Exodus 5 KJV
Bricks Without Straw
Exodus Chapter 5: Bricks Without Straw
Pharaoh's refusal to acknowledge Yahweh in 5:2 initiates the revelation of the divine name through the plagues, transforming a political standoff into a cosmic demonstration of sovereignty over Egypt's gods.
1nd 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 daysโ 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.
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 Pharaohโs 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?
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.
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Did You Know?
Pharaoh's refusal to acknowledge Yahweh in 5:2 initiates the revelation of the divine name through the plagues, transforming a political standoff into a cosmic demonstration of sovereignty over Egypt's gods.
The straw mandate reflects authentic New Kingdom brick-making where straw served as a critical binder in Nile mud, with the added quota burden mirroring documented Egyptian practices of intensifying corvรฉe labor to suppress unrest.
The Hebrew officers' complaint to Moses in verses 20-21 establishes the murmuring motif early, linking the Exodus oppression directly to the wilderness rebellion narratives that follow in Numbers.
Moses' protest in 5:22-23, questioning why evil has come upon the people, marks the first prophetic pivot from intercession to accusation, a rhetorical pattern echoed in Jeremiah and Habakkuk.
The narrative's use of distinct terms for Egyptian taskmasters and Israelite officers highlights an imperial divide-and-rule tactic, co-opting local leaders to enforce quotas and foreshadowing later biblical themes of compromised authority under foreign domination.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain Moses and Aaron went in โ As representatives of the Hebrews, they were entitled to ask an audience of the king, and their thorough Egyptian training taught them how and when to seeโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Exodus 5 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: First interview with Pharaoh.
- 1
- Moses and Aaron went in โ As representatives of the Hebrews, they were entitled to ask an audience of the king, and their thorough Egyptian training taught them how and when to seek it. and told Pharaoh โ When introduced, they delivered a message in the name of the God of Israel. This is the first time He is mentioned by that national appellation in Scripture. It seems to have been used by divine direction (Ex 4:2) and designed to put honor on the Hebrews in their depressed condition (Heb 11:16).
- 2
- And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord โ rather "Jehovah." Lord was a common name applied to objects of worship; but Jehovah was a name he had never heard of. Pharaoh estimated the character and power of this God by the abject and miserable condition of the worshippers and concluded that He held as low a rank among the gods as His people did in the nation. To demonstrate the supremacy of the true God over all the gods of Egypt, was the design of the plagues. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go โ As his honor and interest were both involved he determined to crush this attempt, and in a tone of insolence, or perhaps profanity, rejected the request for the release of the Hebrew slaves.
Read all 10 notes on Exodus 5 โ