King James Version

Exodus 1:17

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

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Hebrew

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וַתִּירֶ֤אןָvatirenaand fearיָרֵאconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “and fear”, the next action in the storyH3372to fear; morally, to revere; caus. to frightenaffright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), [idiom] see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙hamyaldotthe bearיָלַדdefinite article, verb, piel, participle, absolute — “the bear”, a verb used as a describing wordH3205to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineagebear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (wom…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔יםhaelohimthe Godאֱלֹהִיםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the God”, the ordinary formH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.וְלֹ֣אveloand no , -r,לֹאconjunction, particle, negative — “and no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…עָשׂ֔וּasvdoעָשָׂהverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “do”, a completed actionH6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationaccomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, f…כַּאֲשֶׁ֛רkaasheras becauseאֲשֶׁרpreposition, particle, relative — “as because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…דִּבֶּ֥רdiberspeakדָבַרverb, piel, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “speak”, a completed actionH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.אֲלֵיהֶ֖ןaleyhenamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).מֶ֣לֶךְmelekhkingמֶלֶךְnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “king”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4428a kingking, royal.מִצְרָ֑יִםmitsrayimEgyptמִצְרַיִםnoun, proper name — “Egypt”H4714Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower EgyptEgypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָvatchayeynaand liveחָיָהconjunction, verb, piel, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “and live”, the next action in the storyH2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revivekeep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַיְלָדִֽיםhayladimthe childיֶלֶדdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the child”, the ordinary formH3206something born, i.e. a lad or offspringboy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

Young’s Literal Translation

And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;

World English Bible

But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

Darby Translation

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to them, but saved the male children alive.

Douay-Rheims

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded, but saved the men children.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ αἱ μαῖαι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησαν καθότι συνέταξεν αὐταῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐζωογόνουν τὰ ἄρσενα.

American Standard Version (1901)

Young’s Literal Translation

World English Bible

Darby Translation

Douay-Rheims

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

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