Chapter 5
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3And 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.
4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
22And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
“And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.”
Overview
Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh and deliver God's message: 'Let my people go.' Pharaoh responds with contempt — 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?' — and increases Israel's burden, requiring them to make bricks without straw. The Israelite foremen are beaten, and they turn against Moses and Aaron for making their situation worse. Moses cries out to God, asking why He has brought evil upon the people and why He has not delivered them.
Key Themes
Pharaoh's Defiance of God
Pharaoh's dismissive question 'Who is the LORD?' sets the stage for the entire plague narrative — God will answer this question definitively so that all the earth knows He is the LORD.
Increased Suffering Before Deliverance
God's intervention initially makes things worse for Israel, not better — a pattern seen throughout Scripture where the path to deliverance often passes through deeper trial.
The Crisis of Faith in God's Servants
Moses' anguished prayer in verses 22-23 is an honest cry from a servant who does not understand God's timing or methods — yet God does not rebuke him for asking.
Study Questions
What does Pharaoh's question 'Who is the LORD?' (v. 2) reveal about his heart, and how will God answer this question throughout the book of Exodus?
Why does God allow Israel's suffering to increase after Moses' first visit to Pharaoh, and what does this teach about God's ways of deliverance?
How should we respond when obedience to God seems to make our situation worse rather than better?
What does Moses' prayer in verses 22-23 teach about honest lament before God, and how does it differ from unbelief?
How does Pharaoh's strategy of increasing the workload to crush Israel's hope parallel the tactics of spiritual oppression?
Connection to Christ
Pharaoh's question 'Who is the LORD?' echoes through history as the fundamental question every human heart must answer. Jesus came as the ultimate answer — 'He that hath seen me hath seen the Father' (John 14:9). Like Israel, believers often experience intensified opposition just before God's greatest deliverance.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Exodus 5. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?