Exodus 5:1-14
Summary for Exod 5:1-14: 5:1-14 a Pharaoh not only rejected Moses’ request to release the Hebrew slaves, he also retaliated by making their work harder. The arrival of the rescuer had actually made the situation worse. 5:1 b so they may hold a festival: See study note on 3:18.5:2 c Pharaoh immediately moved to the heart of the issue. What god could possibly be superior to Pharaoh? What god could compel him to do what he did not want to do? This is a central issue for the whole human race. Is there someone or something greater than my self-interest?
5:3 d he will kill us: God had not said this. Perhaps Moses and Aaron were trying to strengthen their case by saying that they had to obey God or die.
Summary for Exod 5:4-5: 5:4-5 e Evidently the people were anticipating their promised freedom and had stopped their work.
Summary for Exod 5:6-14: 5:6-14 f Pharaoh made the work harder in retaliation for their insubordination; he also believed they had too much time on their hands (5:8 g). He could not conceive of a god who would reveal himself outside of the established royal system of worship, so the only explanation he could imagine for their strange religious ideas was that they had dreamed them up themselves—when they should have been working (see also 5:17 h).
5:7 i Straw is a binder to help clay and mud bricks retain their form while drying in the sun.
Copyright information for
TNotes