Girl Old Testament Rare
Puah
mouth; corner; bush of hair
פּוּעָה pu.ah
Puah (Hebrew: פּוּאָה, pu.ah) means “mouth; corner; bush of hair”, by traditional interpretation. Three people in scripture bear the name; the best attested belongs to the Patriarchal period. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Abimelech in Judges 10.
Which Puah?
Three men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Puah
son of Issachar
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Puah
son of Dodo; father of Dodo; father of Tola
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Puah
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 5 across 5 books
- Bearers
- 3 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Patriarchal
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 46:13 |
| Last appears | 1 Chronicles 7:1 |
| Cross-references | 35 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Tola co-occurrence Appears with Tola in Judges 10.
- Shiphrah co-occurrence Appears with Shiphrah in Exodus 1.
- Dodo co-occurrence Appears with Dodo in Judges 10.
- Jashub co-occurrence Appears with Jashub in Genesis 46.
- Shimron co-occurrence Appears with Shimron in Genesis 46.
- Jair co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Jair.
- Abimelech co-occurrence Appears with Abimelech in Judges 10.
- Issachar co-occurrence Appears with Issachar in Judges 10.
Origin & meaning
A woman living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at Exo.1.15
§ Puah = "splendid"
one of the 2 midwives of the Hebrews ordered by Pharaoh to kill all the male children born to Israel; time of Moses
Puah, one of the two Hebrew midwives, along with Shiphrah, who defied Pharaoh's order to kill male Hebrew babies.
The biblical story
Puah was one of the two Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exo.1.15, along with Shiphrah. They lived in Egypt during the time when the Israelites were enslaved and oppressed by the Egyptians. The Pharaoh, fearing the growing population of the Hebrews, ordered the midwives to kill any male children born to Hebrew women (Exo.1.15-16). However, Puah and Shiphrah feared God and did not follow Pharaoh's command. Instead, they allowed the male children to live (Exo.1.17). When questioned by Pharaoh about their disobedience, the midwives claimed that the Hebrew women gave birth quickly, before they could arrive (Exo.1.18-19). God blessed Puah and Shiphrah for their bravery and gave them families of their own (Exo.1.20-21). The defiance of Puah and Shiphrah is an example of faith and courage in the face of oppression, and their actions played a role in the preservation of the Hebrew people during a time of great adversity.
Key verses
Puah appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
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And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
Exodus 1:15
Show all 1 reference
Exodus (1)
- Exodus 1:15