Exodus 5:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days ' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."

NIV: Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword."

NASB: Then they said, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.'

CSB: They answered, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, or else he may strike us with plague or sword."

NLT: But Aaron and Moses persisted. 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us,' they declared. 'So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.'

KJV: And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

NKJV: So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”

Moses and Aaron answered Pharaoh's rejection (Exodus 5:1–2) with a second plea. This again appeals to a command from God. Since Pharaoh worships Egyptian deities, the second request describes the Lord as "God of the Hebrews." Using this phrase—which only seems to appear when directed to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:16; 9:1, 13; 10:3)—emphasized a distinction between the Lord and pagan idols.

For now, no threats are made against Egypt. In fact, the message suggests that the Hebrews are the ones at risk. Yet Pharaoh will refuse and spitefully make the Israelite slaves (Exodus 1:13–14) work even harder (Exodus 5:6–9). This stubbornness establishes a pattern for the next few chapters. Soon, God will demonstrate His power in a series of escalating plagues. None of these will convince Egypt's king to free the people until his own son is killed (Exodus 4:22–23; 12:30–31).

Although the goal is Israel's liberation (Exodus 3:10), so far Moses and Aaron have only asked for temporary leave (Exodus 5:1). This is not a trick (Exodus 3:18); it's more likely that Pharaoh's refusal of a lesser request is proof that he would never have considered giving the Hebrews complete freedom (Exodus 3:19–20).

Exodus 5:1–14 describes the first encounter between Moses and Egypt's ruler, Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21–23). When Moses asks that Israel be released for a period of worship (Exodus 3:18), Pharaoh flatly refuses. In fact, he retaliates against the Hebrews by forcing them to make the same quota of bricks (Exodus 1:13–14) without being provided the usual raw materials. This is impossible; the cruel punishments which follow are exactly what Pharaoh intended with his spiteful command.

Moses and Aaron have their first meeting with Egypt's king, the pharaoh. Though they are there to free Israel entirely (Exodus 3:10), they begin with a much less dramatic request: three days to worship their God in the wilderness (Exodus 3:18). Pharaoh refuses. Instead, he spitefully cuts off supply of raw materials—straw—while demanding the same output from the Hebrew slaves. This increases the peoples' burden and gives Pharaoh's taskmasters excuse to abuse them. When the Israelites turn against Moses, he expresses confusion to God.

Moses encountered the Lord (Exodus 3:4–6) during his exile (Exodus 2:15). God commanded Moses to return to Egypt and demand the freedom of the nation of Israel (Exodus 4:21–23). The people had come into Egypt in the days of Joseph (Exodus 1:1–7). Later, they fell into slavery and oppression (Exodus 1:13–14). The first request, in this chapter, is not received well. God will soon bring disasters on Egypt and its stubborn ruler (Exodus 3:10) until His peo-ple are finally released (Exodus 12:41).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.