Exodus 1:17

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Cross-references

In Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach and friends refuse the king's decree, fearing God more — a direct parallel to the midwives' civil disobedience.

Acts 5:29 Parallel

Acts 5:29 explicitly states the principle exemplified by the midwives — obey God over men.

Acts 4:19 Parallel

Acts 4:19 parallels the midwives' reasoning: obey God rather than human rulers when commands conflict.

Luke 12:5 Parallel

Luke 12:5 echoes the call to fear God rather than human authority, mirroring the midwives' choice.

Matthew 10:28 expands on the same principle: fear God, not human threats, just as the midwives feared God over Pharaoh.

Daniel 6:13 Parallel

In Daniel 6:13, Daniel disobeys the king's decree to pray only to him — like the midwives, he prioritizes God's law over human law.

In Ecclesiastes 12:13, the whole duty is to fear God and keep His commands — the midwives obeyed God rather than Pharaoh's command.

In Proverbs 24:12, God weighs the heart and repays according to deeds — the midwives' hidden obedience was seen and rewarded by God.

In Proverbs 24:11, we are called to rescue those being led to death — the midwives did exactly that by sparing the Hebrew boys.

In Proverbs 16:6, the fear of the Lord turns one from evil — the midwives' fear led them to disobey Pharaoh and spare the children.

In Proverbs 8:13, the fear of the Lord means hating evil — the midwives feared God and thus rejected the evil command to kill infants.

In Matthew 2:12, the Magi disobey Herod after a divine warning—paralleling the midwives' disobedience to Pharaoh out of fear of God.

2 Samuel 13:28 shows servants obeying a wicked command without fear of God, contrasting with the midwives who feared God and disobeyed.

Hosea 5:11 Contrast

In Hosea 5:11, Ephraim is crushed because he followed human commands — contrast with the midwives who disobeyed and were blessed.

Micah 6:16 Contrast

Micah 6:16 condemns following wicked royal decrees, contrasting with the midwives who defied Pharaoh's evil command out of fear of God.

In 1 Kings 21:11, the elders obey a wicked royal command—the opposite of the midwives' godly disobedience.

2 Samuel 24:4 shows Joab yielding to the king's command despite misgivings, contrasting the midwives' refusal to obey a wicked order.

Proverbs 31:30 Related theme

Proverbs 31:30 praises fearing the Lord—echoing the midwives' motive for disobedience.