Exodus 5:12

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

Exodus 5:12 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 5:12

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of
Egypt
That part of it where they dwelt:

to gather stubble instead of straw;
straw not being easy to come at, they were obliged to gather stubble that was left in the fields, after the corn was gathered in. Ben Melech observes, that the word signifies small straw, or small sticks of wood, and Kimchi ^F13, and if so, this must be to burn the bricks with in the furnaces.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Sepher Shorash, rad. (vvq) .

Exodus 5:12 In-Context

10 So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I am not giving you straw.

11 Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.' "

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

13 The overseers insisted, "Finish your assigned work each day, just as [you did] when straw was [provided]."

14 Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, "Why haven't you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as [you did] before?"