Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionAnd the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.GThe midwives said to Par'oh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Mitzri women — for they are vigorous; before the midwife even arrives, they have already given birth."
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G MessageThe midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women — they are so full of life that by the time a midwife arrives, the baby is already born."
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThe midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
Footnotes
ki chayot hennah — the key interpretive crux of the chapter. Chayot can mean (a) 'vigorous/lively' — the women give birth rapidly; (b) 'like animals' — birthing without assistance; or (c) a resonant play on chayah ('to give life'). The F.O.G renders 'vigorous' as the most contextually natural reading; the F.O.G Message renders 'full of life' to draw out the theological irony — Pharaoh commands death, but Hebrew women embody and generate life. Whether the midwives are reporting fact or fabricating a plausible cover is left deliberately ambiguous by the text.
