Puah
Pronounced POO-uh
- Meaning
- "Splendid; Mouth"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Puah was one of two Hebrew midwives — along with Shiphrah — who defied Pharaoh's order to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth. Their civil disobedience is one of the earliest examples of resisting unjust authority in Scripture. When Pharaoh demanded to know why the Hebrew boys were surviving, Puah and Shiphrah cleverly answered that Hebrew women were "lively" and delivered before the midwives arrived. The text says God blessed the midwives for their faithfulness, giving them families of their own. Puah and Shiphrah's courage set the stage for Moses' survival and the entire Exodus narrative. Their story demonstrates that ordinary women acting on moral conviction can alter the course of history. Without their bravery, the greatest deliverance story in the Old Testament might never have happened.
Spiritual meaning
Puah's quiet courage in defying an unjust order preserved an entire nation. Her story teaches that fearing God above earthly authority is the foundation of true moral courage.
Related verses (KJV)
"But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive."
Exodus 1:17 (KJV) →"Therefore 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 houses."
Exodus 1:20-21 (KJV) →