1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words.
10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
1 And afterward H310 Moses H4872 and Aaron H175 went in, H935 and told H559 Pharaoh, H6547 Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel, H3478 Let my people H5971 go, H7971 that they may hold a feast H2287 unto me in the wilderness. H4057
2 And Pharaoh H6547 said, H559 Who is the LORD, H3068 that I should obey H8085 his voice H6963 to let Israel H3478 go? H7971 I know H3045 not the LORD, H3068 neither will I let Israel H3478 go. H7971
3 And they said, H559 The God H430 of the Hebrews H5680 hath met H7122 with us: let us go, H3212 we pray thee, three H7969 days' H3117 journey H1870 into the desert, H4057 and sacrifice H2076 unto the LORD H3068 our God; H430 lest he fall H6293 upon us with pestilence, H1698 or with the sword. H2719
4 And the king H4428 of Egypt H4714 said H559 unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses H4872 and Aaron, H175 let H6544 the people H5971 from their works? H4639 get H3212 you unto your burdens. H5450
5 And Pharaoh H6547 said, H559 Behold, the people H5971 of the land H776 now are many, H7227 and ye make them rest H7673 from their burdens. H5450
6 And Pharaoh H6547 commanded H6680 the same day H3117 the taskmasters H5065 of the people, H5971 and their officers, H7860 saying, H559
7 Ye shall no more H3254 give H5414 the people H5971 straw H8401 to make H3835 brick, H3843 as heretofore: H8032 H8543 let them go H3212 and gather H7197 straw H8401 for themselves.
8 And the tale H4971 of the bricks, H3843 which they did make H6213 heretofore, H8032 H8543 ye shall lay H7760 upon them; ye shall not diminish H1639 ought thereof: for they be idle; H7503 therefore they cry, H6817 saying, H559 Let us go H3212 and sacrifice H2076 to our God. H430
9 Let there more work H5656 be laid H3513 upon the men, H582 that they may labour H6213 therein; and let them not regard H8159 vain H8267 words. H1697
10 And the taskmasters H5065 of the people H5971 went out, H3318 and their officers, H7860 and they spake H559 to the people, H5971 saying, H559 Thus saith H559 Pharaoh, H6547 I will not give H5414 you straw. H8401
11 Go H3212 ye, get H3947 you straw H8401 where H834 ye can find H4672 it: yet H3588 not ought H1697 of your work H5656 shall be diminished. H1639
12 So the people H5971 were scattered abroad H6327 throughout all the land H776 of Egypt H4714 to gather H7197 stubble H7179 instead of straw. H8401
13 And the taskmasters H5065 hasted H213 them, saying, H559 Fulfil H3615 your works, H4639 your daily H3117 tasks, H1697 as when there was H1961 straw. H8401
14 And the officers H7860 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 which Pharaoh's H6547 taskmasters H5065 had set H7760 over them, were beaten, H5221 and demanded, H559 Wherefore have ye not fulfilled H3615 your task H2706 in making brick H3835 both yesterday H8543 and to day, H3117 as heretofore? H8032 H8543
15 Then the officers H7860 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 came H935 and cried H6817 unto Pharaoh, H6547 saying, H559 Wherefore dealest H6213 thou thus with thy servants? H5650
16 There is no straw H8401 given H5414 unto thy servants, H5650 and they say H559 to us, Make H6213 brick: H3843 and, behold, thy servants H5650 are beaten; H5221 but the fault H2398 is in thine own people. H5971
17 But he said, H559 Ye are idle, H7503 ye are idle: H7503 therefore ye say, H559 Let us go H3212 and do sacrifice H2076 to the LORD. H3068
18 Go H3212 therefore now, and work; H5647 for there shall no straw H8401 be given H5414 you, yet shall ye deliver H5414 the tale H8506 of bricks. H3843
19 And the officers H7860 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 did see H7200 that they were in evil H7451 case, after it was said, H559 Ye shall not minish H1639 ought from your bricks H3843 of your daily H3117 H3117 task. H1697
20 And they met H6293 Moses H4872 and Aaron, H175 who stood H5324 in the way, H7125 as they came forth H3318 from Pharaoh: H6547
21 And they said H559 unto them, The LORD H3068 look H7200 upon you, and judge; H8199 because ye have made our savour H7381 to be abhorred H887 in the eyes H5869 of Pharaoh, H6547 and in the eyes H5869 of his servants, H5650 to put H5414 a sword H2719 in their hand H3027 to slay H2026 us.
22 And Moses H4872 returned H7725 unto the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 Lord, H136 wherefore hast thou so evil entreated H7489 this people? H5971 why is it that thou hast sent H7971 me?
23 For since I came H935 to Pharaoh H6547 to speak H1696 in thy name, H8034 he hath done evil H7489 to this people; H5971 neither hast thou delivered H5337 thy people H5971 at all. H5337
1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto Jehovah our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6 And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 And the number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9 Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words.
10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11 Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it: for nought of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfil your works, `your' daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making brick as heretofore?
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault it in thine own people.
17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah.
18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the number of bricks.
19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, when it was said, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks, `your' daily tasks.
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21 and they said unto them, Jehovah look upon you, and judge: because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
22 And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
1 And afterwards have Moses and Aaron entered, and they say unto Pharaoh, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Send My people away, and they keep a feast to Me in the wilderness;'
2 and Pharaoh saith, `Who `is' Jehovah, that I hearken to His voice, to send Israel away? I have not known Jehovah, and Israel also I do not send away.'
3 And they say, `The God of the Hebrews hath met with us, let us go, we pray thee, a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest He meet us with pestilence or with sword.'
4 And the king of Egypt saith unto them, `Why, Moses and Aaron, do ye free the people from its works? go to your burdens.'
5 Pharaoh also saith, `Lo, numerous now `is' the people of the land, and ye have caused them to cease from their burdens!'
6 And Pharaoh commandeth, on that day, the exactors among the people and its authorities, saying,
7 `Ye do not add to give straw to the people for the making of the bricks, as heretofore -- they go and have gathered straw for themselves;
8 and the proper quantity of the bricks which they are making heretofore ye do put on them, ye do not diminish from it, for they are remiss, therefore they are crying, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God;
9 let the service be heavy on the men, and let them work at it, and not be dazzled by lying words.'
10 And the exactors of the people, and its authorities, go out, and speak unto the people, saying, `Thus said Pharaoh, I do not give you straw,
11 ye -- go ye, take for yourselves straw where ye find `it', for there is nothing of your service diminished.'
12 And the people is scattered over all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw,
13 and the exactors are making haste, saying, `Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is straw.'
14 And the authorities of the sons of Israel, whom the exactors of Pharaoh have placed over them, are beaten, saying, `Wherefore have ye not completed your portion in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and to-day?'
15 And the authorities of the sons of Israel come in and cry unto Pharaoh, saying, `Why dost thou thus to thy servants?
16 Straw is not given to thy servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and lo, thy servants are smitten -- and thy people hath sinned.'
17 And he saith, `Remiss -- ye are remiss, therefore ye are saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah;
18 and now, go, serve; and straw is not given to you, and the measure of bricks ye do give.'
19 And the authorities of the sons of Israel see them in affliction, saying, `Ye do not diminish from your bricks; the matter of a day in its day.'
20 And they meet Moses and Aaron standing to meet them, in their coming out from Pharaoh,
21 and say unto them, `Jehovah look upon you, and judge, because ye have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants -- to give a sword into their hand to slay us.'
22 And Moses turneth back unto Jehovah, and saith, `Lord, why hast Thou done evil to this people? why `is' this? -- Thou hast sent me!
23 and since I have come unto Pharaoh, to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people, and Thou hast not at all delivered Thy people.'
1 And afterwards Moses and Aaron went in, and said to Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go that they may celebrate a feast to me in the wilderness.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, to whose voice I am to hearken to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go.
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword.
4 And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, wish to have the people go off from their works? Away, to your burdens!
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold the people of the land are now many, and ye wish to make them rest from their burdens.
6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 And the number of the bricks they have made heretofore shall ye lay upon them: ye shall not diminish any of it, for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go [and] sacrifice to our God.
9 Let them put heavier labour on the men, that they may be taken up with it, and not regard vain words.
10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, Thus says Pharaoh: I will not give you straw:
11 go ye, get yourselves straw where ye may find it; but none of your work shall be diminished.
12 And the people were scattered abroad throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 And the taskmasters urged [them], saying, Fulfil your labours, the daily work, as when there was straw.
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, [and] it was said, Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore?
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, Why dost thou deal thus with thy bondmen?
16 There is no straw given to thy bondmen, and they say to us, Make brick; and behold, thy bondmen are beaten, but it is the fault of thy people.
17 And he said, Ye are idle, idle! therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah.
18 And now go -- work! and straw shall not be given you, and ye shall deliver the measure of bricks.
19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw [that] it stood ill with them, because it was said, Ye shall not diminish anything from your bricks, the daily work.
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood there to meet them, as they came out from Pharaoh.
21 And they said to them, Jehovah look upon you and judge, that ye have made our odour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his bondmen, putting a sword into their hand to kill us!
22 And Moses returned to Jehovah, and said, Lord, why hast thou done evil to this people? why now hast thou sent me?
23 For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all!
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'"
2 Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go."
3 They said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh, our God, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword."
4 The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!"
5 Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens."
6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 "You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 The number of the bricks, which they made before, you require from them. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9 Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor therein; and don't let them pay any attention to lying words."
10 The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, This is what Pharaoh says: "I will not give you straw.
11 Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished."
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 The taskmasters were urgent saying, "Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!"
14 The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16 No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, 'Make brick!' and, behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people."
17 But he said, "You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.'
18 Go therefore now, and work, for no straw shall be given to you, yet shall you deliver the same number of bricks!"
19 The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble, when it was said, "You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!"
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21 and they said to them, "May Yahweh look at you, and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."
22 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; neither have you delivered your people at all."
1 And after that, Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said, The Lord, the God of Israel, says, Let my people go so that they may keep a feast to me in the waste land.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, to whose voice I am to give ear and let Israel go? I have no knowledge of the Lord and I will not let Israel go.
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews has come to us: let us then go three days' journey into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God, so that he may not send death on us by disease or the sword.
4 And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people away from their work? get back to your work.
5 And Pharaoh said, Truly, the people of the land are increasing in number, and you are keeping them back from their work.
6 The same day Pharaoh gave orders to the overseers and those who were responsible for the work, saying,
7 Give these men no more dry stems for their brick-making as you have been doing; let them go and get the material for themselves.
8 But see that they make the same number of bricks as before, and no less: for they have no love for work; and so they are crying out and saying, Let us go and make an offering to our God.
9 Give the men harder work, and see that they do it; let them not give attention to false words.
10 And the overseers of the people and their responsible men went out and said to the people, Pharaoh says, I will give you no more dry stems.
11 Go yourselves and get dry stems wherever you are able; for your work is not to be any less.
12 So the people were sent in all directions through the land of Egypt to get dry grass for stems.
13 And the overseers went on driving them and saying, Do your full day's work as before when there were dry stems for you.
14 And the responsible men of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's overseers had put over them, were given blows, and they said to them, Why have you not done your regular work, in making bricks as before?
15 Then the responsible men of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh, protesting and saying, Why are you acting in this way to your servants?
16 They give us no dry stems and they say to us, Make bricks: and they give your servants blows; but it is your people who are in the wrong.
17 But he said, You have no love for work: that is why you say, Let us go and make an offering to the Lord.
18 Go now, get back to your work; no dry stems will be given to you, but you are to make the full number of bricks.
19 Then the responsible men of the children of Israel saw that they were purposing evil when they said, The number of bricks which you have to make every day will be no less than before.
20 And they came face to face with Moses and Aaron, who were in their way when they came out from Pharaoh:
21 And they said to them, May the Lord take note of you and be your judge; for you have given Pharaoh and his servants a bad opinion of us, putting a sword in their hands for our destruction.
22 And Moses went back to the Lord and said, Lord, why have you done evil to this people? why have you sent me?
23 For from the time when I came to Pharaoh to put your words before him, he has done evil to this people, and you have given them no help.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 5
Commentary on Exodus 5 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Moses and Aaron Sent to Pharaoh - Exodus 5-7:7
The two events which form the contents of this section - viz., (1) the visit of Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to make known the commands of their God, with the harsh refusal of their request on the part of Pharaoh, by an increase of the tributary labours of Israel (Exo 5); and (2) the further revelations of Jehovah to Moses, with the insertion of the genealogies of Moses and Aaron-not only hang closely together so far as the subject-matter is concerned, inasmuch as the fresh declarations of Jehovah to Moses were occasioned by the complaint of Moses that his first attempt had so signally failed, but both of them belong to the complete equipment of Moses for his divine mission. Their visit to Pharaoh was only preliminary in its character. Moses and Aaron simply made known to the king the will of their God, without accrediting themselves by miraculous signs as the messengers of Jehovah, or laying any particular emphasis upon His demand. For this first step was only intended to enlighten Moses as to the attitude of Pharaoh and the people of Israel in relation to the work of God, which He was about to perform. Pharaoh answered the demand addressed to him, that he would let the people go for a few days to hold a sacrificial festival in the desert, by increasing their labours; and the Israelites complained in consequence that their good name had been made abhorrent to the king, and their situation made worse than it was. Moses might have despaired on this account; but he laid his trouble before the Lord, and the Lord filled his despondent heart with fresh courage through the renewed and strengthened promise that He would now for the first time display His name Jehovah perfectly - that He would redeem the children of Israel with outstretched arm and with great judgments - would harden Pharaoh's heart, and do many signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, that the Egyptians might learn through the deliverance of Israel that He was Jehovah, i.e., the absolute God, who works with unlimited freedom. At the same time God removed the difficulty which once more arose in the mind of Moses, namely, that Pharaoh would not listen to him because of his want of oratorical power, by the assurance, “ I make thee a god for Pharaoh, and Aaron shall be thy prophet ” (Exodus 7:1), which could not fail to remove all doubt as to his own incompetency for so great and severe a task. With this promise Pharaoh was completely given up into Moses' power, and Moses invested with all the plenipotentiary authority that was requisite for the performance of the work entrusted to him.
Pharaoh's Answer to the Request of Moses and Aaron. - Exodus 5:1-5. When the elders of Israel had listened with gladness and gratitude to the communications of Moses and Aaron respecting the revelation which Moses had received from Jehovah , that He was now about to deliver His people out of their bondage in Egypt; Moses and Aaron proceeded to Pharaoh, and requested in the name of the God of Israel, that he would let the people of Israel go and celebrate a festival in the wilderness in honour of their God. When we consider that every nation presented sacrifices to its deities, and celebrated festivals in their honour, and that they had all their own modes of worship, which were supposed to be appointed by the gods themselves, so that a god could not be worshipped acceptably in every place; the demand presented to Pharaoh on the part of the God of the Israelites, that he would let His people go into the wilderness and sacrifice to Him, appears so natural and reasonable, that Pharaoh could not have refused their request, if there had been a single trace of the fear of God in his heart. But what was his answer? “ Who is Jehovah, that I should listen to His voice, to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah .” There was a certain truth in these last words. The God of Israel had not yet made Himself known to him. But this was no justification. Although as a heathen he might naturally measure the power of the God by the existing condition of His people, and infer from the impotence of the Israelites that their God must be also weak, he would not have dared to refuse the petition of the Israelites, to be allowed to sacrifice to their God or celebrate a sacrificial festival, if he had had any faith in gods at all.
The messengers founded their request upon the fact that the God of the Hebrews had met them ( נקרא , vid., Exodus 3:18), and referred to the punishment which the neglect of the sacrificial festival demanded by God might bring upon the nation. פּן־יפגּענוּ : “ lest He strike us (attack us) with pestilence or sword .” פּגע : to strike, hit against any one, either by accident or with a hostile intent; ordinarily construed with בּ , also with an accusative, 1 Samuel 10:5, and chosen here probably with reference to נקרא = נקרה . “ Pestilence or sword: ” these are mentioned as expressive of a violent death, and as the means employed by the deities, according to the ordinary belief of the nations, to punish the neglect of their worship. The expression “God of the Hebrews,” for “God of Israel” (Exodus 5:1), is not chosen as being “more intelligible to the king, because the Israelites were called Hebrews by foreigners, more especially by the Egyptians (Exodus 1:16; Exodus 2:6),” as Knobel supposes, but to convince Pharaoh of the necessity for their going into the desert to keep the festival demanded by their God. In Egypt they might sacrifice to the gods of Egypt, but not to the God of the Hebrews.
But Pharaoh would hear nothing of any worship. He believed that the wish was simply an excuse for procuring holidays for the people, or days of rest from their labours, and ordered the messengers off to their slave duties: “ Get you unto your burdens .” For as the people were very numerous, he would necessarily lose by their keeping holiday. He called the Israelites “ the people of the land, ” not “as being his own property, because he was the lord of the land” ( Baumgarten ), but as the working class, “land-people,” equivalent to “common people,” in distinction from the ruling castes of the Egyptians (vid., Jeremiah 52:25 : Ezekiel 7:27).
As Pharaoh possessed neither fear of God ( εὐσέβεια ) nor fear of the gods, but, in the proud security of his might, determined to keep the Israelites as slaves, and to use them as tools for the glorifying of his kingdom by the erection of magnificent buildings, he suspected that their wish to go into the desert was nothing but an excuse invented by idlers, and prompted by a thirst for freedom, which might become dangerous to his kingdom, on account of the numerical strength of the people. He therefore thought that he could best extinguish such desires and attempts by increasing the oppression and adding to their labours. For this reason he instructed his bailiffs to abstain from delivering straw to the Israelites who were engaged in making bricks, and to let them gather it for themselves; but yet not to make the least abatement in the number ( מתכּנת ) to be delivered every day. בּעם הנּגשׂים , “ those who urged the people on, ” were the bailiffs selected from the Egyptians and placed over the Israelitish workmen, the general managers of the work. Under them there were the שׁטרים (lit., writers, γραμματεῖς lxx, from שׁטר to write), who were chosen from the Israelites (vid., Exodus 5:14), and had to distribute the work among the people, and hand it over, when finished, to the royal officers. לבנים לבן : to make bricks, not to burn them; for the bricks in the ancient monuments of Egypt, and in many of the pyramids, are not burnt but dried in the sun ( Herod . ii. 136; Hengst . Egypt and Books of Moses, pp. 2 and 79ff.). קשׁשׁ : a denom . verb from קשׁ , to gather stubble, then to stubble, to gather (Numbers 15:32-33). תּבן , of uncertain etymology, is chopped straw; here, the stubble that was left standing when the corn was reaped, or the straw that lay upon the ground. This they chopped up and mixed with the clay, to give greater durability to the bricks, as may be seen in bricks found in the oldest monuments (cf. Hgst . p. 79).
“ Let the work be heavy (press heavily) upon the people, and they shall make with it (i.e., stick to their work), and not look at lying words .” By “lying words” the king meant the words of Moses, that the God of Israel had appeared to him, and demanded a sacrificial festival from His people. In Exodus 5:11 special emphasis is laid upon אתּם “ ye: ” “ Go, ye yourselves, fetch your straw, ” not others for you as heretofore; “ for nothing is taken (diminished) from your work .” The word כּי for has been correctly explained by Kimchi as supposing a parenthetical thought, et quidem alacriter vobis eundum est .
ק לקשׁשׁ : “to gather stubble for straw;” not “stubble for , in the sense of instead of straw,” for ל is not equivalent to תּחת but to gather the stubble left in the fields for the chopped straw required for the bricks.
בּיומו יום דּבר , the quantity fixed for every day, “ just as when the straw was (there),” i.e., was given out for the work.
As the Israelites could not do the work appointed them, their overlookers were beaten by the Egyptian bailiffs; and when they complained to the king of this treatment, they were repulsed with harshness, and told “ Ye are idle, idle; therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah .” עמּך וחטאת : “ and thy people sin; ” i.e., not “thy people (the Israelites) must be sinners,” which might be the meaning of חטא according to Genesis 43:9, but “thy (Egyptian) people sin.” “ Thy people ” must be understood as applying to the Egyptians, on account of the antithesis to “thy servants,” which not only refers to the Israelitish overlookers, but includes all the Israelites, especially in the first clause. חטאת is an unusual feminine form, for חטאה (vid., Genesis 33:11); and עם is construed as a feminine, as in Judges 18:7 and Jeremiah 8:5.
When the Israelitish overlookers saw that they were in evil ( בּרע as in Psalms 10:6, i.e., in an evil condition), they came to meet Moses and Aaron, waiting for them as they came out from the king, and reproaching them with only making the circumstances of the people worse.
“ Jehovah look upon you and judge ” (i.e., punish you, because) “ ye have made the smell of us to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, ” i.e., destroyed our good name with the king and his servants, and turned it into hatred and disgust. ריח , a pleasant smell, is a figure employed for a good name or repute, and the figurative use of the word explains the connection with the eyes instead of the nose. “ To give a sword into their hand to kill us. ” Moses and Aaron, they imagined, through their appeal to Pharaoh had made the king and his counsellors suspect them of being restless people, and so had put a weapon into their hands for their oppression and destruction. What perversity of the natural heart! They call upon God to judge, whilst by their very complaining they show that they have no confidence in God and His power to save. Moses turned ( ויּשׁב Exodus 5:22) to Jehovah with the question, “ Why hast Thou done evil to this people, ” - increased their oppression by my mission to Pharaoh, and yet not delivered them? “These are not words of contumacy or indignation, but of inquiry and prayer” ( Aug. quaest. 14). The question and complaint proceeded from faith, which flies to God when it cannot understand the dealings of God, to point out to Him how incomprehensible are His ways, to appeal to Him to help in the time of need, and to remove what seems opposed to His nature and His will.