What number verse is Exodus 5:16 in the Bible?

Exodus 5:16 is the 1,649th verse of the Bible. Counting straight through the King James canon — all 31,102 verses from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 — Exodus 5:16 sits at position 1,649.

Translation

King James Version

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.

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KJV (with Strong's)

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.

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Complete Jewish Bible

No straw is given to your servants, yet they keep telling us to make bricks. And now your servants are being flogged, but the fault lies with your own people."

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Berean Standard Bible

No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

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American Standard Version

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.

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World English Bible Messianic

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.”

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Geneva Bible (1599)

There is no strawe giuen to thy seruantes, and they say vnto vs, Make bricke: and loe, thy seruants are beaten, and thy people is blamed.

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Young's Literal Translation

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.'

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In the KJVVerse 1,649 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Exodus 5:16 vividly portrays the desperate plight of the Israelite foremen as they appeal to Pharaoh, detailing the impossible conditions of their forced labor: the cessation of straw provision for brick-making, yet the continued demand for the same quotas, leading to their brutal beatings. This verse encapsulates the intensified oppression under Pharaoh's unyielding rule, serving as a stark illustration of the immediate and painful consequences that can arise from divine confrontation with an entrenched, defiant power.

CONTEXT

Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed immediately following Moses and Aaron's initial, audacious demand to Pharaoh to "Let my people go" (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh's response is not compliance, but a punitive escalation of the Israelites' already arduous forced labor. He decrees that the Israelites must now gather their own straw for brick-making while maintaining the same daily quota, a task designed to be impossible and to crush their spirit (Exodus 5:7-8). The Israelite officers, caught between Pharaoh's unreasonable demands and the physical limitations of their people, are held directly accountable for unmet quotas and consequently suffer severe beatings (Exodus 5:14). Exodus 5:16 is their direct, agonizing appeal to Pharaoh, tragically misplacing the blame for their suffering.
Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Egypt was heavily reliant on brick production for its vast building projects, from cities like Pithom and Raamses (Exodus 1:11) to temples and tombs. Straw was an essential component in the manufacture of mud bricks, acting as a binding agent to prevent cracking and add tensile strength. Without straw, bricks were structurally inferior and far more difficult to produce, requiring significantly more effort and time. The practice of beating laborers for unmet quotas was a common, brutal aspect of ancient Near Eastern slavery and forced labor systems, reflecting the absolute power of rulers over their subjects. This historical reality underscores the severity of the Israelites' suffering and Pharaoh's calculated cruelty.
Key Themes: Exodus 5:16 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Exodus. It highlights the theme of Oppression and Suffering, vividly portraying the depths of Israel's bondage and the escalating cruelty of their enslavers. It also underscores the theme of Divine Sovereignty and Human Resistance, as Pharaoh's intensified cruelty is a direct, defiant response to God's command, setting the stage for God's mighty acts of judgment and deliverance. Furthermore, the verse introduces the theme of Misplaced Blame and Disillusionment, as the Israelite foremen, overwhelmed by their immediate hardship, turn their frustration on Moses and Aaron, failing to grasp the larger divine plan at work. This foreshadows later instances of grumbling and rebellion by the Israelites in the wilderness, such as their complaints against Moses and Aaron after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:24) or concerning food (Exodus 16:2-3).

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Exodus 5:16 presents a stark picture of the Israelites' suffering and the dynamics of oppression: "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."

Key Word Analysis

Straw (Hebrew, teben', H8401): This term refers to refuse haulm or stalks of grain, typically chopped and used as a binding agent in clay bricks. Its absence, as noted by the foremen, signifies a deliberate and severe deprivation, making the production of quality bricks at the required quota virtually impossible. The withholding of straw was not merely an inconvenience but a calculated act of oppression designed to increase the labor burden exponentially and break the spirit of the enslaved.
Beaten (Hebrew, nâkâh', H5221): This verb signifies a forceful strike, ranging from light to severe, often implying physical punishment. Here, it explicitly denotes the brutal physical abuse inflicted upon the Israelite foremen. This was not accidental injury but intentional, punitive violence, highlighting the cruel and dehumanizing nature of their bondage and the direct consequences of failing to meet impossible demands. The act of "beating" underscores the complete lack of justice and compassion within Pharaoh's system.
Fault (Hebrew, châṭâʼ', H2398): This word, often translated as "sin" or "miss the mark," carries the sense of blame, culpability, or a failing. In this context, the foremen tragically attribute the "fault" for their escalated suffering to Moses and Aaron ("thine own people"). They perceive Moses and Aaron's intervention as the direct cause of their worsened conditions, rather than recognizing Pharaoh's hardened heart and defiance against God as the true source of their plight. This reveals their immediate, human-centered perspective, overwhelmed by suffering and unable to see the divine purpose.

Verse Breakdown

"There is no straw given unto thy servants": This opening clause immediately establishes the core of the Israelite foremen's complaint: a fundamental and necessary resource for their work has been deliberately withheld. The passive voice "is no straw given" subtly points to the one responsible for the withholding—Pharaoh's administration—without directly accusing him, reflecting their subordinate position and fear.
"and they say to us, Make brick": This highlights the impossible paradox of their situation. Despite the absence of the essential binding agent (straw), the taskmasters continue to demand the same output of bricks. This command is not merely unreasonable; it is a cruel and calculated measure designed to ensure failure and provide justification for further punishment.
"and, behold, thy servants [are] beaten": This phrase directly describes the brutal consequence of the impossible demands. The word "behold" (וְהִנֵּה, wəhinnēh) draws immediate attention to the physical suffering, emphasizing the tangible and painful reality of their oppression. The foremen themselves are the ones enduring the beatings, making their appeal a firsthand account of their agony.
"but the fault [is] in thine own people.": This concluding clause reveals the tragic misdirection of blame. Overwhelmed by their immediate suffering, the foremen attribute the "fault" for their worsened circumstances to Moses and Aaron, who are "thine own people" (i.e., Pharaoh's own subjects, from the foremen's perspective, as Moses and Aaron are Israelites but are speaking for God to Pharaoh). They fail to see Pharaoh's hardened heart and defiance against God as the true source of their plight, instead blaming the messengers of deliverance.

Literary Devices

Exodus 5:16 effectively employs several literary devices to convey its message. Pathos is powerfully evoked as the foremen, in their direct address to Pharaoh, lay bare their suffering: the impossible demands, the physical beatings, and their desperate plea. The reader is compelled to feel sympathy for their plight. Irony is evident in the foremen's misplaced blame; they accuse Moses and Aaron, the very individuals sent by God to secure their freedom, of being the cause of their increased suffering. This highlights the tragic human tendency to lash out at those closest when under duress, rather than discerning the true source of oppression. Furthermore, the verse uses Contrast to underscore the vast power differential and the injustice of the situation: the complete lack of provision (no straw) sharply contrasts with the unyielding demand for output (make brick), culminating in the brutal reality of the beatings, all orchestrated by the powerful Pharaoh against his helpless "servants."

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Exodus 5:16 is a pivotal moment, illustrating that God's redemptive work often begins with an intensification of conflict and suffering before ultimate deliverance. It highlights that true liberation is rarely achieved without struggle, and the enemy of God's people will always resist divine intervention with increased vehemence. This verse also serves as a poignant reminder of the human tendency to focus on immediate discomfort and misplace blame, even on those God has sent to bring salvation, rather than discerning the true spiritual battle at hand. Despite the immediate despair, this suffering is not meaningless; it deepens Israel's cry to God, further preparing them to recognize and appreciate His mighty acts of salvation.

Exodus 2:23-25: This passage reveals God's awareness of Israel's groaning under bondage, setting the stage for His intervention, which is intensified in Exodus 5:16.
Matthew 10:16-25: Jesus warns His disciples that following Him will bring opposition and persecution, mirroring the initial suffering Israel faced for Moses's obedience.
Numbers 14:1-4: This later instance of Israel's grumbling and desire to return to Egypt after facing hardship in the wilderness echoes the misplaced blame seen in Exodus 5:16.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Exodus 5:16 offers profound lessons for contemporary believers navigating seasons of hardship or pursuing God's call. It teaches us that obedience to God, especially when it involves confronting injustice or challenging the status quo, may not immediately lead to ease but can, in fact, intensify opposition and suffering. We are challenged to cultivate spiritual discernment, resisting the urge to misplace blame on those who are acting in accordance with God's will, even if their actions initially cause discomfort or difficulty. Instead, we must learn to identify the true source of our struggles, which often lies in the resistance of spiritual forces or hardened hearts opposed to God's kingdom. Furthermore, this verse calls us to perseverance and unwavering faith, even when circumstances seem impossible and we are under immense pressure, trusting that God sees our suffering, hears our cries, and will ultimately bring about His promised deliverance, just as He did for Israel through His mighty hand (Exodus 6:6).

Questions for Reflection

When faced with increased difficulty after taking a step of faith, how do you typically respond? Do you tend to misplace blame?
How can you cultivate greater spiritual discernment to identify the true source of opposition in your life, rather than blaming innocent parties or God's messengers?
What does this verse teach you about the nature of God's redemptive plan, which often involves suffering before breakthrough?
How can the Israelites' experience encourage you to persevere in faith, even when circumstances seem impossible or you feel "beaten down"?

FAQ

Why did Pharaoh intensify the Israelites' labor instead of releasing them?

Answer: Pharaoh intensified the labor as a direct act of defiance against the God of Israel and to suppress any hope of freedom among the enslaved Israelites. By making their lives unbearable and their tasks impossible, he aimed to break their spirit, exhaust them physically, and demoralize them to the point where they would be too overwhelmed to pursue Moses and Aaron's demands for release. This strategy was designed to maintain his absolute control over a vital labor force and to assert his own power over the God of the Hebrews, whom he initially claimed not to know (Exodus 5:2).

Why did the Israelite foremen blame Moses and Aaron?

Answer: The foremen blamed Moses and Aaron because their intervention directly led to the increased suffering. From the foremen's immediate and human perspective, Moses and Aaron's demands on Pharaoh resulted in the punitive withholding of straw and their subsequent beatings. Overwhelmed by their present pain and the impossible demands, they failed to see the larger divine plan at work or the true source of their oppression—Pharaoh's hardened heart and his resistance to God's will. Their reaction highlights a common human tendency to blame the messenger when circumstances worsen, especially when the path to freedom initially brings more hardship.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The intensified suffering of Israel in Exodus 5:16, a direct consequence of God's initial call for their deliverance, powerfully foreshadows the suffering of Christ and the path of His followers. Just as Israel's suffering was a necessary part of God's redemptive plan, leading to their ultimate liberation from Egyptian bondage, Christ's suffering on the cross was the essential path to humanity's ultimate deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus, the ultimate "servant" of God, bore the impossible demands and the "beating" not for any fault of His own, but for the "fault" of humanity, becoming the innocent sufferer who brings about true freedom (Isaiah 53:5). His work, like Moses's, initially brought conflict and intensified spiritual warfare, as seen in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and the opposition He faced from religious authorities (John 5:16-18). Ultimately, through His suffering and resurrection, Christ secured eternal release from a greater oppressor—Satan and the power of sin—for all who believe, fulfilling the pattern of deliverance initiated in the Exodus (Hebrews 2:14-15).

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Commentary on Exodus 5 verses 15–23

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 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.

It was a great strait that the head-workmen were in, when they must either abuse those that were under them or be abused by those that were over them; yet, it should seem, rather than they would tyrannize, they would be tyrannized over; and they were so. In this evil case (Exo 5:19), observe,

I. How justly they complained to Pharaoh: They came and cried unto Pharaoh, Exo 5:15. Whither should they go with a remonstrance of their grievances but to the supreme power, which is ordained for the protection of the injured? As bad as Pharaoh was his oppressed subjects had liberty to complain to him; there was no law against petitioning: it was a very modest, but moving, representation that they made of their condition (Exo 5:16): Thy servants are beaten (severely enough, no doubt, when things were in such a ferment), and yet the fault is in thy own people, the task-masters, who deny us what is necessary for carrying on our work. Note, It is common for those to be most rigorous in blaming others who are most blameworthy themselves. But what did they get by this complaint? It did but make bad worse. 1. Pharaoh taunted them (Exo 5:17); when they were almost killed with working, he told them they were idle: they underwent the fatigue of industry, and yet lay under the imputation of slothfulness, while nothing appeared to ground the charge upon but this, that they said, Let us go and do sacrifice. Note, It is common for the best actions to be mentioned under the worst names; holy diligence in the best business is censured by many as a culpable carelessness in the business of the world. It is well for us that men are not to be our judges, but a God who knows what the principles are on which we act. Those that are diligent in doing sacrifice to the Lord will, with God, escape the doom of the slothful servant, though, with men, they do not. 2. He bound on their burdens: Go now and work. Exo 5:18. Note, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked; what can be expected from unrighteous men but more unrighteousness?

II. How unjustly they complained of Moses and Aaron: The Lord look upon you, and judge, Exo 5:21. This was not fair. Moses and Aaron had given sufficient evidence of their hearty good-will to the liberties of Israel; and yet, because things succeed not immediately as they hoped, they are reproached as accessaries to their slavery. They should have humbled themselves before God, and taken to themselves the shame of their sin, which turned away good things from them; but, instead of this, they fly in the face of their best friends, and quarrel with the instruments of their deliverance, because of some little difficulties and obstructions they met with in effecting it. Note, Those that are called out to public service for God and their generation must expect to be tried, not only by the malicious threats of proud enemies, but by the unjust and unkind censures of unthinking friends, who judge only by outward appearance and look but a little way before them. Now what did Moses do in this strait? It grieved him to the heart that the event did not answer, but rather contradict, his expectation; and their upbraidings were very cutting, and like a sword in his bones; but, 1. He returned to the Lord (Exo 5:22), to acquaint him with it, and to represent the case to him: he knew that what he had said and done was by divine direction; and therefore what blame is laid upon him for it he considers as reflecting upon God, and, like Hezekiah, spreads it before him as interested in the cause, and appeals to him. Compare this with Jer 20:7-9. Note, When we find ourselves, at any time, perplexed and embarrassed in the way of our duty, we ought to have recourse to God, and lay open our case before him by faithful and fervent prayer. If we retreat, let us retreat to him, and no further. 2. He expostulated with him, Exo 5:22, Exo 5:23. He knew not how to reconcile the providence with the promise and the commission which he had received. "Is this God's coming down to deliver Israel? Must I, who hoped to be a blessing to them, become a scourge to them? By this attempt to get them out of the pit, they are but sunk the deeper into it." Now he asks, (1.) Wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Note, Even when God is coming towards his people in ways of mercy, he sometimes takes such methods as that they may think themselves but ill treated. The instruments of deliverance, when they aim to help, are found to hinder, and that becomes a trap which, it was hoped, would have been for their welfare, God suffering it to be so that we may learn to cease from man, and may come off from a dependence upon second causes. Note, further, When the people of God think themselves ill treated, they should go to God by prayer, and plead with him, and that is the way to have better treatment in God's good time. (2.) Why is it thou hast sent me? Thus, [1.] He complains of his ill success: "Pharaoh has done evil to this people, and not one step seems to be taken towards their deliverance." Note, It cannot but sit very heavily upon the spirits of those whom God employs for him to see that their labour does no good, and much more to see that it does hurt eventually, though not designedly. It is uncomfortable to a good minister to perceive that his endeavours for men's conviction and conversion do but exasperate their corruptions, confirm their prejudices, harden their hearts, and seal them up under unbelief. This makes them go in the bitterness of their souls, as the prophet, Eze 3:14. Or, [2.] He enquires what was further to be done: Why hast thou sent me? that is, "What other method shall I take in pursuance of my commission?" Note, Disappointments in our work must not drive us from our God, but still we must consider why we are sent.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 15–23. Public domain.

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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.

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