Exodus 5 10

Exodus 5:10 kjv

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.

Exodus 5:10 nkjv

And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh: 'I will not give you straw.

Exodus 5:10 niv

Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw.

Exodus 5:10 esv

So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw.

Exodus 5:10 nlt

So the slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people: "This is what Pharaoh says: I will not provide any more straw for you.

Exodus 5 verses

Exodus 5 10 meaning

Exodus 5:10 details Pharaoh's immediate, harsh response to Moses and Aaron's request for Israel's release to worship the LORD. It reveals the oppressive mandate delivered by the Egyptian taskmasters and their Israelite foremen, announcing that the enslaved Hebrews would no longer be supplied with straw for brick-making. This decree effectively increased the Israelites' already unbearable workload by forcing them to gather their own essential raw material, while still demanding the same impossible quota of bricks. It marked a significant escalation of the oppression, demonstrating Pharaoh's utter defiance of God's command and his resolve to crush the spirit of the people of Israel.

Exodus 5 10 Context

Exodus chapter 5 introduces the first direct confrontation between Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh. Empowered by the LORD, Moses and Aaron convey God's command to "Let My people go" (Exod 5:1). Pharaoh defiantly rejects the LORD's authority, famously declaring, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice... I do not know the LORD" (Exod 5:2). He perceives Israel's request as laziness, dismissing their desire to sacrifice to their God as a distraction from work (Exod 5:4). As a result, Pharaoh immediately escalates the oppressive conditions, issuing a decree (Exod 5:6-9) that the Israelite brickmakers must now collect their own straw while still fulfilling the same brick quota. Verse 10 is the practical execution of this new, harsher policy, publicly communicated to the Israelite laborers. This intensification of hardship, ironically triggered by God's initial call for freedom, serves a divine purpose: to further demonstrate Pharaoh's hardened heart, to push the Israelites to desperation, and ultimately to highlight God's powerful deliverance and judgment against Egypt.

Exodus 5 10 Word analysis

• So the taskmasters of the people (נגשׁים - nogeshim) and their foremen (שׁטרים - shotrim):
  • Taskmasters (nogeshim): These were Egyptian overseers, specifically "oppressive exactors" or "drivers." The word signifies one who relentlessly presses for payment or labor. Their role was to enforce Pharaoh's cruel decrees, often through violence (Exod 5:14). This highlights the direct, brutal enforcement arm of Pharaoh's tyranny.
  • Foremen (shotrim): These were likely Israelite elders or officers appointed by the Egyptians to supervise their own people. They served as an intermediate layer, responsible for achieving quotas from their kin. They bore the immediate brunt of the taskmasters' wrath if quotas were not met, as seen in Exod 5:14 where they are beaten. Their presence signifies Pharaoh's cruel genius: making the oppressed responsible for enforcing their own oppression, sowing internal division and exacerbating the suffering within the community.
• went out and spoke to the people: This signifies a formal, public declaration of Pharaoh's decree. "Went out" suggests a movement from authority (Pharaoh's court or official headquarters) to the labor camps, emphasizing the immediate and wide implementation of the new policy. The direct communication eliminates any doubt about the change in labor conditions.
• saying, "Thus says Pharaoh": This phrase echoes the divine declaration, "Thus says the LORD" (e.g., Exod 4:22; 5:1). By prefacing his decree this way, Pharaoh directly asserts his supreme authority and countermands the LORD's word. It is a bold, blasphemous challenge to the true sovereign of the universe, positioning himself as the ultimate ruler. This highlights the core conflict: Pharaoh's presumed divinity versus Yahweh's actual divinity.
• "I will no longer give you straw":
  • Straw (teven): This was a critical component for making durable sun-dried bricks in ancient Egypt. Chopped straw acted as a binding agent, preventing bricks from cracking during drying and making them stronger. Withholding it meant the Israelites now had to scrounge for a raw material previously supplied, adding a significant new logistical burden and time-consuming effort to their labor.
  • "I will no longer give": This specific command epitomizes the escalated oppression. It directly imposes an impossible burden. Without the supply of straw, which was essential for brick production at scale, the same quota could not be met. This move was designed not just to punish, but to utterly break the spirit and capacity of the Israelites, pushing them past their limits to undermine any hope of freedom or relief.

Exodus 5 10 Bonus section

The withholding of straw not only added physical toil but was also a psychological tactic designed to break the Israelites' will and their newly rekindled hope stirred by Moses and Aaron. It was a strategy common in oppressive regimes: to make conditions so dire that rebellion seems pointless, or survival becomes the sole focus, eclipsing any thought of freedom. The fact that the taskmasters and Israelite foremen delivered this news highlights the dehumanizing nature of the system, where even intermediaries were caught in the vise, making the people complicit in their own oppression, a painful but necessary step in realizing the extent of their bondage before true liberation.

Exodus 5 10 Commentary

Exodus 5:10 encapsulates Pharaoh's immediate, escalating malice in response to God's demand for His people's release. By ceasing the supply of straw, Pharaoh was not simply inconveniencing the Israelites; he was imposing an insurmountable burden, demonstrating an intent to crush them with impossible labor. This act served multiple purposes in God's plan: it hardened Pharaoh's heart further, providing the divine opportunity for greater displays of God's power through the plagues. It also stripped the Israelites of any lingering reliance on Pharaoh's 'generosity' or the 'justice' of Egypt, forcing them to look solely to the LORD for deliverance. This verse foreshadows the immense power struggle between the divine will and human tyranny, where increasing oppression paradoxically paved the way for a more dramatic and undeniable demonstration of God's redemptive might. It illustrates that true freedom often follows intense periods of suffering and desperation, forcing a people to utterly rely on their Deliverer.