The Midwives Rewarded With Houses of Priesthood and Kingship

"And they kept the children alive" (Exodus 1:17). It was not enough for them that they did not put them to death, but they even supplied them with water and food. (Exodus 1:19) "And the midwives said to Pharaoh: Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are lively [chayot]." What is "chayot"? If you say literally midwives [chayot], is it so that a midwife does not herself need another midwife to deliver her? Rather, thus they said to him: This nation is compared to a wild animal [chayah]. "Judah is a lion's whelp" (Genesis 49:9); "Dan shall be a lion's whelp" (Deuteronomy 33:22); "Naphtali is a hind let loose" (Genesis 49:21); "Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14); "Joseph is a firstling bull, majesty is his" (Deuteronomy 33:17); "Benjamin is a wolf that tears" (Genesis 49:27). For the one of whom it is written, it is written; and for the one of whom it is not written, it is written, "What was your mother? A lioness; among lions she crouched" (Ezekiel 19:2). (Exodus 1:21) "And it was, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses." Rav and Levi: one said, houses of priesthood and Levitical service, Aaron and Moses; and one said, houses of royalty. David too came from Miriam.