Some question whether the Pharaoh would entrust the task of killing newborn boys to Hebrew midwives, viewing it as implausible for measures taken against the Hebrew people. However, in the context of the Ancient Near East, slaves were entirely expected to obey the voice of the Pharaoh; rebellion was quite unthinkable against a ruler viewed as a living god. The expectation of total submission was universal, making it entirely plausible that the Pharaoh would issue such an order assuming it would be followed out of sheer fear and duty.