seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 5:4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
Now remember, for decades the Egyptians had been trying to control the population of the Israelites. Joseph's family was invited by another Pharaoh to move the 70 members of his family from Canaan to Goshen. Joseph, had saved all of Egypt from a horrific famine. During the course of saving Egypt, he had also made Egypt an extremely rich nation. Then the original Pharaoh died and others came along who had no knowledge of the debt Egypt owed Joseph. They hated the Israelites. They hated shepherds. They hated the way they ate, and would never dine with an Israelite. Pharaoh tried to wipe them out. He figured if he worked them harder, they wouldn't have the energy to procreate. This Pharaoh sees the Israelites as slave labor, cheap labor, a great boon for his economy.
Pharaoh doesn't know who Moses is. Moses has been gone for forty years and on top of that when he left he had murdered an Egyptian guard for whipping an Israelite. God told Moses that detail was no longer a problem.... but if Pharaoh didn't know who Moses really was, then Pharaoh would be obliged to treat Moses like any other Israelite.
Now here comes Moses and Aaron asking for a three day weekend for the Israelites. Oh and they want to go worship another god. Well in Egypt, Pharaoh is god and that's that.
This comes from biblehub.com.
Rulers are not always content simply to refuse inconvenient demands. Sometimes they set to work with much ingenuity and worldly wisdom to prevent their repetition. This is especially the case where they entertain a fear of their petitioners. The Spartans removed Helots, who had earned their freedom, by the Crypteia. The massacre of St. Bartholomew was caused by the Huguenot demand for freedom of worship and the difficulty of repressing it. The Pharaoh now is not content to let things take their course, but devises a plan by which he hopes to crush altogether the aspirations of the Hebrew people, and secure himself against the recurrence of any such appeal as that which had been made to him by Moses and Aaron.
The Israelites had recently been employed chiefly in brickmaking. They had had to dig the clay and temper it, to mix it with straw, and mould it into the form of bricks; but the straw had been supplied to them. The king determined that this should be no longer done; the Israelites should find the straw for themselves. It has been estimated that by this change their labour was "more than doubled." It was a not unreasonable expectation that under this system popular meetings would cease; and that Moses and Aaron, not being backed up by the voice of the people, would discontinue their agitation.
The same day. Pharaoh lost no time. Having conceived his idea, he issued his order at once-on the very day of the interview with the two leaders. It would be well if the children of light were as "wise" and as energetic on all occasions as the children of darkness.
The word translated "taskmaster" here is not the same as the expression similarly rendered in Exodus 1:11; and it is thought not to designate the same class. The sarey massim of the former passage are thought to be general superintendents of works, few in number and of high rank, the nogeshim of the present place to be subordinates, numerous and inferior in position. Both of these classes were probably Egyptians. The "officers" (shoterim) were undoubtedly Hebrews. They were especially employed in keeping the tale of the bricks, and seeing that they reached the proper amount. Literally, the word shoterim means "scribes," and is so rendered in most passages.
The Israelites had recently been employed chiefly in brickmaking. They had had to dig the clay and temper it, to mix it with straw, and mould it into the form of bricks; but the straw had been supplied to them. The king determined that this should be no longer done; the Israelites should find the straw for themselves. It has been estimated that by this change their labour was "more than doubled." It was a not unreasonable expectation that under this system popular meetings would cease; and that Moses and Aaron, not being backed up by the voice of the people, would discontinue their agitation.
The same day. Pharaoh lost no time. Having conceived his idea, he issued his order at once-on the very day of the interview with the two leaders. It would be well if the children of light were as "wise" and as energetic on all occasions as the children of darkness.
The word translated "taskmaster" here is not the same as the expression similarly rendered in Exodus 1:11; and it is thought not to designate the same class. The sarey massim of the former passage are thought to be general superintendents of works, few in number and of high rank, the nogeshim of the present place to be subordinates, numerous and inferior in position. Both of these classes were probably Egyptians. The "officers" (shoterim) were undoubtedly Hebrews. They were especially employed in keeping the tale of the bricks, and seeing that they reached the proper amount. Literally, the word shoterim means "scribes," and is so rendered in most passages.
I can just hear Pharaoh now.
"So you want a three day weekend? If you had the time to come up with that stupid idea, then you must have time to kill. Maybe the Egyptians who spend so much time gathering the straw for you want a three day vacation.... so now you can just do that too.... since you have so much time to kill. If you want to complain about this.... take it to those two brothers you sent to represent you, Moses and Aaron."
Oh boy, this is not going to help Moses and Aaron win a popularity contest.
