Exodus5

Moses and Aaron deliver the LORD's command to Pharaoh to let Israel go for a wilderness feast. Pharaoh defiantly refuses, questioning the LORD's authority and accusing the Israelites of idleness. Consequently, Pharaoh intensifies their forced labor, demanding the same brick quota without providing straw, leading to increased suffering and the people's despair.
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Moses and Aaron Confront Pharaoh

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. ​

Pharaoh Intensifies Israel's Labor

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 labour 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? ​

Israelite Officers Appeal to Pharaoh

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.

Despair and Moses' Complaint

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 savour 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. ​

Study Notes for Exodus 5

Verse 1

The initial request is a seemingly modest religious pilgrimage, designed to test Pharaoh’s willingness to acknowledge Yahweh’s authority even slightly.

Verse 2

This rhetorical question defines the central conflict of Exodus. Pharaoh, as a divine king in Egyptian theology, acknowledges no deity superior to him, setting the stage for the contest of divine power.

Verse 3

The 'three days' journey' was a common convention for religious travel, intended to prevent ritual contamination. Moses and Aaron frame the request as necessary to avoid divine judgment (pestilence or sword).

Verse 5

Pharaoh views the discussion of freedom or worship as sedition and a threat to state productivity, demonstrating that the foundation of Egyptian power relied entirely on slave labor.

Verse 7

Straw (or chopped stubble) was essential for brickmaking, acting as a binder to prevent cracking. Removing the supply while demanding the same quota was a calculated act of physical and psychological torture.

Verse 8

Pharaoh’s interpretation—that requests for rest or worship are proof of laziness—is a classic tactic used by oppressors to justify further exploitation and crush hope.

Verse 14

These 'officers' were Israelites appointed by Egyptian taskmasters to supervise their own people. They acted as foremen and were the immediate targets of violence when quotas failed.

Verse 16

The officers attempt to shift the blame to the Egyptian system, subtly asserting that the decree is impossible and that Pharaoh himself is being unjust.

Verse 21

The officers pronounce an imprecation (a curse or judgment appeal) against Moses and Aaron. The people, experiencing immediate suffering, blame the messengers who brought the promise of deliverance.

Verse 22

Moses expresses his first major crisis of faith, questioning God’s wisdom and timing. This highlights the difficulty of leadership when God’s plan involves immediate, intensified hardship before ultimate victory.

Verse 23

Moses directly challenges God’s faithfulness, feeling that the mission has only resulted in greater oppression. This complaint sets up the powerful reaffirmation of God’s covenant name and purpose in the beginning of Chapter 6.

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