Éxodo 5:16

16 ¡Ya ni paja recibimos! A pesar de eso, ¡se nos exige hacer ladrillos y, como si fuera poco, se nos golpea! ¡La gente de Su Majestad no está actuando bien!

Éxodo 5:16 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 5:16

There is no straw given unto thy servants
As used to be, which they supposed Pharaoh knew nothing of, and by which it appears that the order given by Pharaoh, ( Exodus 5:6 Exodus 5:7 ) was not given in the hearing of the officers, only to the taskmasters, and by them to be made known to the officers, though indeed both are there mentioned, and both represent this to the people, ( Exodus 5:10 )

and they say to us, make brick,
though they had no straw to make or burn it with:

and, behold, thy servants are beaten;
because the same number of bricks is not made as heretofore, but the fault is in thine own people; the taskmasters, who sent the people abroad to get straw or stubble themselves, and therefore could not make the same bricks as before; or "thy people sin" ^F14, the guilt is theirs: or by thy people are meant the Israelites, whom they call Pharaoh's people to gain favour with him; and then the sense is, either "sin" is imputed "to thy people" {o}, the blame is laid upon them, or punishment is inflicted on them without cause, sin being often put for punishment; they are wrongfully charged with a fault, and wrongfully punished.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 (Kme tajxw) "et peccat populus tuns", Montanus, Drusius, Cartwright.
F15 So Vatablus, Piscator, and some in Munster, Pagninus.

Éxodo 5:16 In-Context

14 Además, esos mismos capataces del faraón golpeaban a los jefes de cuadrilla israelitas que ellos mismos habían nombrado, y les preguntaban: «¿Por qué ni ayer ni hoy cumplieron con su cuota de ladrillos, como antes lo hacían?»

15 Los jefes de cuadrilla israelitas fueron entonces a quejarse ante el faraón. Le dijeron:—¿Por qué Su Majestad trata así a sus siervos?

16 ¡Ya ni paja recibimos! A pesar de eso, ¡se nos exige hacer ladrillos y, como si fuera poco, se nos golpea! ¡La gente de Su Majestad no está actuando bien!

17 —¡Haraganes, haraganes! —exclamó el faraón—. ¡Eso es lo que son! Por eso andan diciendo: “Déjanos ir a ofrecerle sacrificios al SEÑOR”.

18 Ahora, ¡vayan a trabajar! No se les va a dar paja, pero tienen que entregar su cuota de ladrillos.