Exodus 5:6

5:6 That same day Pharaoh commanded 1  the slave masters and foremen 2  who were 3  over the people: 4 

Exodus 5:10

5:10 So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said, 5  “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I am not giving 6  you straw.

Exodus 5:13-14

5:13 The slave masters were pressuring 7  them, saying, “Complete 8  your work for each day, just like when there was straw!” 5:14 The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked, 9  “Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past – both yesterday and today?” 10 

1 tn Heb “and Pharaoh commanded on that day.”

2 tn The Greek has “scribes” for this word, perhaps thinking of those lesser officials as keeping records of the slaves and the bricks.

3 tn The phrase “who were” is supplied for clarity.

4 sn In vv. 6-14 the second section of the chapter describes the severe measures by the king to increase the labor by decreasing the material. The emphasis in this section must be on the harsh treatment of the people and Pharaoh’s reason for it – he accuses them of idleness because they want to go and worship. The real reason, of course, is that he wants to discredit Moses (v. 9) and keep the people as slaves.

5 tn Heb “went out and spoke to the people saying.” Here “the people” has been specified as “the Israelites” for clarity.

6 tn The construction uses the negative particle combined with a subject suffix before the participle: אֵינֶנִּי נֹתֵן (’enenni noten, “there is not I – giving”).

7 tn Or “pressed.”

8 tn כַּלּוּ (kallu) is the Piel imperative; the verb means “to finish, complete” in the sense of filling up the quota.

9 tn The quotation is introduced with the common word לֵאמֹר (le’mor, “saying”) and no mention of who said the question.

10 sn The idioms for time here are found also in 3:10 and 5:7-8. This question no doubt represents many accusations shouted at Israelites during the period when it was becoming obvious that, despite all their efforts, they were unable to meet their quotas as before.