After some time, Pharaoh realized that the Israelite boys were not being killed and called the midwives to investigate. Unsurprisingly, he is not pleased and demands to know why the midwives have defied his command. The two women have a ready answer: “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”