Discovery BoxExodus 5:4 
Context5:4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work? 1 Return to your labor!”
Exodus 22:26
Context22:26 If you do take 2 the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to him by the time the sun goes down, 3
Exodus 23:4
Context23:4 “If you encounter 4 your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return 5 it to him.
1 sn The clause is a rhetorical question. Pharaoh is not asking them why they do this, but rather is accusing them of doing it. He suspects their request is an attempt to get people time away from their labor. In Pharaoh’s opinion, Moses and Aaron were “removing the restraint” (פָּרַע, para’) of the people in an effort to give them rest. Ironically, under the Law the people would be expected to cease their labor when they went to appear before God. He would give them the rest that Pharaoh refused to give. It should be noted also that it was not Israel who doubted that Yahweh had sent Moses, as Moses had feared – but rather Pharaoh.
2 tn The construction again uses the infinitive absolute with the verb in the conditional clause to stress the condition.
3 tn The clause uses the preposition, the infinitive construct, and the noun that is the subjective genitive – “at the going in of the sun.”
4 tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
5 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
