Exodus 5:13
New International Version
The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.”

New Living Translation
Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. “Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!” they demanded.

English Standard Version
The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”

Berean Standard Bible
The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”

King James Bible
And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

New King James Version
And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.”

New American Standard Bible
And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”

NASB 1995
The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”

NASB 1977
And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And the taskmasters were pressing them, saying, “Complete your work quota, the daily amount, just as when there was straw.”

Amplified Bible
And the taskmasters pressured them, saying, “Finish your work, [fulfill] your daily quotas, just as when there was straw [given to you].”

Christian Standard Bible
The overseers insisted, “Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The overseers insisted, “Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”

American Standard Version
And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

Contemporary English Version
But the slave bosses were hard on them and kept saying, "Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw."

English Revised Version
And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The slave drivers kept hurrying them. They said, "Finish the same amount of work each day, just as when you had straw."

Good News Translation
The slave drivers kept trying to force them to make the same number of bricks every day as they had made when they were given straw.

International Standard Version
The taskmasters pressured them by saying, "Finish your work—each day's quota —just as when you were given straw."

Majority Standard Bible
The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, ?Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.?

NET Bible
The slave masters were pressuring them, saying, "Complete your work for each day, just like when there was straw!"

New Heart English Bible
The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, "Fulfill your work quota, your daily amount, as when there was straw."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the task-masters hastened them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

World English Bible
The taskmasters were urgent saying, “Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the exactors are making haste, saying, “Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is straw.”

Young's Literal Translation
and the exactors are making haste, saying, 'Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is straw.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the urgers on will hasten them, saying, Complete your work; the word of a day, in its day, as in there being straw.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the overseers of the works pressed them, saying: Fulfill your work every day as before you were wont to do when straw was given you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Likewise, the overseers of the works pressured them, saying: “Complete your work each day, just as you were accustomed to do before, when straw was given to you.”

New American Bible
while the taskmasters kept driving them on, saying, “Finish your work, the same daily amount as when the straw was supplied to you.”

New Revised Standard Version
The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, Complete your work as you have always done, as when straw was given to you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Rulers were pressing hard and they were saying, “Complete your work as always like when straw was given to you.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the taskmasters were urgent, saying: 'Fulfil your work, your daily task, as when there was straw.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the taskmasters hastened them, saying, Fulfil your regular daily tasks, even as when straw was given you.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Bricks and Straw
12So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.” 14Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”…

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 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 2:23-25
After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God. / So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. / God saw the Israelites and took notice.

Exodus 3:7-9
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 4:29-31
Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites, / and Aaron relayed everything the LORD had said to Moses. And Moses performed the signs before the people, / and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.

Exodus 7:3-4
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, / Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 26:13
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk in uprightness.

Deuteronomy 26:6-8
But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor. / So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression. / Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, signs, and wonders.

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!

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.’

Acts 7:39
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

Hebrews 11:24-27
By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. / He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. / He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward. ...

1 Corinthians 10:1-4
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. / They all ate the same spiritual food ...


Treasury of Scripture

And the taskmasters hurried them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

daily tasks.

Jump to Previous
Amount Complete Daily Drivers Driving Dry Exactors Fulfil Fulfill Full Haste Hasted Hastened Kept Labours Making Matter Overseers Pressed Pressing Quota Required Slave Stems Straw Task Taskmasters Task-Masters Tasks Urged Urgent Work Works
Jump to Next
Amount Complete Daily Drivers Driving Dry Exactors Fulfil Fulfill Full Haste Hasted Hastened Kept Labours Making Matter Overseers Pressed Pressing Quota Required Slave Stems Straw Task Taskmasters Task-Masters Tasks Urged Urgent Work Works
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.














The taskmasters
In the Hebrew text, the word for "taskmasters" is "נֹגְשִׂים" (nogesim), which refers to those who oppress or drive others to labor. Historically, taskmasters were Egyptian overseers appointed to enforce the labor of the Israelites. This reflects the harsh conditions and the systemic oppression faced by the Israelites in Egypt. The taskmasters symbolize the relentless pressure and control exerted by the Egyptian authorities, serving as a reminder of the bondage from which God would eventually deliver His people.

kept pressing them
The phrase "kept pressing them" indicates continuous and relentless pressure. The Hebrew root "אָצַר" (atsar) conveys the idea of constraint and urgency. This relentless pressure highlights the severity of the Israelites' suffering and the increasing intensity of their oppression. It serves as a backdrop for understanding the depth of their cries to God and the urgency of their need for deliverance.

saying, 'Complete your work
The command to "Complete your work" underscores the expectation of productivity despite increased hardship. The Hebrew word "מְלָאכָה" (melakah) for "work" refers to labor or craftsmanship. This demand reflects the unreasonable expectations placed upon the Israelites, as they were required to maintain their output without the necessary resources. It illustrates the futility and injustice of their situation, setting the stage for God's intervention.

each day
The phrase "each day" emphasizes the daily, unrelenting nature of the Israelites' labor. The Hebrew "יוֹם" (yom) for "day" signifies the regularity and constancy of their toil. This daily burden serves as a metaphor for the ongoing struggles faced by believers, reminding them of the need for perseverance and faith in God's timing and provision.

just as you did when straw was provided
The comparison "just as you did when straw was provided" highlights the increased difficulty of their task. Straw was a crucial component in brick-making, and its absence made the work significantly harder. The Hebrew "תֶּבֶן" (teben) for "straw" signifies the essential resources that were once available but now withheld. This situation illustrates the deepening of the Israelites' oppression and the impossibility of their task, pointing to the need for divine intervention and the hope of deliverance. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness in providing for His people, even in the most challenging circumstances.

(13) The taskmasters hasted them.--The Egyptian monuments show us foreign labourers engaged in brick-making under Egyptian overseers, or "taskmasters," who are armed with sticks, and "haste" the labourers whenever they cease work for the purpose of resting themselves. The overseers are represented as continually saying to the workpeople, "Work without faintness." (See Wilkinson, in Rawlinson's Herodotus, vol. ii. p. 214.)

As when there was straw.--Heb., as when there, was the straw--i.e., as. when the straw was furnished to you.

Verses 13, 14. - The taskmasters hasted them. The Egyptian overseers, armed with rods, went about among the toiling Israelites continually, and "hasted them" by dealing out blows freely on all who made any pause in their work. The unceasing toil lasted from morning to night; yet still the required" tale" could not be produced; and consequently the native officers, whose business it was to produce the "tale," were punished by the bastinado at the close of the day not giving in the proper amount. Kalisch observes - "Even now the Arabic fellahs, whose position is very analogous to that of the Israelites described in our text, are treated by the Turks in the same manner. Arabic overseers have to give an account of the labours of their countrymen to the Turkish taskmasters, who often chastise them mercilessly for the real or imputed cf. fences of the Arabic workmen."

CHAPTER 5:15-19

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The taskmasters
וְהַנֹּגְשִׂ֖ים (wə·han·nō·ḡə·śîm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5065: To drive, to tax, harass, tyrannize

kept pressing them,
אָצִ֣ים (’ā·ṣîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 213: To press, to be close, hurry, withdraw

saying,
לֵאמֹ֑ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Fulfill
כַּלּ֤וּ (kal·lū)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3615: To be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent

your quota
דְּבַר־ (də·ḇar-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

each day,
י֣וֹם (yō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

just as you did when
כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

straw
הַתֶּֽבֶן׃ (hat·te·ḇen)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8401: Material, refuse haum, stalks of grain

was provided.”
בִּהְי֥וֹת (bih·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be


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OT Law: Exodus 5:13 The taskmasters were urgent saying Fulfill your (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 5:12
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