BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY

Midwife

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3205

יָלַד

ya.lad — to beget

1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bear, bring forth 1a1a) of child birth 1a1b) of distress (simile) 1a1c) of wicked (behaviour) 1a2) to beget 1b) (Niphal) to be born 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cause or help to bring forth 1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife 1c3) midwife (participle) 1d) (Pual) to be born 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to beget (a child) 1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity) 1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive) 1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)

394 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H70

אֹבֶן

o.ven — wheel

1) wheel, disc 1a) potter's wheel 1b) bearing-stool, midwife's stool

2 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G8228

μαῖα

maia — a midwife

1. good mother, dame , (Odyssey by Homer) 2. a fostermother, nurse , (Euripides):—;also a true mother , (Aeschulus Tragicus) 3. a midwife , (Plato Philosophus) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G8230

μαιόομαι

maioomai — to act as midwife

Dep. to deliver a woman, [Refs 2nd c.AD, variant datesAnthology Palantina = μαιεύομαι (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

Historical dictionary entry

The two midwives mentioned in Ex. 1:15 were probably the superintendents of the whole class.

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Midwife in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →