Exodus 5 13

Exodus 5:13 kjv

And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

Exodus 5:13 nkjv

And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, "Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw."

Exodus 5:13 niv

The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw."

Exodus 5:13 esv

The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw."

Exodus 5:13 nlt

Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. "Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!" they demanded.

Exodus 5 verses

Exodus 5 13 meaning

Exodus 5:13 describes the immediate, brutal enforcement of Pharaoh's new decree following Moses' demand for Israel's freedom. The Egyptian taskmasters, acting on Pharaoh's intensified oppression, aggressively pushed the Israelite laborers to meet their established daily quota of brick production, despite having stripped away their access to straw—a vital component for brick-making. This verse highlights the cruel and impossible burden placed upon God's people, showcasing Pharaoh's tyrannical refusal to acknowledge the LORD's authority.

Exodus 5 13 Context

Exodus chapter 5 marks a pivotal turning point in the narrative of the Exodus. Moses and Aaron have just confronted Pharaoh with God's command: "Let My people go, that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness." Pharaoh's immediate response is defiance, declaring he does not know the LORD and will not release Israel. Not only does he refuse, but he escalates the oppression. He accuses the Israelites of laziness for desiring a break for worship, stating that he must give them more work to do to curb their desires for freedom. His decree, beginning in verses 6-8, removes the supply of straw, a key ingredient for strengthening clay bricks, while simultaneously demanding the same quota of bricks as before. Verse 13 directly depicts the harsh implementation of this new, impossible decree, where the Egyptian taskmasters hasten the enslaved Israelites to meet their quota without the necessary materials. This action sets the stage for intensified suffering among the Israelites, their subsequent complaints against Moses, and ultimately, God's demonstrative display of power against Pharaoh and Egypt.

Exodus 5 13 Word analysis

• And (וַ): This common conjunction signals continuation from the preceding events. It shows the immediate, direct consequence of Pharaoh's command.
• the taskmasters (הַנֹּגְשִׂים / hanog'sim): Derived from the Hebrew root nagash, meaning "to drive, to urge, to oppress." These were official Egyptian overseers, specifically employed to force labor. The term itself carries connotations of harshness, compulsion, and cruelty, depicting them not merely as supervisors but as oppressive enforcers of the state's will.
• hastened them (וַיָּאֵצוּ / vayya'etsu): From the root awats, meaning "to press, to urge, to hasten." This verb emphasizes the relentless, aggressive manner in which the taskmasters pushed the Israelites. There was no leniency, no consideration, just an insistent, urgent demand for work despite the impossible conditions.
• saying (לֵאמֹר / le'mor): A common Hebrew idiom introducing direct speech, indicating the vocal commands given to the laborers.
• Fulfill (כַּלּוּ / kallu): A command in the imperative, from the root kalah, meaning "to complete, to finish, to accomplish fully." This demanded the exact and total amount of work previously required, allowing for no excuses or reduced output.
• your work (מַעֲשֵׂיכֶם / ma'aseykhem): Refers to their forced labor, primarily the making of bricks. It represents their tangible output, their contribution to the oppressive Egyptian state.
• your daily tasks (דְּבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ / d'var-yom b'yomo): Literally "the word/matter of a day in its day." This phrase denotes the precise, established daily quota or portion of work that each laborer was required to produce. It highlights the quantitative and inflexible nature of their burden.
• as before (כִּתְמֹל שִׁלְשֹׁם / kitmol shilshom): This phrase translates to "as yesterday, the day before yesterday," an idiom for "as previously" or "as in the past." In this context, it starkly emphasizes the impossible demand: maintain the same production level as when straw was readily provided. The cruel irony lies in demanding continuity of output despite the revolutionary and detrimental change in conditions (no straw), showcasing Pharaoh's tyrannical logic. The NIV's "just as when you had straw" explicitly clarifies this implied context from the KJV.

Exodus 5 13 Bonus section

The seemingly contradictory outcome—that intensifying Israel's burden actually serves God's redemptive purpose—is a profound theme throughout the Exodus narrative. Pharaoh believed he was stifling their will to freedom and discrediting Moses; instead, he was unwittingly providing the perfect canvas for God to display His overwhelming power. The very impossible situation described in Exod 5:13, where work quotas must be met without means, drives the Israelites to a point of despair that precedes a deeper, more profound trust in the LORD alone as their only rescuer. This specific burden also provides a tangible demonstration of "a yoke" of slavery, setting up a theological contrast with God's offer of freedom and ultimately Christ's "easy yoke and light burden" (Mt 11:30).

Exodus 5 13 Commentary

Exodus 5:13 succinctly captures the heightened tension and escalating oppression immediately after Moses and Aaron's first encounter with Pharaoh. Pharaoh's response is not merely a refusal but a deliberate act of intensified cruelty, aimed at crushing the Israelites' spirit and blaming them for their desire for rest and worship. The command for the "taskmasters" to "hasten" the laborers to "fulfill" their "daily tasks as before" highlights the systematic brutality of the Egyptian regime.

This verse demonstrates Pharaoh's strategic wickedness: he understood that removing the straw, while still demanding the same quota, would make the work exponentially harder and essentially impossible to meet without severe strain and suffering. The term "taskmasters" itself, from the root nagash (to drive, oppress), conveys their role as brutal enforcers rather than mere supervisors. Their act of "hastening" emphasizes the relentless, unyielding pressure applied to the laborers, allowing no room for negotiation, rest, or even despair. This created a profound sense of entrapment and injustice, fostering bitter frustration not only against their oppressors but, initially, against Moses himself (Exod 5:20-21).

Theologically, this severe intensification of suffering served a paradoxical purpose within God's larger plan. It showcased Pharaoh's utter hardness of heart and disdain for God, providing an unequivocal demonstration of the evil from which Israel needed deliverance. It also allowed God's subsequent, even more miraculous, interventions to shine brighter against such a dark backdrop of human tyranny. The suffering was not random; it drove the people to a deeper dependence on God and provided a clear contrast between human cruelty and divine salvation.