Misinterpretations of this verse often overlook its narrative context by portraying the midwives as mere deceivers endorsed by God without emphasizing their God-fearing motivation as the reason for divine favor in the following verses, or by assuming Pharaoh's inquiry implies approval of their actions when it actually signals escalating oppression against the Hebrews, thus distorting the passage's truth about prioritizing God's commands amid persecution rather than sanctioning evasion of authority.
Exodus 1:18
King James Version (1769)
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?
Exodus 1:18 depicts Pharaoh's direct questioning of the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah after discovering they had spared the lives of newborn Hebrew boys contrary to his genocidal command, underscoring the midwives' profound fear of God that compelled them to obey divine moral law over tyrannical human authority, illustrating a core biblical principle that loyalty to God supersedes submission to unjust rulers and often invites confrontation from earthly powers.