Bible Strands
Exodus 2:23
After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the death of the Egyptian monarch and the subsequent groaning of the Israelites under forced labor.
The words — The text supplies וַ/יֵּאָנְח֧וּ (va/i.ye.'a.ne.Chu), meaning "and they groaned," and וַ/יָּ֙מָת֙ (va/i.Ya.mot), meaning "and he died," to anchor the narrative shift from prolonged delay to sudden political change.
The thread — The motif of earthly outcry reaching heaven appears in Genesis 18:20 regarding Sodom, James 5:4 concerning withheld wages, and Exodus 3:7 where God confirms He has heard the bondage cry.
Why it lands — The passage states that the enslaved Israelites groaned and cried out, requiring readers to acknowledge that recorded suffering precedes divine attention rather than assuming immediate intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
Cross-references
- Genesis 18:20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous,
- James 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
- Exodus 3:7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Exodus 22:22 You must not mistreat any widow or orphan.
- Deuteronomy 26:6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor.
- Acts 7:30 After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
- Genesis 16:11 The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.
- Nehemiah 9:9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
- Psalms 12:5 “For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
- Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.