Exodus 5:21

21 They said to them, "The Lord look upon you and judge! You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

Exodus 5:21 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 5:21

And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge,
&c.] Or, "will look upon you and judge" F17; and so it is either a prediction of what would be done to them, or an imprecation on them that God would take notice of their conduct, and punish them, or at least chastise them for acting the part they had, if not wickedly, yet imprudently:

because you have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh;
or to "stink" F18; they were become vile, abominable, and hateful to him, he could not bear the sight of them, and treated them as the filth and offscouring of all things; they had lost their good name, credit, and reputation with him; for leave being asked for them to go three days' journey into the wilderness, to offer sacrifice, and keep a feast, they were looked upon as a parcel of idle slothful fellows:

and in the eyes of his servants;
not the taskmasters only, but his nobles, counsellors, and courtiers:

to put a sword in their hands to slay us;
a proverbial expression, signifying that they by their conduct had exposed them to the utmost danger, and had given their enemies an occasion against them, and an opportunity of destroying their whole nation, under a pretence of disobedience and disloyalty.


FOOTNOTES:

F17 (jwpvyw-ary) "videbit" "et judicabit", Rivet.
F18 (Mtvabh) "fecisti foetere", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius.

Exodus 5:21 In-Context

19 The Israelite supervisors saw that they were in trouble when they were told, "You shall not lessen your daily number of bricks."
20 As they left Pharaoh, they came upon Moses and Aaron who were waiting to meet them.
21 They said to them, "The Lord look upon you and judge! You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
22 Then Moses turned again to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you mistreated this people? Why did you ever send me?
23 Since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has mistreated this people, and you have done nothing at all to deliver your people."
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.