Exodus 5:21
in Exodus 5“May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they said unto them, Jehovah look upon you, and judge: because ye have made our savor 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.
KJV
And 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.
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This verse in Exodus 5
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe Lord look upon you, and judge - These were hasty and unkind expressions; but the afflicted must be allowed the privilege of complaining; it is all the solace that such sorrow can find; and if in such distress words are spoken which should not be justified, yet the considerate and benevolent will hear them with indulgence. God is merciful; and the stroke of this people was heavier even than their groaning. Put a sword in their hand - Given them a pretense which they had not before, to oppress us even unto death.
This site's exposition
The Lord look upon you, and judge
This is the first time Israel turns on Moses, and the same shape returns at the sea in 14:11, at Marah in 15:24, in the wilderness of Sin at 16:2 and at Rephidim in 17:2. The word murmured does not occur until 15:24, so what stands here is the pattern of the complaint rather than the term Exodus later uses for it. John Wesley observes that men called to public service are tried by the censure of friends as well as by the threats of enemies.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The Lord look upon you, and judge - They should have humbled themselves before God, but instead of that they fly in the face of their best friends. Those that are called to public service for God and their generation, must expect to be tried not only by the threats of proud enemies, but by the unjust and unkind censures of unthinking friends.
And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge,....
They should have humbled themselves before God, and taken to themselves the shame of their sin, which turned away good things from them; but, instead of this, they fly in the face of their best friends, and quarrel with the instruments of their deliverance, because of some little difficulties and obstructions they met with in effecting it.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵהֶ֔ם | ʾalehem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יֵ֧רֶא | yere' | may he look | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם | ʾaleikhem | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְיִשְׁפֹּ֑ט | veyishpot | and may he judge | H8199 → | 202 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֧ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הִבְאַשְׁתֶּ֣ם | hivashtem | you have made stink | H887 → | 17 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| רֵיחֵ֗נוּ | reichenu | odor our | H7381 → | 58 times |
| בְּעֵינֵ֤י | beeinei | in [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| פַרְעֹה֙ | faroh | Pharaoh | H6547 → | 274 times |
| וּבְעֵינֵ֣י | uveeinei | and in [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| עֲבָדָ֔יו | ʾavadav | servants his | H5650 → | 799 times |
| לָֽתֶת־ | latet- | to put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| חֶ֥רֶב | cherev | a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| בְּיָדָ֖ם | beyadam | in hand their | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| לְהָרְגֵֽנוּ׃ | leharegenu | to kill us | H2026 → | 167 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵהֶ֔םto them
ʾalehemH413 →5510 times
יֵ֧רֶאmay he look
yere'H7200 →1300 times
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עֲלֵיכֶ֖םon you
ʾaleikhemH5921 →5755 times
וְיִשְׁפֹּ֑טand may he judge
veyishpotH8199 →202 times
אֲשֶׁ֧רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
הִבְאַשְׁתֶּ֣םyou have made stink
hivashtemH887 →17 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
רֵיחֵ֗נוּodor our
reichenuH7381 →58 times
בְּעֵינֵ֤יin [the] eyes of
beeineiH5869 →887 times
פַרְעֹה֙Pharaoh
farohH6547 →274 times
וּבְעֵינֵ֣יand in [the] eyes of
uveeineiH5869 →887 times
עֲבָדָ֔יוservants his
ʾavadavH5650 →799 times
לָֽתֶת־to put
latet-H5414 →2011 times
חֶ֥רֶבa sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
בְּיָדָ֖םin hand their
beyadamH3027 →1618 times
לְהָרְגֵֽנוּ׃to kill us
leharegenuH2026 →167 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 34:30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 13:4
And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 105:12
When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,
- Joshua 7:25
“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
- 1 Samuel 13:4
Through
1 Samuel 13:4And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
it leads to
- Genesis 34:30
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 34:30
Through
Genesis 16:5Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me…
it leads to
- Genesis 31:53
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
- Psalms 35:23
Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!
- 1 Samuel 24:12–15
May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.
- Genesis 31:53
Through
Exodus 6:9Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.
it leads to
- Job 21:4
Is my complaint against a man? Then why should I not be impatient?
- Job 21:4
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.