Exodus 5:1-21

Israel's Labor Increased

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "¹Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, '²Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.' "

2 But Pharaoh said, "³Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, ⁴I will not let Israel go."

3 Then they said, "⁵The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."

4 But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your ⁶labors!"

5 Again Pharaoh said, "Look, ⁷the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!"

6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded ⁸the taskmasters over the people and their ⁹foremen, saying,

7 "You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 "But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are ¹⁰lazy, therefore * they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'

9 "Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words."

10 So ¹¹the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I am not going to give you any straw.

11 'You go and get straw for yourselves wherever * you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.' "

12 So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

13 The taskmasters pressed them, saying, "Complete your work quota, your daily amount *, just as when you had straw."

14 Moreover, ¹²the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, ¹³were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?"

15 Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?

16 "There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, 'Make bricks!' And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people."

17 But he said, "You are ¹⁴lazy, very lazy; therefore * you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'

18 "So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks."

19 The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, "You must not reduce your daily amount * of bricks."

20 When they left Pharaoh's presence *, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them.

21 ¹⁵They said to them, "¹⁶May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have ¹⁷made us odious in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

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Exodus 5:1-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 5

Moses and Aaron go in to Pharaoh, and desire leave for the children of Israel to go into the wilderness three days' journey, to sacrifice to the Lord, and are answered in a very churlish and atheistical manner, and are charged with making the people idle, the consequence of which was, the taskmasters had orders, to make their work more heavy and toilsome, Ex 5:1-9 which orders were executed with severity by them, Ex 5:10-13, upon which the officers of the children of Israel complained to Pharaoh, but to no purpose, Ex 5:14-19, and meeting with Moses and Aaron, lay the blame upon them, Ex 5:20,21, which sends Moses to the Lord to expostulate with him about it, Ex 5:22,23.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 17

1. Exodus 3:18
2. Exodus 4:23; Exodus 6:11; Exodus 7:16
3. 2 Kings 18:35; 2 Chronicles 32:14; Job 21:15
4. Exodus 3:19
5. Exodus 3:18
6. Exodus 1:11; Exodus 2:11; Exodus 6:5-7
7. Exodus 1:7, 9
8. Exodus 1:11; Exodus 3:7; Exodus 5:10, 13, 14
9. Ex 5:10, 14, 15, 19
10. Exodus 5:17
11. Exodus 1:11; Exodus 3:7; Exodus 5:6
12. Exodus 5:6
13. Isaiah 10:24
14. Exodus 5:8
15. Exodus 14:11; Exodus 15:24; Exodus 16:2
16. Genesis 16:5; Genesis 31:53
17. Genesis 34:30; 1 Samuel 13:4; 1 Samuel 27:12; 2 Samuel 10:6; 1 Chronicles 19:6

Footnotes 12

[a]. Lit "loose"
[b]. Lit "works"
[c]. Lit "burdens"
[d]. Lit "saying, `Let"
[e]. Lit "works"
[f]. Lit "the matter of a day in its day"
[g]. Lit "there was"
[h]. Lit "saying"
[i]. Lit "saying"
[j]. Lit "from your bricks the matter of a day in its day"
[k]. Lit "standing to meet"
[l]. Lit "our savor to stink"