Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 5:21
21“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!”
Exodus 5:21 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)and they said to them, "The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Context of Exodus 5:21
19The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.” 20When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them. “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!” 22So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me? 23Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”
Read all of Exodus 5Exodus 5:21 word by word
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם יֵ֧רֶא יְהוָ֛ה עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם וְיִשְׁפֹּ֑ט אֲשֶׁ֧ר הִבְאַשְׁתֶּ֣ם אֶת־רֵיחֵ֗נוּ בְּעֵינֵ֤י פַרְעֹה֙ וּבְעֵינֵ֣י עֲבָדָ֔יו לָֽתֶת־חֶ֥רֶב בְּיָדָ֖ם לְהָרְגֵֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear
- May the LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- May the LORDעַל‛al · uponH5921
- look upon youרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- and judge youשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- saidאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
- forאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- you have made us a stenchבָּאַשׁbâ'ash · to stinkH887
- ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- ·רֵיחַrêyach · aromaH7381
- beforeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
- Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
- Pharaohעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
- and his officialsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- you have placedנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- in their handיָדyâd · handH3027
- a swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- to kill usהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
Cross-references for Exodus 5:21
- Exodus 4:31and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
- 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.
- 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 with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
- Ecclesiastes 10:1As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
- Joel 2:20The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things.
- 2 Corinthians 2:15For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
- 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 they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
- 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.
- 1 Samuel 27:12So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
- 2 Samuel 10:6When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob.
- 1 Chronicles 19:6When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
Commentaries on Exodus 5:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21The 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-23Verses 10-23 The Egyptian task-masters were very severe. See what need we have to pray that we may be delivered from wicked men. The head-workmen justly complained to Pharaoh: but he taunted them. The malice of Satan has often represented the service and worship of God, as fit employment only for those who have nothing else to do, and the business only of the idle; whereas, it is the duty of those who are most busy in the world. Those who are diligent in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-23In this section, the Lord promised to rescue the Israelites. He said that he would bring them out of slavery. At first, the people responded in a positive way. They believed what God said. However, later they faced a crisis of faith. They began to doubt God’s promise and struggled to trust him.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2120-21. they met Moses ... The Lord look upon you, and judge--Thus the deliverer of Israel found that this patriotic interference did, in the first instance, only aggravate the evil he wished to remove, and that instead of receiving the gratitude, he was loaded with the reproaches of his countrymen. But as the greatest darkness is immediately before the dawn, so the people of God are often plunged into the deepest affliction when on the eve of their…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 5:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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