1:15 Pharaoh is a title for the Egyptian ruler, not a personal name. • The origins of the word Hebrew are unclear. As used by the Egyptians and Philistines in reference to the Israelites, it was apparently a derogatory term for a despised underclass. • Whatever the number of Hebrew people (see study note on 12:37), there were clearly more than two midwives for the whole nation. Probably the two named here, Shiphrah and Puah, are representatives of the whole group. The differences between Pharaoh and the midwives are dramatic. He had great political and military power; they had none. He had great official prestige; they had very little. He was a man; they were women. He was of the ruling people; they were slaves. He was rich; they were poor. They could easily have been cowed into obedience, but they were not.