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Exodus 5

Pharaoh Rejects Yahweh’s Authority and Makes Israel’s Troubles Worse

1 And afterward, Moses and Aaron went, and they said to Pharaoh, "Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, 'Release my people so that they may hold a festival for me in the desert.'"
2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh that I should listen to his voice to release Israel? I do not know Yahweh, and also I will not release Israel."
3 And they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go [on] a three-day journey into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with sword."
4 And the king of Egypt said, "Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people from their work? Go to your {forced labor}!"
5 And Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land [are] now many, and you want to stop them from their {forced labor}."
6 And on that day Pharaoh commanded the slave drivers over the people and his foremen, saying,
7 "You must no longer give straw to the people to make the bricks like {before}. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 But the quota of the bricks that they [were] making {before} {you must require of them}. You must not reduce from it, because they [are] lazy. Therefore they [are] crying out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9 Let the work be heavier on the men so that they will do it and not pay attention to words of deception."
10 And the slave drivers of the people and their foremen went out, and they spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I [am] not giving you straw.
11 You go, get straw for yourselves from whatever you find because not a thing is being reduced from your work.'"
12 And the people spread out in all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for the straw.
13 And the slave drivers [were] insisting, saying, "Finish your work {for each day} on its day, as {when there was straw}."
14 And the foremen of the {Israelites}, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had appointed over them, were beaten [by men who were] saying, "Why have you not completed your portion of brickmaking {as before, both yesterday and today}?"

The Foremen Complain to Pharaoh and Moses, and Moses Complains to Yahweh

15 And the foremen of the {Israelites} came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you treat your servants like this?
16 Straw [is] not being given to your servants, but [they are] saying to us, 'Make bricks!' and, look, your servants [are] being beaten, but it is the fault of your people."
17 And he said, "You [are] lazy, lazy! Therefore you [are] saying, 'Let us go; let us sacrifice to Yahweh.'
18 And now go, work, but straw will not be given to you, and you must give the full quota of bricks."
19 And the foremen of the {Israelites} saw they were in trouble {with the saying}, "You will not reduce from your bricks {for each day} on its day."
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, [who were] waiting to meet them when they [were] going out from Pharaoh.
21 And they said to them, "May Yahweh look upon you and judge because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants [so as] to put a sword into their hand to kill us."
22 And Moses returned to Yahweh and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble to this people? Why ever did you send me?
23 And from the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble to this people, and you have certainly not delivered your people."

Exodus 5 Commentary

Chapter 5

Pharaoh's displeasure, He increases the tasks of the Israelites. (1-9) The sufferings of the Israelites, Moses' complaint to God. (10-23)

Verses 1-9 God will own his people, though poor and despised, and will find a time to plead their cause. Pharaoh treated all he had heard with contempt. He had no knowledge of Jehovah, no fear of him, no love to him, and therefore refused to obey him. Thus Pharaoh's pride, ambition, covetousness, and political knowledge, hardened him to his own destruction. What Moses and Aaron ask is very reasonable, only to go three days' journey into the desert, and that on a good errand. We will sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Pharaoh was very unreasonable, in saying that the people were idle, and therefore talked of going to sacrifice. He thus misrepresents them, that he might have a pretence to add to their burdens. To this day we find many who are more disposed to find fault with their neighbours, for spending in the service of God a few hours spared from their wordly business, than to blame others, who give twice the time to sinful pleasures. Pharaoh's command was barbarous. Moses and Aaron themselves must get to the burdens. Persecutors take pleasure in putting contempt and hardship upon ministers. The usual tale of bricks must be made, without the usual allowance of straw to mix with the clay. Thus more work was to be laid upon the men, which, if they performed, they would be broken with labour; and if not, they would be punished.

Verses 10-23 The Egyptian task-masters were very severe. See what need we have to pray that we may be delivered from wicked men. The head-workmen justly complained to Pharaoh: but he taunted them. The malice of Satan has often represented the service and worship of God, as fit employment only for those who have nothing else to do, and the business only of the idle; whereas, it is the duty of those who are most busy in the world. Those who are diligent in doing sacrifice to the Lord, will, before God, escape the doom of the slothful servant, though with men they do not. The Israelites should have humbled themselves before God, and have taken to themselves the shame of their sin; but instead of that, they quarrel with those who were to be their deliverers. Moses returned to the Lord. He knew that what he had said and done, was by God's direction; and therefore appeals to him. When we find ourselves at any time perplexed in the way of our duty, we ought to go to God, and lay open our case before him by fervent prayer. Disappointments in our work must not drive us from our God, but still we must ponder why they are sent.

Footnotes 15

  • [a]. Or "let loose," "let run wild" (compare 32:25)
  • [b]. Literally "burdens" or "burdensome labor"
  • [c]. Literally "burdens" or "burdensome labor"
  • [d]. Literally "yesterday three days ago"
  • [e]. Literally "yesterday three days ago"
  • [f]. Literally "you will put on them"
  • [g]. Literally "a thing of a day"
  • [h]. Literally "in the being of the straw"
  • [i]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
  • [j]. Literally "as yesterday three days ago also yesterday also the day"
  • [k]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
  • [l]. The expression is difficult. The word translated "fault" or "sin" has pointing for a second-person feminine singular subject ("you sinned"), which does not go well with either "Pharaoh" or "your people" as a subject; but the noun translated "sin of" has the same consonants, leading to the possibility that the word should be understood as a noun
  • [m]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
  • [n]. Literally "saying"
  • [o]. Literally "a thing of a day"

Chapter Summary

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.

Exodus 5 Commentaries

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.