Exodus 5 19

Exodus 5:19 kjv

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.

Exodus 5:19 nkjv

And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, "You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota."

Exodus 5:19 niv

The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day."

Exodus 5:19 esv

The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, "You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day."

Exodus 5:19 nlt

The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told, "You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day."

Exodus 5 verses

Exodus 5 19 meaning

This verse conveys the grave realization of the Israelite foremen regarding their dire predicament. They understood that Pharaoh's new decree – compelling them to gather their own straw yet maintain the original, unreduced quota of bricks – placed them in an impossible and highly perilous situation. This meant ceaseless labor, severe distress, and inevitable physical abuse from Egyptian taskmasters due to unmet quotas, signaling an intensification of their suffering and a crushing of their hope for release.

Exodus 5 19 Context

Exodus chapter 5 opens with Moses and Aaron delivering God's demand to Pharaoh: "Let My people go." Pharaoh's response is defiant, stating he does not know the Lord and will not let Israel go. Far from yielding, Pharaoh retaliates by increasing the Hebrews' labor. He commands his taskmasters to cease providing straw for brick production while insisting that the Israelites must still meet their full daily brick quota. This cruel decree forces the enslaved people to scatter throughout Egypt to find straw or stubble, adding immense physical and time burdens. The Israelite foremen, who were leaders among their people appointed by the Egyptians to oversee the work, now find themselves in an impossible position, bearing the brunt of Pharaoh's decree and the Egyptians' punitive measures. Verse 19 precisely captures this moment of acute understanding and desperation among these foremen as they fully grasp the severity of their "trouble" and the unyielding nature of Pharaoh's command. This realization marks a crucial turning point, leading directly to their confrontation with Moses and Aaron (Exo 5:20-21) and then to Moses' own complaint to God (Exo 5:22-23), setting the stage for God's escalating intervention.

Exodus 5 19 Word analysis

• The foremen (וַיִּרְאוּ שָׂרֵי):

  • וַיִּרְאוּ (va-yir'u): "And they saw" (verb from root רָאָה, ra'ah). More than mere physical sight; it signifies a deep perception, understanding, or realization. They didn't just observe the facts; they comprehended the devastating implications for themselves and their people.
  • שָׂרֵי (sarëy): "Officers," "princes," "foremen" (from שַׂר, sar). These were Israelites appointed by Egyptian authorities over their own brethren (Exo 5:6). They functioned as a direct link in the chain of command, making them immediately vulnerable to the consequences of unmet quotas. They were not Egyptians, but Israelites caught between their oppressor and their suffering kinsmen.
  • of the people of Israel: Clearly identifies these foremen as part of the oppressed group, increasing the personal weight of their realization.

• saw that they were in trouble (אֹתָם בְּרָע):

  • אֹתָם (otam): "Themselves" or "them." Refers specifically to the foremen (and perhaps, broadly, the people under their charge). It highlights their personal understanding of the difficulty.
  • בְּרָע (bera): "In bad," "in evil," "in distress," "in trouble" (from רַע, ra') This signifies a state of severe adversity, calamity, or misery. It underscores the overwhelming and negative nature of their circumstances, not just an inconvenience. It indicates extreme personal difficulty, even life-threatening due to beatings (Exo 5:14).

• when they said (לֵאמֹר):

  • לֵאמֹר (lemor): "Saying" or "meaning." This idiomatic Hebrew phrase often introduces direct speech or, as here, specifies what was realized or meant. It clarifies the substance of their acute perception – their understanding of Pharaoh's unchanging, relentless decree. It's their internal realization or articulation of the dire consequences, not a verbal declaration by them at that moment.

• 'You must not reduce (לֹא תִגְרְעוּ):

  • לֹא (lo): "Not," "shall not." A strong negation, signifying a strict prohibition.
  • תִגְרְעוּ (tigr'u): "You shall diminish," "subtract," "take away," "reduce" (verb from גָרַע, gara'). This is a direct echo of Pharaoh's decree from earlier in the chapter (Exo 5:8, 11). This phrase isn't the foremen saying this, but their realization of Pharaoh's strict, unchanging decree as it directly applied to them.

• your daily quota of bricks (מִלִּבְנֵיכֶם דְּבַר-יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ):

  • מִלִּבְנֵיכֶם (milivnëchem): "From your bricks." (לְבֵנָה, levenah, means brick). Refers to the production they were responsible for.
  • דְּבַר-יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ (devar-yom b'yomo): "Matter of a day in its day," or "daily quota, as before." This emphasizes the consistency, regularity, and unchanging nature of the oppressive demand. There would be no respite, no slack given. It portrays a relentless, inescapable burden day after day.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble": This entire clause conveys the critical internal crisis for the Israelite leadership. It marks the transition from merely performing oppressive labor to a conscious, personal, and painful realization of the full impact of Pharaoh's intensified cruelty on their very being and survival. Their position as Israelites, chosen by Pharaoh, places them in a unique intersection of burden and responsibility, feeling both the oppressor's whip and the suffering of their own people.
  • "when they said, 'You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.'": This phrase doesn't mean the foremen uttered these words. Rather, it encapsulates what they "saw" or realized as the core, immutable demand driving their "trouble." It's the inescapable fact: the quota remains unchanged despite the doubled burden, leading directly to the beatings and severe hardship. This unyielding command made their situation dire, emphasizing Pharaoh's absolute authority and lack of mercy.

Exodus 5 19 Bonus section

• The Psychological Impact of Pharaoh's Strategy: Pharaoh's command was not just an increase in physical labor, but a deliberate psychological assault. By making them gather their own straw and maintain the same quota, he effectively externalized the management problem onto the Israelites themselves. This not only crushed their physical bodies but aimed to break their spirits, sowing internal discord and removing any hope of easier conditions.
• Leadership under Pressure: The Israelite foremen faced an unbearable leadership burden. They were Israelites appointed over Israelites, making them accountable for impossible tasks. This pressure resulted in their being beaten (Exo 5:14) when quotas were not met, effectively making them scapegoats within the oppressive system. Their "trouble" was directly tied to their leadership role.
• The Unchanging Decree as a Literary Device: The repeated emphasis on "not reducing" the quota, and the "daily quota," reinforces the unyielding nature of the oppression. It builds suspense for the eventual divine intervention, contrasting Pharaoh's steadfast cruelty with God's equally steadfast promise of deliverance. It underscores the point that human negotiation or appeal (like that attempted by the foremen) would be utterly ineffective against such an intransigent heart.

Exodus 5 19 Commentary

Exodus 5:19 provides a crucial human perspective on the escalation of the Egyptian bondage following Moses and Aaron's initial demand for Israel's release. The Israelite foremen, themselves under Pharaoh's cruel administrative system, are forced to internalize the harsh reality of Pharaoh's retaliatory decree. Their "seeing" is not just physical sight, but a profound and painful realization that their suffering has reached a new, agonizing level. They fully grasp that the devar-yom b'yomo – the unrelenting, fixed daily quota of bricks – coupled with the forced procurement of straw, means their lives have become unbearably hard. This recognition ignites their desperate cry, leading them directly to confront Moses and Aaron, then Pharaoh himself. This intense distress is foundational; it portrays the depths of Israel's hopelessness, making God's eventual, mighty deliverance all the more powerful and glorious. It is a moment of total human weakness and despair, setting the perfect stage for divine intervention.