Keraia
Exodus 5

Exodus 5:7

Bricks and Straw · Exodus 5:6–14
Read Exodus 5

Translations

Modern
“You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.
Traditional
Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
Literal
“You shall not continue to give straw to the people for the making of the bricks as yesterday and the day before yesterday. They shall go and gather straw for themselves.
Latin
Nequaquam ultra dabitis paleas populo ad conficiendos lateres, sicut prius: sed ipsi vadant, et colligant stipulas.

Original

Hebrew
English
“You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.

Notes

Exodus 5:7

Straw is a binder to help clay and mud bricks retain their form while drying in the sun.

Exodus 5:6–14

Pharaoh increased the workload to punish their disobedience. He thought they had too much free time (5:8). He could not imagine a god revealing himself outside the royal worship system. He believed they invented their unusual religious ideas instead of working (see also 5:17).

Exodus 5:1–14

Pharaoh not only rejected the request of Moses to release the Hebrew slaves, he also retaliated by making their work harder. The arrival of the rescuer had actually made the situation worse.

Exodus 4:29–7:7

In this section, the Lord promised to rescue the Israelites. He said that he would bring them out of slavery.

At first, the people responded in a positive way. They believed what God said. However, later they faced a crisis of faith. They began to doubt God’s promise and struggled to trust him.

Glossary

Aaron Book of Exodus Brick, Brick Kiln Deuteronomy, Book of Taskmaster

Topics

Art: Primitive of the Brickmaker Arts of The: Brick-Maker Brick: Made by Israelites Bricks Cruelty: Egyptians to the Israelites Egypt: Israel in Pharaoh Increases Their Affliction Servant: Israelites Straw used for Brick