Exodus 5:3

“The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses and Aaron address Pharaoh after the king denies knowledge of the LORD and refuses to release Israel. They report that the God of the Hebrews has confronted them and request a three-day wilderness trip to offer sacrifice.

The words — The text highlights נִקְרָא (nik.Ra'), meaning "he has met," and דֶּרֶךְ (de.reKh), meaning "a journey." These terms establish the encounter as a direct divine summons requiring a specific path of travel.

The thread — This demand follows the instruction in Exodus 3:18 that the elders would heed a call to approach the king. The warning of divine strikes aligns with the covenant curses in Deuteronomy 28:21 and the historical judgments recorded in 2 Kings 17:25.

Why it lands — The passage presents a direct conflict between earthly decree and divine command. It requires a reader to accept that obedience may demand immediate action despite the threat of earthly consequences.

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

וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּva/i.Yo.me.Ruand/ they said אֱלֹהֵ֥י'e.lo.Hei[the] God of הָעִבְרִ֖יםha./'iv.Rimthe/ Hebrews נִקְרָ֣אnik.Ra'he has met עָלֵ֑ינוּ'a.Lei./nuwith/ us נֵ֣לֲכָהNe.la.khahlet us go נָּ֡אna'please דֶּרֶךְ֩de.reKha journey of שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁתshe.Lo.shetthree יָמִ֜יםya.Mimdays בַּמִּדְבָּ֗רba./mid.Barin the/ wilderness וְנִזְבְּחָה֙ve./niz.be.Chahand/ let us sacrifice לַֽיהוָ֣הla./Yah.wehto/ Yahweh אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ'e.lo.Hei./nuGod/ our פֶּ֨ן־Pen-lest יִפְגָּעֵ֔נוּyif.ga.'E./nuhe should fall on/ us בַּדֶּ֖בֶרba./De.verwith <the>/ pestilence א֥וֹ'oor בֶחָֽרֶב׃ve./Cha.revwith the/ sword

King James Version

And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

Cross-references

Exodus 3:18 The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
Deuteronomy 28:21 The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land that you are entering to possess.
2 Kings 17:25 Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
2 Chronicles 30:8 Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you.
Ezra 7:23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for His house. For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons?
Zechariah 14:16 Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
Ezekiel 6:11 This is what the Lord GOD says: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked abominations of the house of Israel, who will fall by sword and famine and plague.