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Texts -- Exodus 5:5-23 (NET)

Context
5:5 Pharaoh was thinking , “The people of the land are now many , and you are giving them rest from their labor .” 5:6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the slave masters and foremen who were over the people : 5:7 “You must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before . Let them go and collect straw for themselves . 5:8 But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before . Do not reduce it, for they are slackers . That is why they are crying , ‘Let us go sacrifice to our God .’ 5:9 Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words !” 5:10 So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said , “Thus says Pharaoh : ‘I am not giving you straw . 5:11 You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload .’” 5:12 So the people spread out through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw . 5:13 The slave masters were pressuring them, saying , “Complete your work for each day , just like when there was straw !” 5:14 The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked , “Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past – both yesterday and today ?” 5:15 The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh , “Why are you treating your servants this way ? 5:16 No straw is given to your servants , but we are told , ‘Make bricks !’ Your servants are even being beaten , but the fault is with your people .” 5:17 But Pharaoh replied , “You are slackers ! Slackers ! That is why you are saying , ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord .’ 5:18 So now , get back to work ! You will not be given straw , but you must still produce your quota of bricks !” 5:19 The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told , “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks .” 5:20 When they went out from Pharaoh , they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them, 5:21 and they said to them, “May the Lord look on you and judge , because you have made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants , so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!”
The Assurance of Deliverance
5:22 Moses returned to the Lord , and said , “Lord , why have you caused trouble for this people ? Why did you ever send me? 5:23 From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name , he has caused trouble for this people , and you have certainly not rescued them !”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Brick

    [isbe] BRICK - (lebhenah): The ancient Egyptian word appears in the modern Egyptian Arabic toob. In Syria the sun-baked bricks are commonly called libn or lebin, from the same Semitic root as the Hebrew word. Bricks are mentioned o...
    [smith] (Genesis 11:3) The brick in use among the Jews were much larger than with us, being usually from 12 to 13 inches square and 3 1/2 inches thick; they thus possess more of the character of tiles. (Ezekiel 4:1) The Israelites, i...
    [nave] BRICK Used in building: Babel, Gen. 11:3; cities in Egypt, Ex. 1:11, 14; houses, Isa. 9:10; altars, Isa. 65:3. Made by Israelites, Ex. 5:7-19; 2 Sam. 12:31; Jer. 43:9; Nah. 3:14.

  • Oppression

    [nave] OPPRESSION God is a refuge from, Psa. 9:9. Prayers against, Psa. 17:9; 44:24; 119:121,134; Isa. 38:14. God's aid promised against, Psa. 12:5; 72:4, 14; Jer. 50:34. God will judge, Psa. 103:6; Eccl. 5:8; Isa. 10; Jer. 22:1...

  • Moses

    [nave] MOSES A Levite and son of Amram, Ex. 2:1-4; 6:20; Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23. Hidden in an ark, Ex. 2:3. Discovered and adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, Ex. 2:5-10. Learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, Acts 7:22. His loyalt...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Egyptians

    [nave] EGYPTIANS Descendants of the Mizraim, Gen. 10:6, 13, 14. Wisdom of, 1 Kin. 4:30. The art of embalming the dead practiced by, Gen. 50:2, 3, 26. Hospitality of, to Abraham, Gen. 12:10-20. Slaves bought by, Gen. 37:36. Opp...

  • Rulers

    [nave] RULERS Appointed and removed by God. See: Government, God in. Chastised, Dan. 4. See: Nation. Monarchical, See: Kings. Patriarchal, Gen. 27:29, 37. Instances of Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10. Abraham, Gen. 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:2...

  • GENESIS, 1-2

    [isbe] GENESIS, 1-2 - jen'-e-sis: I. GENERAL DATA 1. The Name 2. Survey of Contents 3. Connection with Succeeding Books II. COMPOSITION OF GENESIS IN GENERAL 1. Unity of the Biblical Text (1) The Toledhoth (2) Further Indication of...

  • Bondage

    [ebd] of Israel in Egypt (Ex. 2:23, 25; 5), which is called the "house of bondage" (13:3; 20:2). This word is used also with reference to the captivity in Babylon (Isa. 14:3), and the oppression of the Persian king (Ezra 9:8, 9).

  • Straw

    [ebd] Used in brick-making (Ex. 5:7-18). Used figuratively in Job 41:27; Isa. 11:7; 25:10; 65:25.
    [smith] Both wheat and barley straw were used by the ancient Hebrews chiefly as fodder for the horses cattle and camels. (Genesis 24:25; 1 Kings 4:28; Isaiah 11:7; 66:25) There is no intimation that straw was used for litter. It w...
    [nave] STRAW Used for provender, Gen. 24:32; Isa. 65:25; for brick, Ex. 5:7.

  • Cruelty

    [nave] CRUELTY. Instances of Of Sarah to Hagar, Gen. 16:6; 21:9-14. Egyptians to the Israelites, Ex. 5:6-18. Peniah to Haah, 1 Sam. 1:4-7; 2:3. Of Jews to Jesus, Matt. 26:67; 27:28-31; soldiers to Jesus, Luke 22:64; John 19:3....

  • Servant

    [nave] SERVANT Distinguished as bond servant, who was a slave, and hired servant. Bond Laws of Moses concerning, Ex. 21:1-11, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32; Lev. 19:20-22; 25:6, 10, 35-55; Deut. 15:12, 14, 18; 24:7. Kidnapping forbidden, D...

  • LIBRARIES

    [isbe] LIBRARIES - li'-bra-riz, li'-brer-iz: 1. The Bible a Library 2. Mythological and Apocryphal Libraries 3. Libraries for the Dead 4. Memory Libraries 5. Prehistoric and Primitive Libraries 6. Mesopotamian Period 7. Patriarchal...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Petition

    [nave] PETITION Right of, recognized by Pharaoh, Ex. 5:15-18; Israel, Num. 27:1-5; 32:1-5; 36:1-5; Josh. 17:4, 14, 16; 21:1, 2; David, 1 Kin. 1:15-21; Rehoboam, 1 Kin. 12:1-17; 2 Chr. 10; Jehoram, 2 Kin. 8:3, 6.

  • TASKMASTER

    [isbe] TASKMASTER - task'-mas-ter. (sar mac, "chief of the burden" or "levy" (Ex 1:11); noghes, "distress," "driver," "oppressor," "raiser of taxes," "taskmaster" (Ex 3:7; 5:6,10,13,14)): Officials of this class seem to have been o...

  • TALE

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. tokhen, "a task," as weighed and measured out = tally, i.e., the number told off; the full number (Ex. 5:18; see 1 Sam. 18:27; 1 Chr. 9:28). In Ezek. 45:11 rendered "measure." (2.) Heb. hegeh, "a thought;" "meditat...
    [isbe] TALE - tal (tokhen, mithkoneth, micpar; leros): In the King James Version of the Old Testament (with one exception, Ps 90:9) "tale" (in the sing.) means number. "Tell" often has the same meaning, e.g. "I may tell (i.e. recko...

  • Complaint

    [nave] COMPLAINT of Israelites against Moses, Ex. 5:21; 15:24; 16:2, 3; Num. 16:2, 3, 13, 14, 41; 20:2-4. Against God Ex. 5:22, 23; Ex. 16:8, 12; Num. 14:26-37 Num. 17:10, 11. Job 15:11-13; Job 33:12, 13; Job 34:37; Psa. 37:1; Ps...

  • Arts and Crafts

    [nave] ARTS AND CRAFTS. Primitive Invention of musical instruments and instruments of iron and copper, Gen. 4:21, 22. Carpentry, Gen. 6:14-16; Ex. 31:2-9. Of the perfumer, Ex. 30:25, 35; armorer, 1 Sam. 8:12; baker, Gen. 40:1; ...

  • Doubting

    [nave] DOUBTING. Job 4:3-6; Job 9:16-23; Job 30:20, 21 Job 3; 16; 17; 23:15-17. Psa. 22:2; Psa. 31:22; Psa. 42:5, 6; Psa. 49:5; Psa. 73:13-17; Psa. 77:3, 7-9; Prov. 24:10; Isa. 40:27, 28 Isa. 50:2. Isa. 49:14, 15; Jer. 8:18; Jer. ...

  • Taskmasters

    [nave] TASKMASTERS, Ex. 5:13, 14. See: Masters; Oppression; Servants.
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Slavery; Exodus 8-10

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • Exodus embraces about 431 years of history, from the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt (ca. 1876 B.C.) to the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). However 1:1-7 is a review of Jacob's ...
  • I. The liberation of Israel 1:1-15:21A. God's preparation of Israel and Moses chs. 1-41. The growth of Jacob's family 1:1-72. The Israelites' bondage in Egypt 1:8-223. Moses' birth and education 2:1-104. Moses' flight from Eg...
  • This pericope serves a double purpose. It introduces the rigorous conditions under which the Egyptians forced the Israelites to live, and it sets the stage for the birth of Moses.1:8-14 The new king (v. 8) was perhaps Ahmose ...
  • 3:1-12 Horeb is another name for Sinai (v. 1). It probably indicates a range of mountains rather than a particular mountain peak. The writer called it "the mountain of God"because it was the place where God later gave the Mos...
  • 5:1-9 At Moses and Aaron's first audience with Pharaoh they simply presented God's command (v. 1). They did not perform miracles but asked for permission to leave Egypt.The Israelites could have worshipped the gods of Egypt i...
  • The writer gave the credentials of God and His representatives, Moses and Aaron, in these verses.6:2-9 God explained to Moses that He would indeed deliver Israel out of Egypt in spite of the discouragement that Moses had enco...
  • "As the Egyptian magicians saw nothing more than the finger of God in the miracle which they could not imitate, that is to say, the work of some deity, possibly one of the gods of the Egyptians, and not the hand of Jehovah th...
  • The Israelites erected the tabernacle on the first day of the first month, almost exactly one year after the Israelites left Egypt (vv. 2, 17). This was about nine months after Israel had arrived at Mt. Sinai (cf. 19:1).First...
  • Adams, Dwayne H. "The Building Program that Works (Exodus 25:4--36:7 [31:1-11])."Exegesis and Exposition1:1 (Fall 1986):82-92.Aharoni, Yohanan. "Kadesh-Barnea and Mount Sinai."In God's Wilderness: Discoveries in Sinai, pp. 11...
  • The Israelites felt the main influence of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River that bordered Ammon (v. 8). However the Ammonites also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim west of the Jordan (v. 9)...
  • God had promised the Israelites that if they departed from Him He would discipline them by sending famine on the Promised Land (Deut. 28:17, 23, 38-40, 42).16The famine on Israel at this time indicates God's judgment for unfa...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Evidently it was Kish, Mordecai's great-grandfather, who went into captivity with Jehoiachin (vv. 5-6).38This means Mordecai and Esther were probably descendants of the leading citizens of Jerusalem who went into exile in 597...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • In contrast to Ahaz, who refused to listen to and obey God, the Lord would raise up a faithful king who would be born and reign in the future (the Millennium). This pericope climaxes the present section (7:1-9:7) dealing with...
  • The Lord's history lesson for these elders described Israel in four successive periods: in Egypt (vv. 5-9), in the wilderness (vv. 10-26), in the Promised Land (vv. 27-29), and in the present time (vv. 30-38).281What the Lord...
  • This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in th...
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