Jochebed, Amram, Shiphrah, Puah

By faith Moses . . . was hid three months by his parents, because they saw he was a goodly child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.—Hebrews 11:23, ASV

Richard Evans

The writer of Hebrews assigned a place in faith’s hall of fame for the parents of Moses: Jochebed and Amram. Amram, a son of Kohath, a grandson of Levi, was of the third generation to be in Egypt. Jochebed, a daughter of Levi, a sister to Kohath, was an aunt to Amram. Though of the second generation, it is recorded that she was born in Egypt (Numbers 26:59). Undoubtedly she was a late child and near the same age as Amram. She is one of the few women whose birth is noted in the Bible.

Though later prohibited by the Law of Moses, there was nothing at the time to prevent marriage between a couple so closely related. Their union brought forth three children—first a daughter, Miriam, then a number of years later a son, Aaron (Numbers 26:59), three years after Aaron’s birth their second son, Moses.

To appreciate the inclusion of Moses’ parents in the faith’s honor roll the circumstances of their day must be understood. It was the time near the end of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt. As indicated by the words of Joshua just before his death, Israel’s faith in its God at that time had all but disappeared.

"Now therefore fear Jehovah, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve ye Jehovah."—Joshua 24:14, ASV

While in Egyptian bondage, the Hebrews, collectively, served the gods of their masters.

The prophet Ezekiel also spoke of this national apostasy: "In that day I sware unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands. And I said unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Jehovah your God. But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt."—Ezekiel 20:6-8, ASV

The words of Joshua and Ezekiel are damning! Israel, at the time of her deliverance, was in a state of unbelief. With but few exceptions, the Hebrews had forgotten God’s promise of deliverance and they were serving the gods of Egypt!

Pharaoh’s Fear

Before the promised deliverance, the faith of the few who continued to hold to the promises of their God was severely tested by the raising up of a new Pharaoh—one who had an inordinate fear of the Hebrews in spite of their apostasy.

"And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply."—Exodus 1:7-10, ASV

This fear of the king of Egypt is not peculiar to that time or place. It is the same fear experienced in the United States at the beginning of World War II. The U.S. government looked at the large population of Japanese-Americans and felt it needed to do something about them. It is the same fear felt by many toward an increasing population of Spanish speaking peoples in southern and southwestern states. Pharaoh’s fear was not unique and can still be seen in today’s world.

"And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. 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? 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 midwife come unto them. And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households."—Exodus 1:15-21, ASV

It is not clear whether Shiphrah and Puah were Hebrew or Egyptian. It is difficult to believe Pharaoh would entrust such a mission to Hebrew women. Also, the explanation of their failure seems to be more like the words of an Egyptian than a Hebrew. If they were Egyptian, then they were the precursors of other faithful proselytes such as Rahab and Ruth, and may have been among the "mixed multitude" that joined the Hebrews in the Exodus (Exodus 12:38). But whether Egyptian or Hebrew, they "feared God" and, consequently, did not obey the king of Egypt.

The word "households" in verse 21 has the meaning of extended family with many members, as when God through Nathan told David he would make him a "house" (2 Samuel 7:11). For their faithfulness God blessed Shiphrah and Puah by prospering their families. He looked with favor upon their "households."

Edict and Response

In his fear and frustration over his failure to contain the supernatural population explosion of the Hebrews, Pharaoh issued a shocking edict: "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive."—Exodus 1:22, ASV

Some attempt to restrict the scope of this edict by adding the word "Hebrew" before "son." There is, however, no manuscript evidence for such a change. Jewish tradition, following the Scripture as it is, states that all male children, Egyptian as well as Hebrew, were cast into the river. This tradition is probably correct. Pharaoh, in his fear and anxiety, decreed the death of all newborn males, Hebrew and Egyptian. He was willing to sacrifice the few for what he perceived as the greater good.

Stephen, the first Christian martyr of record, in his discourse before the Sanhedrin, gave a thought on Pharaoh’s edict that is not evident in the Exodus account: "But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live."—Acts 7:17-19, ASV

It is commonly believed the decree was given by Pharaoh as king, and was carried out by force of arms as was done in Bethlehem centuries later by King Herod. Stephen’s account, however, suggests a different thought. The Greek word translated "craftily" means "cunningly" or "deceptively." The word rendered "ill-treated" (kakoo, #2559), on the other hand, can have the meaning "to affect evilly," as "to poison the mind." In Acts 14:2 it is used in this sense to describe the action of unbelieving Jews who made the minds of some Gentiles "evil affected" against Paul and Barnabas.

At the time of the edict, and as it was for thousands of years afterwards, church and state were one. Pharaoh was high priest as well as king. The words of Stephen seem to indicate Pharaoh, as Egypt’s religious leader, ordered the sacrifice of all newborn males, rather than a violent act of genocide. His justification, if one was needed, would have been the appeasement of a wrathful god. So, the edict was probably religious in nature; the Hebrews who were serving the Egyptian gods had no choice but to comply. As Stephen declared, they were deceived and cunningly used. They were "evil entreated," their minds were poisoned, and they freely "cast out their young children" themselves. This may have been a forerunner of the human sacrifices Israel was to practice later in the promised land (Ezekiel 16:20,21; Psalm 106:37,38). Stephen’s record helps explain Ezekiel’s strong condemnation. Israel "committed whoredoms in Egypt" (Ezekiel 23:3).

Yet there were exceptions. Shiphrah and Puah, Jochebed and Amram, feared God more than Pharaoh. Given the circumstances at that time, their faith is noteworthy. They knew of and believed in the promise made to Abraham. They knew of and believed in the promise of Israel’s deliverance in the fourth generation (Genesis 15:16)—the generation of children then being born. They understood the miraculous birthrate among their people to be a preparation for that deliverance. No doubt Jochebed and Amram were also aware of the younger son blessing that had occurred so many times before—with Abel, Isaac, Jacob, and Ephraim.

Because they knew these things and believed them, these faithful ones trusted in their God, Jehovah, the God of Abraham. They did not serve the gods of Egypt. This, no doubt, brought down upon them not only the displeasure of the Egyptians, but also the scorn and resentment of those Hebrews who had turned from Jehovah. They were probably censured and reproved by kindred and strangers alike.

Such hostile circumstances make evident the need for his parents to hide Moses. Their failure to sacrifice him would greatly anger all who had willingly cast out their own sons. The child, and probably the family, would not be safe if he was seen or heard by anyone, Egyptian or Hebrew. The apostate Hebrews would believe Moses’ existence would bring down upon them not only the wrath of Pharaoh, but the wrath of the Egyptian gods as well. Their reaction would have been the same as it was 40 years later when they rejected Moses, and betrayed him to Pharaoh.

The biblical account indicates his parents hid Moses for three months (Exodus 2:2), but does not give a reason for such a period. It may have been Pharaoh’s daughter bathed in the river during a certain season only, and it was necessary to wait until that season arrived. Three months of hiding a new born babe must have been a very trying and harrowing experience.

Stephen added another important detail that gives additional insight into the motivation of Jochebed and Amram: "At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair [margin: fair to God]; and he was nourished three months in his father’s house."—Acts 7:20, ASV

The literal reading is given in the margin: Moses was "fair to God." This detail is usually given little thought and the notion commonly presented is that it refers to the physical beauty of the child. If such was the case, it would be difficult to understand its inclusion in the record. Such a mundane fact would not have been thought worthy of notice. What parent has not thought their child beautiful? The marginal reading, however, makes it significant. These faithful parents knew their son was "fair to God." He was the younger son in a God-fearing family. He was of the fourth generation. He was chosen of God.

As Shiphrah and Puah before them, Jochebed and Amram defied Pharaoh’s edict. In spite of the great danger, they hid Moses, their child that was "fair to God" for three months. Then when the daughter of Pharaoh went down to the river to bathe, they pursued a course that would ensure the child’s survival—not only survival, but his training and preparation for God’s work, as well.

Though living in the midst of idolatry and unbelief this faithful group of four trusted God and held fast to the hope of deliverance. They lived and acted in accordance with their hope, just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before them. It was their acts of faith that made it possible for God to later raise up Moses and bring about that promised deliverance. Their faith in God and in his promises are an important part of that great "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) that is so meaningful to all who live their lives out of faith (Hebrews 10:38).

A Picture of the Christian

On June 17, 1911, Bro. Benjamin Barton gave a discourse entitled "Lessons from the Life of Moses, Servant of God." He used Exodus 2:1-10 as his text and drew a wonderful parallel to Christian consecration. Letting Jochebed picture the Christian, he likened the baby Moses in the ark to the "all" that must be offered in response to God’s call. The taking of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter represented God’s acceptance of that offering. The return of Moses to Jochebed demonstrated the return of the offering to the called one, who, as a consequence, has been chosen to care for it. Because Moses had become a member of the royal house, Jochebed had little to say about what Moses ate, what he wore, his training, or his education. In like manner, the Christian can no longer use his "all" as he pleases. It belongs to the royal house and must be cared for in a way pleasing to his King. (See the excerpt at the bottom of page 11.)