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... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AFTERWARDS MOSES AND AARON WENT IN, AND TOLD PHARAOH,.... Whose name, some say, was Cenchres, others Amenophis, according to Manetho and Chaeremon h; 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 manne... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHARAOH SAID, WHO IS THE LORD,.... Jehovah, they made mention of, which, whether he took it for the name of a deity, or of a king, whose ambassadors they declared themselves to be, was a name he had never heard of before; and this being expressed and pronounced, shows that this name is not ineff... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SAID, THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS HATH MET WITH US,.... Perceiving that the name Jehovah was unknown to him, and treated by him in a scornful manner, they leave it out, and only say, "the God of the Hebrews": a people that dwelt in his country, he well knew by this name, and could not be ignoran... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING OF EGYPT SAID TO THEM,.... For he was not struck dumb, as Artapanus g, afore cited writer, says: WHEREFORE DO YE, MOSES AND AARON, LET THE PEOPLE FROM THEIR WORKS? as they did when they gathered them together, and wrought signs before them; which Pharaoh it seems had heard of, and had... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHARAOH SAID, BEHOLD, THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND NOW ARE MANY,.... So that if some were taken off, as suggested, there were enough of them to do business and so he cared not; but if allowed to go, they might mutiny and rebel, and give a great deal of trouble to quell them; or it may be, the sense is... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHARAOH COMMANDED THE SAME DAY THE TASKMASTERS OF THE PEOPLE,.... Who were Egyptians, and whom Pharaoh sent for the same day, to give them orders to oppress them yet more and more, so far was he from complying with their request: [AND] THEIR OFFICERS; who were Israelites, and were under the tas... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL NO MORE GIVE THE PEOPLE STRAW TO MAKE BRICK,.... Whether this was given and used to mix with the clay, as is done in some places h, that the bricks made thereof might be firmer and stronger, or to burn them with in the furnaces, or to cover them from the heat of the sun, that they might not... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE TALE OF THE BRICKS, WHICH THEY DID MAKE HERETOFORE, YOU SHALL LAY UPON THEM,.... Oblige them to make and bring in the same number of bricks they used to do, when straw was brought to them and given them; by which it appears, that their daily task was such a number of bricks: YOU SHALL NOT D... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THERE MORE WORK BE LAID UPON THE MEN,.... Instead of lessening it, let it be increased, or "be heavy" k upon them, that it may oppress and afflict them and keep them down, and weaken their strength and their spirits, and diminish them: THAT THEY MAY LABOUR THEREIN; and have no leisure time to s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE TASKMASTERS OF THE PEOPLE WENT OUT,.... From the presence of Pharaoh, out of his court, to the respective places where they were set to see that the Israelites did their work: AND THEIR OFFICERS; the officers of the Israelites, who were under the taskmasters, and answerable to them for the... [ Continue Reading ]
GO YE, GET YE STRAW, WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT,.... Before it was provided by the king, and brought to the brickkilns, but now they are bid to go and fetch it themselves, and get it where they could, whether in fields or barns; and if they were obliged to pay for it out of their labour; it was a greater... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THE PEOPLE WERE SCATTERED ABROAD THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT,.... That part of it where they dwelt: TO GATHER STUBBLE INSTEAD OF STRAW; straw not being easy to come at, they were obliged to gather stubble that was left in the fields, after the corn was gathered in. Ben Melech observes, that... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE TASKMASTERS HASTED THEM, Kept them tight and close to their work, and were urgent on them to make quick dispatch of it: SAYING, FULFIL YOUR WORKS, [YOUR] DAILY TASKS, AS WHEN THERE WAS STRAW; they insisted upon it, that they did the same business at the brickkilns, made the same number of b... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE OFFICERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, WHICH PHARAOH'S TASKMASTERS HAD SET OVER THEM,.... This makes it clear, not only that the taskmasters and officers were different persons, but that the one were Egyptians appointed by Pharaoh, and the other were Israelites, of the better sort of them, who... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE OFFICERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME AND CRIED UNTO PHARAOH,.... Made their complaints to him, perhaps with tears in their eyes, being used so very ill. They little thought it was by Pharaoh's orders; they supposed he knew nothing of it, and therefore hoped to have their grievances redre... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS NO STRAW GIVEN UNTO THY SERVANTS,.... As used to be, which they supposed Pharaoh knew nothing of, and by which it appears that the order given by Pharaoh, Exodus 5:6 was not given in the hearing of the officers, only to the taskmasters, and by them to be made known to the officers, though i... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE SAID, YE ARE IDLE, YE ARE IDLE,.... Instead of expressing indignation at the taskmasters, and relieving the officers and the people, he insults them in a flouting sarcastic way, charging them with sloth and idleness; and which, for the certainty of it, or, however, to show how strongly persua... [ Continue Reading ]
GO THEREFORE NOW, AND WORK,.... Go about your business, attend to your work, even you officers, as well as your people; work yourselves, as well as see that your people do theirs, and do not trouble me with such impertinent applications: FOR THERE SHALL NO STRAW BE GIVEN YOU, YET SHALL YE DELIVER T... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE OFFICERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID SEE THAT THEY WERE IN EVIL CASE,.... In a bad condition and circumstances, and that there was no likelihood of their getting out of them, since Pharaoh treated them after this manner; they saw not only that the common people were in a bad condition, in... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY MET MOSES AND AARON,.... The officers of the children of Israel, who had been with their complaints to Pharaoh: WHO STOOD IN THE WAY AS THEY CAME FORTH FROM PHARAOH; they, had placed themselves in a proper situation, that they might meet them when they came out, and know what success they... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SAID UNTO THEM, THE LORD LOOK UPON YOU AND JUDGE,.... Or, "will look upon you and judge" q; 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 t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES RETURNED UNTO THE LORD,.... Bishop Patrick thinks, that this not only intimates that the Lord had appeared to Moses since he came into Egypt, but that there was some settled place where he appeared, and where he might resort to him on all occasions, and therefore is said to return to him;... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR SINCE I CAME TO PHARAOH TO SPEAK IN THY NAME,.... Had he come in his own name, it needed not be wondered at if he should not succeed, but coming in the name of God, it might have been expected he would, and that Pharaoh would have been prevailed upon, or obliged to use the people well, and let t... [ Continue Reading ]