Shiphrah

Shiphrah (meaning: beauty or brightness) was one of the two Hebrew midwives — alongside Puah — commanded by Pharaoh to kill all Hebrew male infants at birth by throwing them into the Nile (Exodus 1:15–21). Instead of obeying, the midwives feared God and allowed the boys to live, telling Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were vigorous and gave birth before the midwives could arrive. This act of civil disobedience on behalf of the vulnerable is celebrated as one of Scripture's earliest examples of human beings choosing the fear of God over obedience to tyrannical human authority.

As a result of their courage and faithfulness, God blessed both midwives: because the midwives feared God, he made them houses — meaning he established their families and gave them descendants. Shiphrah and Puah are the first named heroes of the exodus story, their courage preceding and making possible the survival of Moses himself. Their names appear in Egyptian documents of the period, lending historical plausibility to the account's setting. The narrative establishes a theme of providential preservation that runs through the entire exodus narrative.