Exodus 5
Big idea: The first attempt makes everything worse. Moses and Aaron deliver Yahweh's word, and Pharaoh answers with the question the rest of the book exists to answer: who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice? I don't know Yahweh. He reads the request as idleness and doubles down — the same quota of bricks, but gather your own straw — and the Israelite foremen are beaten for the shortfall. When they appeal to Pharaoh and are called idle, they turn on Moses and Aaron: may Yahweh judge you, you have put a sword in their hand to kill us. And Moses turns on God with the same complaint: why have you brought trouble on this people? You have not delivered them at all.
Chapter 5 ends with Moses' complaint hanging in the air unanswered. Chapter 6 answers it with the most concentrated statement of covenant promise in the book — seven "I will" clauses, all beginning from the name.
5:1–9 — Who is Yahweh?
Moses and Aaron come to Pharaoh with Yahweh's word — let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness — and Pharaoh's reply is a flat denial of the speaker's existence in his world: who is Yahweh, that I should listen? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go. They press the request modestly, three days' journey, lest he strike us with pestilence. Pharaoh's counter is to name the request as laziness and to order the taskmasters: no more straw, same quota, and let heavier work be laid on them so they stop paying attention to lying words.
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 You shall require from them the number of the bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it. Don’t let them pay any attention to lying words.”
5:10–21 — Bricks without straw
The taskmasters pass on the order and the people scatter across Egypt gathering stubble for straw, while the quota is enforced daily. The Israelite foremen are beaten for the shortfall and appeal to Pharaoh directly: why do you deal this way with your servants? Straw is not given, yet they say make brick — and the fault is your own people's. Pharaoh repeats the charge of idleness and sends them back. Coming out, the foremen meet Moses and Aaron and turn on them: may Yahweh look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to Pharaoh and put a sword in their hand to kill us.
10 The taskmasters of the people went out with 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 were asked, “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 Pharaoh said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 18 Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall 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 along the way, as they came out from Pharaoh. 21 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!”
5:22–23 — Why have you brought trouble?
Moses takes the complaint straight back to God: Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why did you ever send me? Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people — and you have not delivered your people at all.
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. You have not rescued your people at all!”
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).