Exodus 1:13
New International Version
and worked them ruthlessly.

New Living Translation
So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.

English Standard Version
So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves

Berean Standard Bible
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

King James Bible
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

New King James Version
So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.

New American Standard Bible
The Egyptians used violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor;

NASB 1995
The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously;

NASB 1977
And the Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously;

Legacy Standard Bible
So the Egyptians brutally compelled the sons of Israel to slave labor;

Amplified Bible
And the Egyptians made the Israelites serve rigorously [forcing them into severe slavery].

Christian Standard Bible
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

American Standard Version
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:

Contemporary English Version
and made them work so hard

English Revised Version
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So they forced the Israelites to work hard as slaves.

International Standard Version
The Egyptians ruthlessly forced the Israelis to serve them,

Majority Standard Bible
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

NET Bible
and they made the Israelites serve rigorously.

New Heart English Bible
And the Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel labor,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor.

World English Bible
The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigor,

Young's Literal Translation
and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the Egyptians will make the sons of Israel serve by oppression.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, and afflicted them and mocked them:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Egyptians hated the sons of Israel, and they afflicted them and mocked them.

New American Bible
So the Egyptians reduced the Israelites to cruel slavery,

New Revised Standard Version
The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So the Egyptians oppressed the children of Israel severely;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Egyptians were oppressing the children of Israel with hardship:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Egyptians tyrannised over the children of Israel by force.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Oppression by a New King
12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.…

Cross References
Exodus 5:9
Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”

Exodus 6:9
Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.

Leviticus 25:43
You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.

Deuteronomy 26:6
But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor.

Judges 10:16
So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.

1 Kings 9:21
their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

Nehemiah 9:27
So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.

Psalm 81:6
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.

Isaiah 14:3
On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced,

Jeremiah 50:33
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to release them.

Ezekiel 34:27
The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and delivered them from the hands that enslaved them.

Matthew 23:4
They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Luke 11:46
“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “For you weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.

John 8:34
Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Acts 7:19
He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.


Treasury of Scripture

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:

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Cause Children Compelled Egyptians Harder Harshness Israel Labor Rigor Rigorously Rigour Ruthlessly Serve Work Worked
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Cause Children Compelled Egyptians Harder Harshness Israel Labor Rigor Rigorously Rigour Ruthlessly Serve Work Worked
Exodus 1
1. The children of Israel, after Joseph's death, increase.
8. The more they are oppressed by a new king, the more they multiply.
15. The godliness of the midwives in saving the male children alive.
22. Pharaoh commands the male children to be cast into the river














They worked the Israelites ruthlessly
The phrase "They worked the Israelites ruthlessly" refers to the oppressive labor imposed on the Israelites by the Egyptians. This period marks the beginning of Israel's enslavement in Egypt, a significant event in biblical history. The Egyptians, fearing the growing population of the Israelites, sought to suppress them through harsh labor. This oppression fulfills the prophecy given to Abraham in Genesis 15:13, where God foretold that his descendants would be strangers in a land not their own and would be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years.

The term "ruthlessly" indicates the severity and cruelty of the Egyptians' treatment. This harshness is further described in Exodus 1:14, where the Israelites are forced to perform backbreaking labor in brick and mortar and all kinds of fieldwork. The Egyptians' intent was to break the spirit of the Israelites and control their population growth, as seen in Pharaoh's earlier decree to kill all newborn Hebrew boys (Exodus 1:16).

Culturally, this period of enslavement is significant as it sets the stage for the eventual deliverance of the Israelites, a central theme in the book of Exodus. The harsh treatment of the Israelites contrasts with God's promise of deliverance and blessing, highlighting the tension between human oppression and divine salvation.

Theologically, this oppression can be seen as a type of the bondage of sin, from which Christ delivers believers. Just as God raised Moses to lead the Israelites out of physical slavery, Jesus Christ is seen as the ultimate deliverer who frees humanity from spiritual slavery. This connection is reinforced in the New Testament, where Jesus is often portrayed as the new Moses, leading His people to spiritual freedom.

In summary, this phrase encapsulates the beginning of a pivotal period in Israel's history, characterized by severe oppression that ultimately leads to their deliverance and the fulfillment of God's promises.
Persons / Places / Events
1. Pharaoh
The ruler of Egypt who enslaved the Israelites, fearing their growing numbers and potential power.

2. Israelites
The descendants of Jacob (Israel) who were living in Egypt and subjected to harsh slavery.

3. Egypt
The land where the Israelites were enslaved, representing a place of oppression and bondage.

4. Taskmasters
Egyptian overseers appointed by Pharaoh to enforce the harsh labor on the Israelites.

5. Moses
Though not directly mentioned in this verse, he is a central figure in the Exodus account, eventually leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Teaching Points
Understanding Oppression
Recognize that oppression and suffering are not outside of God's knowledge or plan. He is aware and has a purpose even in difficult circumstances.

God's Faithfulness
Trust in God's promises. Just as He foretold the Israelites' enslavement and eventual deliverance, He is faithful to His word.

Cry Out to God
In times of distress, follow the example of the Israelites by crying out to God, knowing that He hears and responds to the cries of His people.

Spiritual Bondage
Reflect on the spiritual bondage of sin and how God offers deliverance through Jesus Christ, paralleling the physical deliverance of the Israelites.

Perseverance in Trials
Learn to persevere through trials, understanding that God can use them to strengthen faith and character.(13) With rigour.--Forced labour in Egypt was of a very severe character. Those condemned to it worked from morning to night under the rod of a task-master, which was freely applied to their legs or backs, if they rested their weary limbs for a moment. (See Records of the Past, vol. viii. p. 149; Chabas, Melanges Egyptolo-giques, vol. ii. p. 121). The heat of the sun was great; the burthens which the labourers had to carry were heavy, and the toil was incessant. Death often resulted from the, excessive work. According to Herodotus, a single monarch, Neco, destroyed in this way 120,000 of his subjects (Herod, ii. 158).

Verse 13. - The Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour. The word translated rigour is a very rare one. It is derived from a root which means "to break in pieces, to crush." The "rigour" would be shown especially in the free use of the stick by the taskmaster, and in the prolongation of the hours of work.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They worked
וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ (way·ya·‘ă·ḇi·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave

the Israelites
בְּנֵ֥י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

ruthlessly
בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃ (bə·p̄ā·reḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6531: Harshness, severity


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OT Law: Exodus 1:13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 1:12
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