Exodus 5 Study Notes

5:19 Repeated mention of the daily quota (lit “the requirement/amount of a day in its day”) from 5:13 helps convey the oppressiveness of the situation: the Egyptians made demands and kept account of what the Israelites did every day.

5:20 The sight of Moses and Aaron standing on the outside, waiting to hear what had happened, only to be scolded by the foremen, further shows them as having little or no power.

5:21 Earlier when Moses intervened in a fight between Israelites, one of them challenged his right to act as a judge and accused Moses of intending to kill him (2:14). Now the foremen called on the Lord to judge Moses. They were not expecting freedom at this point. Their hopes for restoring the status quo had just been crushed, so much so that they considered Moses responsible for their impending death. They believed Moses had made the Israelites so offensive to the Egyptians (you have made us reek) that they would want to kill the Israelites. Their comment also shows that the Israelite foremen already knew that the Lord had the right and the ability to act as the ultimate Judge in the situation.

5:22-23 The foremen hoped to gain favor with Pharaoh by blaming others for the trouble. They still saw their welfare as under his control. When he spoke to the Lord, Moses boldly blamed both the Lord and Pharaoh (you caused trouble and he has caused trouble) for worsening conditions and asserted that the Lord had done nothing to rescue his people. Obedience of the Lord’s commands by Moses and Aaron and the elders had led to trouble rather than immediate ease.