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when she should labour indeed, her might and strength is spent before in vaine, so that she is not now able to helpe her selfe, and that is a perillous case. 15
    Wisdom is required not to force the issue too soon as well as to maximize every window of opportunity that presents itself. In other words, timing is everything.
    Sarah Zadok, who is an expert in the Jewish tradition of midwifery, notes that “trust in the natural process of labor and in a woman’s body to birth normally and safely is the hallmark of midwifery care.” 16 She uses the examples of two midwives found in the Old Testament during a critical time in Israel’s history. These were the famous midwives in the Book of Exodus, who turned out to be the mother and sister of Moses, Jochebed and Miriam, and who are identified as Shiphrah and Puah in Exodus 1:15. Zadok comments that these women “became God’s partners in creation, granting life to the Jewish children.” 17
    An article published by the
Jewish Women’s Archive
states:
    It is significant that the Biblical text actually mentions Shifra and Puah by name, suggesting the ultimate importance of their role in the liberation of the Israelites. The Talmudic sages taught that the names “Shifra” and “Puah” indicate different roles midwives play. “Shifra” stems from the Hebrew verb to swaddle or to clean a baby, while Puah comes from the Hebrew word to cry out because a midwife tries to calm a new mother’s cries by offering her words of encouragement. 18
    Shiphrah
is rooted in the Aramaic word
meshaperet,
and it means “to make beautiful,” 19 or more literally, “to straighten.” 20 The Hebrew name
Shifra
is derived from the Hebrew root meaning, “the capacity to make something better, or to improve its quality.” 21 Interestingly enough,
Puah
is the Hebrew word for “mouth” and comes from a Hebrew root that implies a particular gift of speech. 22 The Aramaic verb
po’ah
means to “cry out.” This is the same word used in Isaiah 42:14:
“Now I will cry out and strain like a woman giving birth to a child”
(NCV). “Why was her name called Puah?” asks artist and Jewish scholar Sarah Leah Hankes. “Because she cried out [
po’ah
] to the child and brought it forth.” Hankes adds that “another explanation of Puah is that she used to cry out through the Holy Spirit [the prophetic gift] and say: ‘My mother will bear a son who will be the savior of Israel.’” 23 We can see the critical significance of the midwife’s role in bringing about “something better” and interceding on behalf of that which is yet to be born.
    Shiphrah and Puah were faithful servants of God. Because of their obedience, the nation of Israel was fruitful and multiplied even under the harshest of conditions.
“Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses”
(Exodus 1:20-21 KJV). The “houses” referred to here are believed to be both the priestly dynasty that came forth from Jochebed, who, being married to a Levite, bore Moses and Aaron; as well as the royal dynasty birthed through Miriam, who was married to Caleb from the tribe of Judah, and from whom sprang forth the House of David.
    What is important to understand is that in our immediate environment we need people who are able to co-labor with us in bringing forth the divine potential we carry, people who are able to empower and encourage us, discern God’s timing, cry out on our behalf, and be a calming and comforting force that continually draws us into the presence of God. Much as the Divine Midwife, the Holy Spirit, hovers over us to draw out the seed of promise each of us carry, we must be surrounded by a network of human supporters standing by to coach and help us breathe when we are being overcome by the pain of labor. We need to be mindful of our relationships—those we allow to speak into our lives and