from her. And the Torah, that is called “a good acquisition” (Proverbs 4:2), was given through him, and it is called after his name, as it is stated: “Remember the Torah of Moses My servant” (Malachi 3:22).
As for Miriam, Betzalel, who was filled with wisdom, as it is written: “I filled him with the spirit of God, [with wisdom]” (Exodus 31:3), emerged from her. And he crafted an ark for the Torah, which is called “good” – that is: “God was good to the midwives.”
“The people increased,” to fulfill what is stated: “Who is it who says and it is realized, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37). If Pharaoh commanded to kill all the males, to what avail was his decree when God did not command it? Rather: “The people increased and they grew very mighty.”
Shemot Rabbah
“And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a mighty hand” (Exodus 3:19).
“And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go.” The Holy One blessed be He saw what the wicked Pharaoh is destined to do; [that he will] increase the workload of the people from the moment that he [Moses] goes [to Pharaoh] as His emissary. And so that he [Moses] would not be misled by this thing, the Holy One blessed be He made known to him that Pharaoh is destined to do such and such when you go on My mission so that he would not reproach Heaven. 26In order that Moses would not complain to God that his mission was a failure, as he in fact did in Exodus 5:22-23. Nevertheless, he reproached Heaven, and about him it is stated: “For oppression turns a wise man into a fool” (Ecclesiastes 7:7).
“And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go.” The Holy One blessed be He saw what the wicked Pharaoh is destined to do; [that he will] increase the workload of the people from the moment that he [Moses] goes [to Pharaoh] as His emissary. And so that he [Moses] would not be misled by this thing, the Holy One blessed be He made known to him that Pharaoh is destined to do such and such when you go on My mission so that he would not reproach Heaven. 26In order that Moses would not complain to God that his mission was a failure, as he in fact did in Exodus 5:22-23. Nevertheless, he reproached Heaven, and about him it is stated: “For oppression turns a wise man into a fool” (Ecclesiastes 7:7).
Sefer HaYashar (midrash)
And Pharaoh hearing their words believed them in this thing, and the midwives departed from Pharaoh; and the Lord did well unto them, and the people increased and became very powerful. And there was a man in the land of Egypt, from the seed of Levi, and his name was Amram, son of Kehath, son of Levi, the son of Israel. And this man went and took for a wife Joshebed, the daughter of Levi, the sister of his father, and she was one hundred and twenty-six years of age when he came unto her. And the woman conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Miriam, for in those days the Egyptians embittered the lives of the children of Israel; and she conceived again. And bare a son, and she called his name Aaron, for in the days of her pregnancy Pharaoh began to spill the blood of the male children in Israel. In those days Zepho, son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, the king of Chittim died, and Janias ruled in his stead, and the days that Zepho reigned over the children of Chittim were fifty years, and he died and was buried in the city of Nobua, in the land of Chittim, and Janias, one of the valiant men of the children of Chittim, reigned after him. And after the death of Zepho, Balaam, the son of Beor, fled from Chittim, and he went and came unto Egypt, and Pharaoh received him with great honors, for he had heard of his wisdom, and he gave him gifts and made him his coun selor, and exalted him. And Balaam dwelt in Egypt with great honor, and all the princes of Pharaoh exalted him, for they were very eager to learn his wisdom. And it came to pass in the one hundred and thirtieth year of Israel’s going down into Egypt, and Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he sat upon his regal throne, and he saw, and behold, an old man stood opposite him, and in the hand of the old man was a pair of scales like unto the scales of the merchants, and the old man took the scales. And cast them down before Pharaoh. And the old man took all the elders of Egypt and all the princes and great men, and he tied them together and placed them into one scale; and then he took a kid and placed it into the other scale, and the kid was heavier than all the elders, princes and great men. And Pharoah awoke and behold, it was a dream. And when Pharaoh rose up in the morning and he related his dream unto his servants, the men were all in great fear. And Pharaoh said to all of his wise men: I pray you, interpret the dream which I have dreamed, and let me know its meaning. And Balaam, the son of Beor, answered unto the king, and he said unto him: This can have reference to nothing else but to a great evil, which will grow up against Egypt in the latter days; for behold, a son will be born unto Israel, who will lay all Egypt into ruins, and destroy all its inhabitants, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt with a powerful hand.