Exodus 5:15
in Exodus 5So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
KJV
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
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This verse in Exodus 5
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh
on Exodus 5:15-16
At 2:23 the cry of Israel ascended to God, who heard their groaning. Here the foremen appeal to the man who signed the order they are protesting, and they leave with nothing.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Whither should they go with a remonstrance of their grievances but to the supreme power, which is ordained for the protection of the injured? As bad as Pharaoh was his oppressed subjects had liberty to complain to him; there was no law against petitioning: it was a very modest, but moving, representation that they made of their condition (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh,.... Made their complaints to him, perhaps with tears in their eyes, being used so very ill. They little thought it was by Pharaoh's orders; they supposed he knew nothing of it, and therefore hoped to have their grievances redressed by him, but were mistaken: saying, wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? so they call themselves, they living in his country, and being under his jurisdiction, though not properly his subjects; however, he had made them his slaves, and so indeed even bondservants.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ | vaiyavou | and they went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| שֹֽׁטְרֵי֙ | shoterei | [the] foremen of | H7860 → | 25 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ | vaiyitzaku | and they cried out | H6817 → | 55 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| פַּרְעֹ֖ה | paroh | Pharaoh | H6547 → | 274 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָ֧מָּה | lamah | <to> why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| תַעֲשֶׂ֦ה | taaseh | are you doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כֹ֖ה | khoh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| לַעֲבָדֶֽיךָ׃ | laavadeikha | to servants your | H5650 → | 799 times |
וַיָּבֹ֗אוּand they went
vaiyavouH935 →2568 times
שֹֽׁטְרֵי֙[the] foremen of
shotereiH7860 →25 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּand they cried out
vaiyitzakuH6817 →55 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
פַּרְעֹ֖הPharaoh
parohH6547 →274 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
לָ֧מָּה<to> why?
lamahH4100 →752 times
תַעֲשֶׂ֦הare you doing
taasehH6213 →2628 times
כֹ֖הthus
khohH3541 →577 times
לַעֲבָדֶֽיךָ׃to servants your
laavadeikhaH5650 →799 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Exodus
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.