Exodus: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh, telling him that God has said, “Let my people go” so that they can go into the wilderness and worship. Pharaoh replies that he doesn’t know the LORD—why should he listen? When Moses and Aaron persist, Pharaoh demands that the Israelites return to their work. That day, he tells the people’s taskmasters that they must no longer supply the Israelites with straw for their brickmaking; the Israelites will have to gather it for themselves. Nevertheless, the people must produce the same quantity of bricks as before—they are just lazy, and that’s why they’re asking permission to go away and worship God.

So the taskmasters tell the Israelites to gather their own straw and make the same quantity of bricks. When the Israelites struggle to fulfill this quota, Pharaoh’s taskmasters beat the Israelites’ supervisors. When the supervisors complain of this unjust treatment, Pharaoh insists that the Israelites are simply lazy. In turn, the supervisors accuse Moses and Aaron of making things worse for them. Moses prays to the LORD, lamenting that God has not yet done anything to deliver his people.