Exodus 1:16

“And he said, when ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, etc.] Deliver them of their children: and see [them] upon the stools; seats for women in labour to sit upon, and so contrived, that the midwives might do their office the more readily; but while they sat there, and before the birth, they could not tell whether the child was a son or a daughter; wherefore Kimchi f33 thinks the word here used signifies the place to which the infant falls down from its mother’s belly, at the time of labour, and is called the place of the breaking forth of children, and takes it to be the “uterus” itself; and says it is called “Abanim”, because “Banim”, the children, are there, and supposes “A”…”

“if it be a son, then ye shall kill him--Opinions are divided, however, what was the method of destruction which the king did recommend. Some think that the "stools" were low seats on which these obstetric practitioners sat by the bedside of the Hebrew women; and that, as they might easily discover the sex, so, whenever a boy appeared, they were to strangle it, unknown to its parents; while others are of opinion that the "stools" were stone troughs, by the river side--into which, when the infants were washed, they were to be, as it were, accidentally dropped.”

“Upon the stools - Literally, “two stones.” The word denotes a special seat, such as is represented on monuments of the 18th Dynasty, and is still used by Egyptian midwives. return to 'Top of Page'”

“The stools - Seats used on that occasion. Exodus 1:17”

“1:16 watch as they deliver (literally look upon the two stones): The Hebrew might refer to a birthstool or genitalia. • If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live: Such selective genocide would not completely deprive the Egyptians of a free labor source. When grown, the girls would be married to slaves from other people groups, effectively destroying Hebrew cohesion while keeping the supply of slaves as high as possible.”

“and see them: Or, rather, "and ye see them by the stone-troughs;" for so ovnayim, from aven, a stone, seems to signify (compare Exo 7:19), in which they washed the new-born infants. See this subject fully illustrated in Fragments to Calmet, Nos. 312, 313. then ye shall: Exo 1:22; Mat 21:38; Rev 12:4 Exodus 1:17”