Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, August 2nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 5:4

But Pharaoh said to them, "Moses and Aaron, you are bothering the workers. Let them do their work. Go back to your own work!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Bondage, Physical;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pharaoh;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Aaron;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Exodus;   Let;   Moses;   Pharaoh;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Let;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Burden;   Circumcision;   Exodus, the Book of;   Get;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Admissions in Evidence;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The king of Mitzrayim said to them, "Why do you, Moshe and Aharon, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!"
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
And the king of Egypt said, "Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people from their work? Go to your forced labor!"
New Century Version
But the king said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your jobs!
New English Translation
The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work? Return to your labor!"
Amplified Bible
But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, "Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!"
New American Standard Bible
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their work? Get back to your labors!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide the King of Egypt vnto them, Moses & Aaron, why cause ye the people to cease from their workes? get you to your burdens.
Legacy Standard Bible
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your hard labors!"
Contemporary English Version
The king said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping these people from working? Look how many you are keeping from doing their work. Now everyone get back to work!"
Complete Jewish Bible
The king of Egypt answered them, "Moshe and Aharon, what do you mean by taking the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!
Darby Translation
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, wish to have the people go off from their works? Away, to your burdens!
English Standard Version
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens."
George Lamsa Translation
And the king of Egypt said to them, Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to stop from their work? Go back to your tasks.
Good News Translation
The king said to Moses and Aaron, "What do you mean by making the people neglect their work? Get those slaves back to work!
Christian Standard Bible®
The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your labor!”
Literal Translation
And the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you loose the people from their work? You go to your burdens.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde ye kynge of Egipte vnto the: Why make ye ye people (thou Moses & Aaron) to leaue their worke? Get you hece to yor laboure.
American Standard Version
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
Bible in Basic English
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people away from their work? get back to your work.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide the kyng of Egypt vnto them: wherfore do ye, Moyses and Aaron let the people from their workes? get you vnto your burthens.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king of Egypt said unto them: 'Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break loose from their work? get you unto your burdens.'
King James Version (1611)
And the King of Egypt said vnto them, Wherfore doe ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their workes? get you vnto your burdens.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, turn the people from their works? depart each of you to your works.
English Revised Version
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
Berean Standard Bible
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your work!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The kyng of Egipt seide to hem, Moises and Aaron, whi stiren ye the puple fro her werkis? Go ye to youre chargis.
Young's Literal Translation
And the king of Egypt saith unto them, `Why, Moses and Aaron, do ye free the people from its works? go to your burdens.'
Update Bible Version
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? you get to your burdens.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, hinder the people from their works; go you to your burdens.
World English Bible
The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!"
New King James Version
Then the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor."
New Living Translation
Pharaoh replied, "Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!
New Life Bible
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Return to your work!"
New Revised Standard
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore O Moses and Aaron should ye loose the people from their works? Get you to your burdens.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The king of Egypt said to them: Why do you Moses and Aaron draw off the people from their works? Get you gone to your burdens.
Revised Standard Version
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get to your burdens."
THE MESSAGE
But the king of Egypt said, "Why on earth, Moses and Aaron, would you suggest the people be given a holiday? Back to work!" Pharaoh went on, "Look, I've got all these people bumming around, and now you want to reward them with time off?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!"

Contextual Overview

3 Then Aaron and Moses said, "The God of the Hebrews has talked with us. So we beg you to let us travel three days into the desert. There we will offer a sacrifice to the Lord our God. If we don't do this, he might become angry and destroy us. He might make us die from sickness or war." 4 But Pharaoh said to them, "Moses and Aaron, you are bothering the workers. Let them do their work. Go back to your own work! 5 There are very many workers, and you are keeping them from doing their jobs." 6 That same day Pharaoh gave a command to the slave masters and Hebrew foremen. 7 He said, "You have always given the people straw to use to make bricks. But now, tell them they have to go and find their own straw to make bricks. 8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. They have gotten lazy. That is why they are asking me to let them go. They don't have enough work to do. That is why they asked me to let them make sacrifices to their God. 9 So make these people work harder. Keep them busy. Then they will not have enough time to listen to the lies of Moses."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wherefore: Jeremiah 38:4, Amos 7:10, Luke 23:2, Acts 16:20, Acts 16:21, Acts 24:5

let: Taphreeoo, from pard, to loose, disengage; and which we render let, from the Anglo-Saxon lettan, to hinder. Ye hinder the people from their work: "Get you unto your burdens." "Let religion alone and mind your work." The language not only of tyranny, but of thoughtless irreligion.

burdens: Exodus 1:11

Reciprocal: Exodus 6:7 - from under Exodus 10:11 - And they Jeremiah 32:3 - Wherefore

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Genesis 5:1
This is the history of Adam's family. When God created people, he made them like himself.
Genesis 5:3
After Adam was 130 years old, he had another son. This son looked just like Adam. Adam named his son Seth.
Genesis 5:7
After Enosh was born, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:10
After Kenan was born, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:13
After Mahalalel was born, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:19
After Enoch was born, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:22
After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:26
After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:30
After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king of Egypt said to them,.... For he was not struck dumb, as Artapanus g, afore cited writer, says:

wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? as they did when they gathered them together, and wrought signs before them; which Pharaoh it seems had heard of, and had got their names very readily:

get you unto your burdens; meaning not Moses and Aaron, ordering them to go about their private and family business, but the people they represented, and on whose account they came; and it is highly probable the elders of the people, at least some of them, were with them, to whom these words might be more particularly directed. See Exodus 3:18.

g Ut supra. (Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 434.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let - i. e. hinder.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 5:4. Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron — He hints that the Hebrews are in a state of revolt, and charges Moses and Aaron as being ringleaders of the sedition. This unprincipled charge has been, in nearly similar circumstances, often repeated since. Men who have laboured to bring the mass of the common people from ignorance, irreligion, and general profligacy of manners, to an acquaintance with themselves and God, and to a proper knowledge of their duty to him and to each other, have been often branded as being disaffected to the state, and as movers of sedition among the people! Exodus 5:17.

Let the people — תפריעו taphriu, from פרע para, to loose or disengage, which we translate to let, from the Anglo-Saxon [Anglo-Saxon] lettan, to hinder. Ye hinder the people from working. Get ye to your burdens. "Let religion alone, and mind your work." The language not only of tyranny, but of the basest irreligion also.


 
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