Exodus 5:1

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.' "

Exodus 5:1 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 5:1

And afterwards Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh
Whose name, some say, was Cenchres, others Amenophis, according to Manetho and Chaeremon F8; (See Gill on Exodus 3:10) went into Pharaoh's palace, and being introduced by the proper officer at court for that purpose, addressed him in the following manner:

thus saith the Lord God of Israel:
as ambassadors of him, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords; and so Artapanus F9, the Heathen, says that the Egyptian king, hearing that Moses was come, sent for him to know wherefore he was come, who told him, that the Lord of the world commanded him to let the Jews go, as it follows here:

let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness;
in the wilderness of Sinai or Arabia, at Horeb there, where they might keep it more freely and safely, without being disturbed by the Egyptians, and without giving any offence to them; and the demand is just; they were the people of God, and therefore he claims them, and service from them was due to him; and Pharaoh had no right to detain them, and what is required was but their reasonable service they owed to their God. This feast was to be held, not for themselves, but to God, which chiefly consisted in offering sacrifice, as is after explained; the entire dismission of them is not at once demanded, only to go a little while into the wilderness, and keep a feast there to the Lord; though it was not intended they should return, but it was put in this form to try Pharaoh, and that he might be the more inexcusable in refusing to grant what was so reasonable.


FOOTNOTES:

F8 Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 26. 32.
F9 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 434.

Exodus 5:1 In-Context

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.' "
2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go."
3 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us; let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God, or he will fall upon us with pestilence or sword."
4 But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!"
5 Pharaoh continued, "Now they are more numerous than the people of the land and yet you want them to stop working!"
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.