Exodus 1:17

1:17 But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

Exodus 9:20

9:20 Those of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their servants and livestock into the houses,


tn Heb “and they [fem. pl.] feared”; the referent (the midwives) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn The verb is the Piel preterite of חָיָה (khaya, “to live”). The Piel often indicates a factitive nuance with stative verbs, showing the cause of the action. Here it means “let live, cause to live.” The verb is the exact opposite of Pharaoh’s command for them to kill the boys.

tn The text has “the one fearing.” The singular expression here and throughout vv. 20-21 refers to all who fit the description.

tn Heb “his” (singular).