Exodus 5:21

21 And they said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge you, for ye have made our savour abominable before Pharao, and before his servants, to put a sword into his hands to slay us.

Exodus 5:21 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 5:21

And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge,
&c.] Or, "will look upon you and judge" ^F17; and so it is either a prediction of what would be done to them, or an imprecation on them that God would take notice of their conduct, and punish them, or at least chastise them for acting the part they had, if not wickedly, yet imprudently:

because you have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh;
or to "stink" ^F18; they were become vile, abominable, and hateful to him, he could not bear the sight of them, and treated them as the filth and offscouring of all things; they had lost their good name, credit, and reputation with him; for leave being asked for them to go three days' journey into the wilderness, to offer sacrifice, and keep a feast, they were looked upon as a parcel of idle slothful fellows:

and in the eyes of his servants;
not the taskmasters only, but his nobles, counsellors, and courtiers:

to put a sword in their hands to slay us;
a proverbial expression, signifying that they by their conduct had exposed them to the utmost danger, and had given their enemies an occasion against them, and an opportunity of destroying their whole nation, under a pretence of disobedience and disloyalty.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (jwpvyw-ary) "videbit" "et judicabit", Rivet.
F18 (Mtvabh) "fecisti foetere", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius.

Exodus 5:21 In-Context

19 And the accountants of the children of Israel saw themselves in an evil plight, saying, Ye shall not fail to deliver the daily rate of the brick-making.

20 And they met Moses and Aaron coming forth to meet them, as they came forth from Pharao.

21 And they said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge you, for ye have made our savour abominable before Pharao, and before his servants, to put a sword into his hands to slay us.

22 And Moses turned to the Lord, and said, I pray, Lord, why hast thou afflicted this people? and wherefore hast thou sent me?

23 For from the time that I went to Pharao to speak in thy name, he has afflicted this people, and thou hast not delivered thy people.