[The first measure of hard labor did not work, so Pharaoh took more direct measures to limit the number of Israelite men.]
The Egyptian king spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shifra ["the beautiful"] and the other Pua ["the shining one"]. [The Israelites were so numerous that it is likely that Shifra and Pua were in charge of all the Hebrew midwives. The names of these two godly women are mentioned in the text, while the "important" king of the time is not named.]
