Shifra
Shifra is the name of a midwife in the Old Testament . Together with Pua , she prevents the murder of the male descendants of the Israelites in Egypt.
Surname
The Hebrew name שִׁפְרָה Šifrah appears only in Ex 1.15 EU . The name is related to the verbשפר Schafar , German ' to be beautiful' and means 'beauty' (as translated by Raschi ). In the Septuagint the name is rendered as σεπφωρα sepfora .
Biblical report
Shifra was a midwife to the Israelites in Egypt. The Pharaoh instructed her and the midwife Pua to let the male descendants die during obstetrics. Both refused to carry out this order out of fear of God. When confronted by the Pharaoh about this, they claimed that the Hebrew women, unlike the Egyptian women, gave birth before a midwife arrived, so that they would not have been able to carry out their assignment. The pharaoh then ordered all newborn males to be thrown into the Nile. ( Ex 1.15–22 EU )
Extra-biblical reception
Targum Jonathan identifies Shifra with Jochebed named in Ex 6.20 EU , the mother of Aaron and Moses and Pua with Mirjam named in Ex 15.20 EU , the daughter of Jochebed and sister of Aaron and Moses.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ilse Muellner: Midwife. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.
- ^ Raschi's Pentateuch commentary completely translated into German and provided with an introduction by Rabb. Dr. Selig Bamberger , p. 140
- ↑ Targum Jonathan to Ex 1. In: Sefaria.org. Retrieved May 27, 2018 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shifra |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Midwife in the Old Testament |