Bible Strands
Exodus 5:4
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The king of Egypt addresses Moses and Aaron immediately after they request a three-day wilderness journey to sacrifice to the Lord. He issues the command to return the Israelites to their forced labor.
The words — The Hebrew verb תַּפְרִיעוּ (taf.Ri.'u) literally means "are you causing to refrain," indicating a deliberate withdrawal of labor. The interrogative לָ/מָּה (La./mah) frames the king’s challenge as a direct question about their motive.
The thread — This confrontation echoes the systemic oppression established in Exodus 1:11 and parallels later accusations of leaders subverting national order, as seen in Amos 7:10 and Luke 23:2. The theme of state power resisting religious or political disruption recurs across these passages.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of how earthly authority reacts to divine commands that threaten established systems. It asks the reader to identify where they might resist or accommodate similar pressures to maintain control.
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 the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
Cross-references
- Exodus 1:11 So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
- Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words,
- Luke 23:2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
- Acts 24:5 We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,
- Jeremiah 38:4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
- Acts 16:20 They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil