Exodus 5:4
New International Version
But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!”

New Living Translation
Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!

English Standard Version
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”

Berean Standard Bible
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!”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.”

New American Standard Bible
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their work? Get back to your labors!”

NASB 1995
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 labors!”

NASB 1977
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 labors!”

Legacy Standard Bible
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 hard labors!”

Amplified Bible
But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, “Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!”

Christian Standard Bible
The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your labor! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your work!”

American Standard Version
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

English Revised Version
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their work? Get back to work!"

Good News Translation
The king said to Moses and Aaron, "What do you mean by making the people neglect their work? Get those slaves back to work!

International Standard Version
The king of Egypt replied to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping the people from their labor? Go back to your work!"

Majority Standard Bible
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!?

NET Bible
The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work? Return to your labor!"

New Heart English Bible
The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, hinder the people from their works; go you to your burdens.

World English Bible
The king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the king of Egypt says to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you free the people from its works? Go to your burdens.”

Young's Literal Translation
And the king of Egypt saith unto them, 'Why, Moses and Aaron, do ye free the people from its works? go to your burdens.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the king of Egypt will say to them, For what Moses and Aaron, will ye let go loose the people from their works? go ye to your burdens.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The king of Egypt said to them: Why do you Moses and Aaron draw off the people from their works? Get you gone to your burdens.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The king of Egypt said to them: “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, distract the people from their works? Go back to your burdens.”

New American Bible
The king of Egypt answered them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you make the people neglect their work? Off to your labors!”

New Revised Standard Version
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the king of Egypt said to them, Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to stop from their work? Go back to your tasks.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the King of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moshe and Aaron, stop the people from their works? Go to your work.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the king of Egypt said unto them: 'Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break loose from their work? get you unto your burdens.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, turn the people from their works? depart each of you to your works.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Pharaoh's First Refusal
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.” 4But 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!” 5Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”…

Cross References
Exodus 1:11-14
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. / But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. / They worked the Israelites ruthlessly ...

Exodus 3:7-10
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. / I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them. ...

Exodus 6:6-9
Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. / I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. / And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’” ...

Exodus 7:16
Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.

Exodus 8:1-2
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. / But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.

Exodus 9:1-2
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. / But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go,

Exodus 10:3-4
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. / But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.

Exodus 14:12
Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Exodus 23:12
For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

Deuteronomy 5:15
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Nehemiah 9:9-10
You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea. / You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.

Psalm 81:6-7
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket. / You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

Isaiah 14:3-4
On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced, / you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!

Jeremiah 34:13-14
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your forefathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying: / Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.

Acts 7:34
I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’


Treasury of Scripture

And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you to your burdens.

wherefore.

Jeremiah 38:4
Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

Amos 7:10
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

Luke 23:2
And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

let.

burdens.

Exodus 1:11
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

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Exodus 5
1. Pharaoh chides Moses and Aaron for their message.
6. He increases the Israelites' task.
16. He ignores their complaints.
19. They cry out to Moses and Aaron.
22. Moses complains to God.














But the king of Egypt said
This phrase introduces Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, who is a central figure in the narrative of the Exodus. Historically, Pharaohs were considered divine or semi-divine figures, wielding absolute power. In the Hebrew context, Pharaoh represents the epitome of earthly authority and opposition to God's will. The Hebrew word for "king" here is "מֶלֶךְ" (melek), emphasizing his role as a sovereign ruler. This sets the stage for the confrontation between God's chosen leaders and the earthly power of Egypt.

Moses and Aaron
These two figures are pivotal in the deliverance of the Israelites. Moses, whose name in Hebrew, "מֹשֶׁה" (Moshe), means "drawn out," signifies his role in drawing the Israelites out of Egypt. Aaron, his brother, serves as his spokesperson and high priest. Their partnership is a testament to God's provision and the importance of leadership and support in fulfilling divine missions. Historically, Moses and Aaron are seen as archetypes of prophetic and priestly roles, respectively.

why do you draw the people away from their work?
Pharaoh's question reveals his concern for maintaining control over the Israelites, who were enslaved and forced into labor. The Hebrew word for "draw" is "פָּרַע" (para), which can also mean to let loose or free. This highlights the tension between Pharaoh's desire to keep the Israelites in bondage and God's plan for their liberation. The phrase underscores the oppressive nature of the Israelites' bondage and Pharaoh's resistance to God's command.

Get back to your labor!
This command from Pharaoh is a direct assertion of his authority and a refusal to acknowledge the divine mandate given to Moses and Aaron. The Hebrew word for "labor" is "סֵבֶל" (sevel), which implies burdensome toil and suffering. This reflects the harsh conditions under which the Israelites lived and worked. Pharaoh's insistence on their return to labor symbolizes the spiritual and physical bondage from which God intends to free His people. This phrase serves as a reminder of the struggle between human authority and divine will, and the ultimate triumph of God's purposes.

Verse 4. - The king makes no direct reply to this appeal, but turns upon his petitioners, and charges them with an offence against the crown. Why do they, Moses and Aaron, by summoning the people to meet together, and exciting their minds with vague hopes, "let the people from their works." This is damage to the crown, whoso labourers the people are, and he, the Pharaoh, will not have it. "Get you - all of you, people and leaders together - to your appointed tasks - your burdens."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the king
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Egypt
מִצְרַ֔יִם (miṣ·ra·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to them,
אֲלֵהֶם֙ (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“Moses
מֹשֶׁ֣ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

and Aaron,
וְאַהֲרֹ֔ן (wə·’a·hă·rōn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 175: Aaron -- an elder brother of Moses

why
לָ֚מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

do you draw
תַּפְרִ֥יעוּ (tap̄·rî·‘ū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 6544: To loosen, to expose, dismiss, absolve, begin

the people
הָעָ֖ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

away from their work?
מִמַּֽעֲשָׂ֑יו (mim·ma·‘ă·śāw)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4639: An action, a transaction, activity, a product, property

Get back
לְכ֖וּ (lə·ḵū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to your work!”
לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ (lə·siḇ·lō·ṯê·ḵem)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5450: Porterage


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OT Law: Exodus 5:4 The king of Egypt said to them (Exo. Ex)
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