Exodus 5:1-9

Israel's Labor Increased

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "¹Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, '²Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.' "

2 But Pharaoh said, "³Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, ⁴I will not let Israel go."

3 Then they said, "⁵The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."

4 But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your ⁶labors!"

5 Again Pharaoh said, "Look, ⁷the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!"

6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded ⁸the taskmasters over the people and their ⁹foremen, saying,

7 "You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 "But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are ¹⁰lazy, therefore * they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'

9 "Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words."

Exodus 5:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 3:18
• 2. Exodus 4:23; Exodus 6:11; Exodus 7:16
• 3. 2 Kings 18:35; 2 Chronicles 32:14; Job 21:15
• 4. Exodus 3:19
• 5. Exodus 3:18
• 6. Exodus 1:11; Exodus 2:11; Exodus 6:5-7
• 7. Exodus 1:7, 9
• 8. Exodus 1:11; Exodus 3:7; Exodus 5:10, 13, 14
• 9. Ex 5:10, 14, 15, 19
• 10. Exodus 5:17

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "loose"
• [b] Lit "works"
• [c] Lit "burdens"
• [d] Lit "saying, `Let"