EXO 5

Exodus 5:12

WEB

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

BSB

So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

KJV

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

Matthew Henry

Verses 10–14

Exodus 5:10–14

Pharaoh's orders are here put in execution; straw is denied, and yet the work not diminished. 1. The Egyptian task-masters were very severe. Pharaoh having decreed unrighteous decrees, the task-masters were ready to write the grievousness that he had prescribed, Isa 10:1. Cruel princes will never want cruel instruments to be employed under them, who will justify them in that which is most unreasonable. These task-masters insisted upon the daily tasks, as when there was straw, Exo 5:13. See what need we have to pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, Th2 3:2. The enmity of the serpent's seed against the seed of the woman is such as breaks through all the laws of reason, honour, humanity, and common justice. 2. The people hereby were dispersed throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble, Exo 5:12. By this means Pharaoh's unjust and barbarous usage of them came to be known to all the kingdom, and perhaps caused them to be pitied by their neighbours, and made Pharaoh's government less acceptable even to his own subjects: good-will is never got by persecution. 3. The Israelite-officers were used with particular harshness, Exo 5:14. Those that were the fathers of the houses of Israel paid dearly for their honour; for from them immediately the service was exacted, and they were beaten when it was not performed. See here, (1.) What a miserable thing slavery is, and what reason we have to be thankful to God that we are a free people, and not oppressed. Liberty and property are valuable jewels in the eyes of those whose services and possessions lie at the mercy of an arbitrary power. (2.) What disappointments we often meet with after the raising of our expectations. The Israelites were now lately encouraged to hope for enlargement, but behold greater distresses. This teaches us always to rejoice with trembling. (3.) What strange steps God sometimes takes in delivering his people; he often brings them to the utmost straits when he is just ready to appear for them. The lowest ebbs go before the highest tides; and very cloudy mornings commonly introduce the fairest days, Deu 32:36. God's time to help is when things are at the worst; and Providence verifies the paradox, The worse the better.

Cross-references: Isa 10:1 · Exod 5:13 · 2Thess 3:2 · Exod 5:12 · Exod 5:14 · Deut 32:36

Hebrew interlinear

H6327

פּוּץpûwts/poots/

v — dash, disperse

Derivation: a primitive root;

to dash in pieces, literally or figuratively (especially to disperse)

KJV: break (dash, shake) in (to) pieces, cast (abroad), disperse (selves), drive, retire, scatter (abroad), spread abroad.

מֵפִיץ

n.m — scatterer

מֵפִיץ n.m. scatterer, disperser

פּוּץ

vb — flow

פּוּץ vb. flow, overflow

פּוּץ

vb — be dispersed

[פּוּץ] vb. be dispersed, scattered

Qal be dispersed, disperse; be scattered, of enemies

Niph.

1. be scattered, of army

2. be spread abroad, of peoples

Hiph.

1. trans. scatter

2. intrans. scatter

פָּצַץ

vb — break

[פָּצַץ] vb. break (Ar. break, break asunder; Nab. break asunder; Syr. crush)

Pō‛. a hammer which shatters rock.

Pilp. he [God] dashed me in pieces (fig.).

H5971

עַםʻam/am/

n-m — people, tribe, troops, attendants, flock

Derivation: from 6004;

a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock

KJV: folk, men, nation, people.

עַם

n.[m.] — kinsman

[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)

עַם

n.m — people

עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people

1. a people, nation

2. = smaller units

3. = common people

4. people in gen., persons

5. phrases

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H776

אֶרֶץʼerets/eh'-rets/

n-f — earth, land

Derivation: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm;

the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

KJV: × common, country, earth, field, ground, land, × natins, way, + wilderness, world.

אֶ֫רֶץ

n. f — earth

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

1.

a. earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

b. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

c. earth = inhabitants of earth

2. land =

a. country, territory

b. district, region

c. trial territory

d. piece of ground

e. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

f. = inhabitants of land

g. used even of Shᵉʼôl

3.

a. ground, surface of ground

b. soil, as productive

4. אֶרֶץ in phrases

a. people of the land

b. in measurements of distance

c. the country of the plain, level or plain country

d. land of the living

e. end(s) of the earth

5. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

H4714

מִצְרַיִםMitsrayim/mits-rah'-yim/

n-pr — Mitsrajim

Derivation: dual of 4693;

Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt

KJV: Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.

מִצְרַ֫יִם

n.pr.terr — Egypt

מִצְרַ֫יִם 681 n.pr.terr. et gent. Egypt, Egyptians

1.

a. of land, Egypt

b. combinations

2. of people:

a. in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

b. = Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

H7197

קָשַׁשׁqâshash/kaw-shash'/

v — forage for straw, stubble, wood, assemble

Derivation: a primitive root; to become sapless through drought; used only as denominative from 7179;

to forage for straw, stubble or wood; figuratively, to assemble

KJV: gather (selves) (together).

קָשַׁשׁ

vb. denom — gather stubble

[קָשַׁשׁ] vb. denom. Pō‛. doubtful gather stubble, sticks

קָשַׁשׁ

vb. denom — gather stubble

[קָשַׁשׁ] vb. denom. Pō‛. gather stubble

H7179

קַשׁqash/kash/

n-m — straw, dry

Derivation: from 7197;

straw (as dry)

KJV: stubble.

קַשׁ

n.m — stubble

קַשׁ n.m. stubble, chaff

H8401

תֶּבֶןteben/teh'-ben/

n-m — material, refuse haum, stalks of grain

Derivation: probably from 1129;

properly, material, i.e. (specifically) refuse haum or stalks of grain (as chopped in threshing and used for fodder)

KJV: chaff, straw, stubble.

תֶּ֫בֶן

n.m — straw

תֶּ֫בֶן n.m. straw (√ unknown)

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