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"Moses left them and prayed, 'Our Lord, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here?'"
- 5: 22, Contemporary English Version, see link below.
Remember, the original text was not broken up into chapters. Immediately after meeting with the elders of the People of Israel, Moses and Aaron head off and meet with the Pharaoh.
Whoever was in charge of the royal day planner didn't put Moses off by saying "come back next Tuesday, right after lunch, I can get you a few minutes with His Majesty." Moses apparently had immediate access into the court to speak to the Pharaoh, and he took Aaron with him.
1
"achar" (afterward / following) "bo" (enter / came) Moses and Aaron, and said unto Pharaoh, "koh" (so / thus) "amar" (said / saith) "YHWH 'Elohim" (LORD God) 'of' Israel: "salah" (let go / send away (another form of the same root word from before)) 'My' "am" (people) that they may "chagag" (celebrate / hold a feast / etc) to Me in "midbar" (wilderness).
2
"way yomer" (and said) Pharaoh, "mi" (who) 'is' YHWH that I should "shama" (listen) to his "qol" (voice) to let Israel go? "lo" (not) do I "yada" (know) YHWH, and I will not let Israel go.
Remember the phrase "I don't know YHWH". That becomes very important in a couple of chapters.
3
So they said the "'Elohe" (God) of the "Ibri" (Hebrews) "qara" (met / 'came upon') us. 'let us walk', "na" (please / pray), journey three days into the wilderness / desert and "zabach" (sacrifice) to "YHWH 'Elohim" (LORD God) - "pen" (otherwise) he "paga" (strike / falls on) us with "deber" (plague / pestilence (this is the first use of the word in the OT, but not the last!)) or "chereb" (sword).
4 - 5 Paraphrase:
The king said: "tell the people to get back to work. There's a lot of them, and you're stopping them doing their jobs."
6 - 7
"tsavah" (commanded) Pharaoh 'that day' the "nagas" (drivers / taskmasters (includes 'tyrant')) of the people, and "shoter" (overseer / officer / official) saying, "lo" (no / not) will "nathan" (give) "teben" (straw / chaff) the people "laban" (to make) "labenah" (brick) with as before - 'let them gather it themselves'.
Remember the "shoter" (overseer...) they become important in a moment.
8 Summary:
the order from the king then specifies that there is to be no reduction in the required quota of bricks made because they have stopped work and are 'crying out' to go sacrifice to their God.
9
'let more' "kabad / kabed" ('a heavy burden' / burdensome) "abodah" (service / labor / work) on "ish" (men), that they "asah" (accomplish / make / act) in it, and not "shaah" (pay attention / regard) "dabar" (words) "sheqer" (deception / deceit / lies).
Pharaoh believes that by making the Hebrews, and whatever other slaves are in the kingdom, work harder, they not only won't have time to listen to Moses, and just perhaps they'll 'take care' of Moses and Aaron and rid the king of that problem.
10 - 11 Summary:
The overseers went out and told the people what the Pharaoh said, no straw for the bricks and their work load won't be reduced.
12 Summary:
The people scatter across Egypt to gather straw.
Which brings up the question, who had been gathering the straw for the bricks before the Pharaoh's order?
13 Summary:
The taskmasters badger the people to make their quotas as before.
14
and were "nakah" (beaten (with intent...) (we've seen this term a lot so far in Exodus!)) "shoter" (officials / overseers) of the "ben" (sons) "Yisrael" (Israel), whom "sum / sim" (placed / set / appointed) over them, taskmasters of Pharaoh. ....
Summary of the rest of the verse: "they were asked why they hadn't made quota."
It reads as if certain Hebrews were placed in positions as 'lead workers' or 'foremen' of the other Hebrews, and it didn't go well. When you look at the verse, it doesn't clearly say who was doing the beating of these 'foremen'. Were the other slaves beating them up because they were making their own people work harder, or were the Egyptians beating them because the people weren't working hard enough. Or even both? Talk about being in a tough job!
The archaic term "straw boss" (one who has some responsibility but little real authority) could also apply, but given that we've been talking about actual 'straw', we'll skip that and move on.
15 - 16 Summary:
Those same overseers went and "tsaaq" (cried for help / appealed 'loudly') to Pharaoh asking 'why are you treating us like this? There's no straw...' etc. 'But it's the Egyptian's fault.'
17 - 18 Summary:
The king reminds them of what Moses said about going out to sacrifice, and how they'd be idle while they did that. Then he says "get back to work."
19 Summary:
The Hebrew overseers know they're in trouble with the quota.
20 Summary
And when they come out of the meeting with Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron just happen to be outside waiting outside.
21
And they said to them....
It is 'the overseers' who are talking to Moses and Aaron, just in case the 'they's and 'them's in the verse in English aren't totally clear.
.... let "raah" (see / look) YHWH "al" (on / upon) you "shaphat" (judge / rule) "asher" (because) "baash" (offensive / stink / abhorrent (includes 'abomination')) 'you have made' our "reyach" (scent / odor) "ayin" (sight) of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants, to put a "chereb" (sword) in their "yad" (hand) to "harag" (kill / slay) us.
22 - 23
and "shub" (returned) Moses to YHWH "way yomer" (and said), "Adonay" (Lord) "mah" (why) "ra'a" (punish / harm / 'make worse') on the people? "mah" (why) 'is' "zeh" (this) "shalach" (sent 'me)? From when I came to Pharaoh to "dabar" (speak) in Your "shem" (Name), he has "ra'a" (punish / harm...) to the people, and You "natsal" (rescued / delivered) "lo" (not) "natsal" (rescued / delivered) the people.
Moses's temper is close to the surface here. He's impatient and expects GOD to operate according to his expectations.
End Chapter 5
Selected Resources:
All links will open in a new tab/window, all were working as of original date of posting:
Interlinear English / Hebrew: Chapter 5 https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/5.htm
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Exodus-Chapter-5/
Contemporary English Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%205&version=CEV
NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.
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