Exodus 5:16

16 Straw is not given to thy servants, and they tell us to make brick; and behold thy servants have been scourged: thou wilt therefore injure thy people.

Exodus 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.

Exodus 5:16 In-Context

14 And the accountants of the race of the children of Israel, who were set over them by the masters of Pharao, were scourged, saying, Why have ye not fulfilled your rates of brick-work as yesterday and the third day, to-day also?

15 And the accountants of the children of Israel went in and cried to Pharao, saying, Why dost thou act thus to thy servants?

16 Straw is not given to thy servants, and they tell us to make brick; and behold thy servants have been scourged: thou wilt therefore injure thy people.

17 And he said to them, Ye are idle, ye are idlers: therefore ye say, Let us go do sacrifice to our God.

18 Now then go and work, for straw shall not be given to you, yet ye shall return the rate of bricks.