Exodus 5:16

World English Bible

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants? ¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, 'Make brick!' and, behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people." ¹⁷ But he said, "You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.' ¹⁸ Go therefore now, and work, for no straw shall be given to you, yet shall you deliver the same number of bricks!" ¹⁹ The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble, when it was said, "You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!" ²⁰ They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: ²¹ and they said to them, "May Yahweh look at you, and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us." ²² Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; neither have you delivered your people at all."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 4:1 - and considered Ezekiel 16:4 - for

Gill's Notes on the Bible

There is no straw given unto thy servants,.... As used to be, which they supposed Pharaoh knew nothing of, and by which it appears that the order given by Pharaoh, Exodus 5:6 was not given in the hearing of the officers, only to the taskmasters, and by them to be made known to the officers, though indeed both are there mentioned, and both represent this to the people, Exodus 5:10

and they say to us, make brick, though they had no straw to make or burn it with:

and, behold, thy servants are beaten; because the same number of bricks is not made as heretofore, but the fault is in thine own people; the taskmasters, who sent the people abroad to get straw or stubble themselves, and therefore could not make the same bricks as before; or "thy people sin" n, the guilt is theirs: or by thy people are meant the Israelites, whom they call Pharaoh's people to gain favour with him; and then the sense is, either "sin" is imputed "to thy people" o, the blame is laid upon them, or punishment is inflicted on them without cause, sin being often put for punishment; they are wrongfully charged with a fault, and wrongfully punished.

n וחטאת עמך "et peccat populus tuns", Montanus, Drusius, Cartwright. o So Vatablus, Piscator, and some in Munster, Pagninus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 5:16. The fault is in thine own people. — חטאת chatath, the SIN, is in thy own people. 1st. Because they require impossibilities; and 2dly, because they punish us for not doing what cannot be performed.