Birth-stool
The Biblical Reference
The birth-stool appears in Exodus 1:16, where Pharaoh issues his genocidal command to the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah: "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." The birth-stool was apparently the device or seat upon which women sat during labor, providing the midwife with access to assist in the delivery and immediately determine the sex of the newborn.
The Hebrew Word
The Hebrew word translated as "birth-stool" is obnayim, a dual form that literally suggests a pair of stones or a two-part structure. Remarkably, the same word appears in Jeremiah 18:3, where it describes the potter's wheel. A potter's wheel consisted of two discs, an upper working surface and a lower flywheel, connected by a shaft. The use of the dual form for both objects suggests that the birth-stool, like the potter's wheel, was composed of two parts. Some scholars believe the birth-stool consisted of two stones or supports on which the mother squatted or sat during delivery.
Ancient Birthing Practices
Birthing in the ancient Near East typically involved the mother assuming a squatting or kneeling position, often supported by stones, bricks, or a purpose-built stool. Egyptian medical texts and artistic depictions confirm that birth bricks and birthing stools were standard equipment for midwives. The Ebers Papyrus and other Egyptian medical documents reference birth bricks, and archaeological discoveries have uncovered decorated birth bricks from ancient Egyptian contexts. The Hebrew women in Egypt would have been familiar with these practices.
Pharaoh's Cruel Command
The mention of the birth-stool comes within one of Scripture's most dramatic narratives of resistance to tyranny. Pharaoh's order to the midwives represented an attempt at covert genocide, eliminating Hebrew boys at the moment of birth, before their parents could even hold them. The midwives were to use the intimate moment of delivery as an opportunity for murder, corrupting their healing vocation into an instrument of death.
The midwives' response is one of the Bible's great acts of civil disobedience. Shiphrah and Puah "feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live" (Exodus 1:17). When questioned by Pharaoh, they claimed that the Hebrew women were vigorous and gave birth before the midwives could arrive (Exodus 1:19). God blessed the midwives for their faithfulness, giving them families of their own (Exodus 1:20-21).
The Connection to the Potter's Wheel
The linguistic connection between the birth-stool and the potter's wheel in Jeremiah 18:3 has theological resonance. In Jeremiah's vision, God is the potter who shapes Israel on his wheel. The same word that describes the place of new human life also describes the instrument of divine creative work. Both the birth-stool and the potter's wheel are places where something new comes into being, a fitting connection for a God who declares, "Behold, I am doing a new thing" (Isaiah 43:19).
Significance for the Exodus Narrative
The birth-stool episode sets the stage for the entire Exodus story. Pharaoh's attempt to destroy the Hebrew boys at birth ultimately failed, and one of those boys, Moses, would grow up to lead Israel out of Egypt. The birth-stool, intended as a site of death, became instead a place where God preserved life. This reversal established the pattern for the entire Exodus: what the powerful intended for destruction, God transformed into deliverance.
Biblical Context
The birth-stool appears in Exodus 1:16 in Pharaoh's command to the Hebrew midwives. The same Hebrew word (obnayim) is used for the potter's wheel in Jeremiah 18:3. The passage introduces the oppression narrative that leads to Moses's birth and the Exodus from Egypt.
Theological Significance
The birth-stool episode demonstrates that God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human power. Pharaoh intended the birthstool as a site of death, but God used the midwives' courageous disobedience to preserve life. The story establishes the principle that obedience to God takes precedence over obedience to unjust human authority.
Historical Background
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt have confirmed the use of birth bricks and birthing stools in ancient Egyptian midwifery. Decorated birth bricks from the Middle Kingdom period have been found at sites including Abydos. Egyptian medical papyri describe birthing practices that align with the scene in Exodus 1:16. The squatting or seated position for delivery was standard throughout the ancient Near East and remained common in many cultures until the modern era.