Exodus 5:9

Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
work	הָעֲבֹדָ֛ה ha.'a.vo.Dah	H5656	work of any kind · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
laid	תִּכְבַּ֧ד tikh.Bad	H3513	to be heavy · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
men	הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים ha.'a.na.Shim	H582	a man in general (singly or collectively) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
labour	וְיַעֲשׂוּ ve.ya.'a.su-	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal, 3rd person masculine plural
regard	יִשְׁע֖וּ yish.'U	H8159	to gaze at or about (properly · verb, qal jussive, 3rd person masculine plural
vain	שָֽׁקֶר Sha.ker	H8267	an untruth · noun, common masculine singular absolute
words	בְּדִבְרֵי be.div.rei-	H1697	a word · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Kings 18:20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest agains…
Job 16:3 Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?
Jeremiah 43:2 Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: t…
Zechariah 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said…
Malachi 3:14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the…
Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 5:3-9

Finding that Pharaoh had no veneration at all for God, Moses and Aaron next try whether he had any compassion for Israel, and become humble suitors to him for leave to go and sacrifice, but in vain. I. Their request is very humble and modest, Exo 5:3. They make no complaint of the rigour they were ruled with. They plead that the journey they designed was not a project formed among themselves, but that their God had met with them, and called them to it. They beg with all submission: We pray thee. The poor useth entreaties; though God may summon princes that oppress, it becomes us to beseech and make supplication to them. What they ask is very reasonable, only for a short vacation, while they…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 5:8

tale--an appointed number of bricks. The materials of their labor were to be no longer supplied, and yet, as the same amount of produce was exacted daily, it is impossible to imagine more aggravated cruelty--a perfect specimen of Oriental despotism.

Adam Clarke on Exodus 5:8

And the tale of the bricks - Tale signifies the number, from the Anglo-Saxon to number, to count, etc. For they be idle; therefore they cry - Let us go and sacrifice - Thus their desire to worship the true God in a proper manner was attributed to their unwillingness to work; a reflection which the Egyptians (in principle) of the present day cast on these who, while they are fervent in spirit serving the Lord, are not slothful in business. See Clarke below Exo 5:17 (note).

John Gill on Exodus 5:9

Let there more work be laid upon the men,.... Instead of lessening it, let it be increased, or "be heavy" (k) upon them, that it may oppress and afflict them and keep them down, and weaken their strength and their spirits, and diminish them: that they may labour therein; and have no leisure time to spend in idleness and sloth: and let them not regard vain words; or "words of falsehood" (l) and lies, such as were spoken by Moses and Aaron, promising them liberty and deliverance from their bondage, which he was determined never to grant, and so eventually make such words to appear to be vain and empty, falsehood and lies. (k) "aggravetur", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. (l) "in verbis mendacii", P…

The Church Fathers

When both the good and the bad do the same things and suffer the same things, they are to be distinguished by their intentions, not by their acts and penalties. Pharaoh oppressed the people of God with hard labors; Moses afflicted the same people, who had fallen into idolatry, with severe punishments. They did the same things, but they did not aim at the same result. The former was puffed up with pride of power, the latter was animated by love.
— Augustine of Hippo, LETTER 93

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Straw — Used in brick-making (Ex. 5:7-18). Used figuratively in Job 41:27; Isa. 11:7; 25:10; 65:25.
Brick · Ma — Ma
Cruelty · .Egyptians to the Israelites — .Egyptians to the Israelites
Egypt · History of Israel in: Pharaoh increases their affliction — History of Israel in: Pharaoh increases their affliction
Offerings · .Ordinances concerning — .Ordinances concerning
Words · Vain, not to be regar — Vain, not to be regar

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Exodus 5:9

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 5:3-9

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 5:8

Adam Clarke on Exodus 5:8

John Gill on Exodus 5:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 5:9

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 5:3-9

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 5:8

Adam Clarke on Exodus 5:8

John Gill on Exodus 5:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Exodus 5:6-18

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 5:9-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 5:7

Rashi on Exodus 5:9