ויעש להם בתים/2

ויעש להם בתים

Exegetical Approaches

The word בית takes on various meanings in different Biblical verses. See בית for a general discussion of the assorted definitions of the word itself and the expression "עשה בית". The analysis below will focus on the possible meanings and purposes of the בָּתִּים in our verse, and the ramifications for the identification of the subject and object of the verse:

Physical Structures

The "בָּתִּים" are literal brick and mortar houses. The commentators who take this approach have widely diverging opinions regarding the purpose of these homes:

To Benefit the Midwives

God or the Israelites made the homes for the benefit of the midwives. This possibility subdivides as to their purpose:

Safe Houses

To hide them from Paroh.

Sources:R. SaadiaTafsir Shemot 1:21Cited by Ibn Ezra Short Commentary Shemot 1:21About R. Saadia, RadakSefer HaShorashim s.v. ביתTehillim 68:7About Radak, Midrash HaGadolShemot 1:21About Midrash HaGadol,¹ Tzeror HaMorShemot 1:21About Tzeror HaMor.

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – According to Radak, God supplied the houses. In contrast, the Tzeror HaMor says that the houses were built by the Israelites.

Object of לָהֶם – The houses were made for the midwives. This approach needs to explain that the masculine form "לָהֶם" can also refer to females² – see Gender Forms.

Nature of the בָּתִּים – They were safe houses, rather than regular houses. Radak mentions a parallel case in Yirmeyahu 36:26 in which Hashem hid Yirmeyahu and Barukh from the king's messengers, while Midrash HaGadol notes the similarity to the story of Rachav hiding the spies from the king of Yericho (Yehoshua 2).

Context – The making of the houses explains the meaning of God's beneficence to the midwives in the previous verse.

A Reward

To reward the midwives for their heroic actions.

Sources:Shadal's father cited by ShadalShemot 1-21About Shadal.

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Shadal's father posits that the Israelites constructed the houses. This approach could explain that the singular form of the verb refers to the Israelite nation as a whole.³

Object of לָהֶם – The midwives.⁴

Nature of the בָּתִּים – Regular dwellings. The Israelites were experienced builders, so they chose to reward the midwives with houses.

To Harm the Israelites

Paroh constructed the houses as part of his plan to harm the Jewish people. This possibility also subdivides as to their use:

House Arrest

Paroh used them to imprison the midwives or place them under house arrest.

Sources:RashbamShemot 1:21About Rashbam, second option in R. BachyaShemot 1:21About R. Bachya.

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Paroh.

Object of לָהֶם – The midwives.⁵

Nature of the בָּתִּים – Cf. Bereshit 40:14 "וְהוֹצֵאתַנִי מִן הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה" where בַּיִת also refers to a prison.

Enable Enforcement

Paroh made houses for the Egyptians, midwives, or Israelites to assist in the enforcement of his decree to kill the baby boys.

Sources:Second explanation in Lekach TovShemot 1:21About Lekach Tov,⁶ second explanation in ChizkuniShemot 1:21About Chizkuni, Ma'asei HashemMa'asei Mitzraim 4About Maasei Hashem

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Paroh.

Object of לָהֶם:

• The Egyptians – According to the Lekach Tov, Egyptians were relocated to houses amidst the Israelite population to spy and enforce Paroh's decree. The difficulty with this option is that the Egyptians are not mentioned until the following verse.
• The midwives – Chizkuni suggests that the midwives were assigned special housing so that the Israelite mothers would find them easily.
• The Israelites – The Ma'asei Hashem maintains that the Israelite population had overflowed from Goshen to the fields by the Nile, and Paroh built urban housing for them so that the midwives would be present for the delivery of the babies.

Nature of the בָּתִּים – Regular houses.

Families or Dynasties

The "בָּתִּים" are families or dynasties – see בית for a discussion of parallel verses.⁷

Large Families

The Israelites or midwives were blessed with large families:

The Israelites

As a result of the midwives' actions, the Israelite population continued to grow.

Sources:R. Yonah ibn JanachSefer HaRikma Sha'ar 39About Ibn Janach.⁸

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Hashem, through the actions of the midwives.

Object of לָהֶם – The Israelites.

Nature of the בָּתִּים – A household.

Context – According to this approach, this verse recapitulates the description of the nation multiplying already found in the previous verse, and is the backdrop for Paroh's subsequent decree in the following verse.

The Midwives

The midwives themselves were blessed with large families.

Sources:SeptuagintShemot 1:21About the Septuagint, Machberet MenachemMachberet s.v. בתAbout Menachem b. Saruk, Ibn EzraShort Commentary Shemot 1:21About Ibn Ezra, first possibility in RadakSefer HaShorashim s.v. ביתTehillim 68:7About Radak, ShadalShemot 1-21About Shadal.⁹

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Hashem.

Object of לָהֶם – The midwives.¹⁰

Nature of the בָּתִּים – A household. Shadal suggests that midwives were generally women who were barren, and therefore Hashem rewarded them with children.

Special Descendants

Hashem rewarded the midwives by bestowing a unique status upon their descendants and creating dynasties from them.

Sources:Sifre BemidbarBemidbar 78About Sifre Bemidbar, Targum NeofitiShemot 1:21About Targum Neofiti, Targum Pseudo-JonathanShemot 1:21About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Targum YerushalmiShemot 1:21About Targum Yerushalmi, Bavli SotahSotah 11bAbout the Bavli, Shemot Rabbah1:1748:4About Shemot Rabbah, first explanation in Lekach TovShemot 1:21About Lekach Tov, RashiShemot 1:21About Rashi, RalbagShemot 1:21About Ralbag.¹¹

Who are the Midwives – By identifying the midwives with women known from other Biblical stories,¹² these commentaries are able to propose various combinations of kingship, priesthood, Levitehood, and leadership, as the dynasties referred to in the verse.¹³

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Hashem.

Object of לָהֶם – The midwives.¹⁴

Nature of the בָּתִּים – A family or dynasty.

Context – According to this position, Yocheved was one of the midwives, and the subsequent chapters discuss her offspring and the dynasties which came from them.

Wealth and Honor

The "בָּתִּים" refer to wealth and honor.

Sources:R. Yosef Bekhor ShorShemot 1:21About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, R. Yosef ibn KaspiShemot 1:21About Ibn Kaspi, first approach in AbarbanelShemot 1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, Melekhet MachshevetShemot 1:15-21About R. Moshe Hefetz, Gesenius in his Lexicon s.v. ביתCited by Shadal Shemot 1:21About Gesenius.

Subject of וַיַּעַשׂ – Hashem. However, see the Melekhet Machshevet who posits that the midwives gained more clients as word spread of their heroic and merciful actions

Object of לָהֶם – The midwives.¹⁵

Nature of the בָּתִּים – Honor and riches. See בית for other verses in which the word may have a similar meaning.

¹ The Midrash HaGadol says the midwives physically became "שתי קורות של בתים", two beams of a house.

² See Seikhel TovShemot 1:21About Seikhel Tov who raises the issue of the masculine form and AbarbanelShemot 1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, ShadalShemot 1-21About Shadal, R. D"Z HoffmannShemot 1:20-21About R. D"Z Hoffmann, and U. CassutoShemot 1:20-21About U. Cassuto who respond.

³ See Singular-Plural for examples of a singular form being used for a plural subject.

⁴ See note above regarding the masculine form.

⁵ See note above regarding the masculine form.

⁶ See also Seikhel TovShemot 1:21About Seikhel Tov.

⁷ See also Shalom Paul, Divrei Shalom (Leiden – Boston, 2005): 177-180 who notes the parallel between the Biblical expression "עשה בית" and the Akkadian idiom bītam epēšu which means "to found a family".

⁸ Cf. the second explanation in AbarbanelShemot 1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel and the German translation cited in the BiurShemot 1:21About the Biur.

⁹ See also R. Yosef Bekhor Shor below.

¹⁰ See note above regarding the masculine form.

¹¹ This approach needs to postulate that the midwives were Jewish – see Who are the Midwives.

¹² See Who are the Midwives for a discussion of whether the interpretation of "houses" as dynasties influenced the identification of the midwives, or the reverse. In Bavli Sotah, both the identification and the interpretation are attributed to Rav and Shemuel.

¹³ These institutions are described in other Biblical verses as בֵּית אַהֲרֹן (e.g. Tehillim 115:10-12), בֵּית לֵוִי (e.g. Shemot 2:1, Bemidbar 17:23) and בֵּית דָּוִד (e.g. Shemuel I 20:16).

¹⁴ See note above regarding the masculine form.

¹⁵ See note above regarding the masculine form.