Exodus 1:14

Exodus 1:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
• New International Version (NIV)They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

Context of Exodus 1:14

12The Egyptians made the Israelites work more and more. But the Israelites still became more in number. They had many children and they lived in every part of the country. Because of this, the Egyptians began to be afraid of them. 13So the Egyptians made the Israelites work without any rest. The Israelites became very upset because of all the difficult work. They had to build houses with bricks and mortar. They also did many different kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians made the Israelites do all this difficult work. 15There were two Israelite women who helped the other women when they were giving birth. These two women were called Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to them, 16‘When you help the Israelite women at the birth of their children, this is what you must do. If she gives birth to a son, kill him. But if the child is a daughter, you may let her live.’

Exodus 1:14 word by word

וַיְמָרְר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they madeמָרַרmârar · to provokeH4843
• their livesחַיִּיםchay · lifeH2416
• with hardקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
• bondageעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · serviceH5656
• in morterחֹ֫מֶרchômer · clayH2563
• and in brickלְבֵנָהlebênâh · brickH3843
• and in all manner of serviceעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · service: workH5656
• in the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
• wherein they made them serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
• with rigourפֶּ֫רֶךְperek · severityH6531

Cross-references for Exodus 1:14

• Exodus 2:23After a long time had passed, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were still slaves of the Egyptians. That made them very sad and they complained loudly. God heard them when they cried for help.
• Exodus 6:9Moses told the Lord's message to the Israelites. But they refused to listen to him. They were very weak and tired, because their Egyptian masters were so cruel to them.
• Genesis 15:13Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Be sure of this: Your descendants will live in a foreign country. They will be strangers there. People will do bad things to them and they will become slaves. This will continue for 400 years.
• Numbers 20:15Our ancestors went to Egypt. We lived there for many years. The people in Egypt were cruel to us.
• Deuteronomy 4:20But you belong to the Lord. He brought you out of Egypt, which was like a hot oven where you had much pain. He rescued you, to be his own special people, as you are today.
• Deuteronomy 26:6But the Egyptian people were cruel to us. They made us work very hard for them.
• Ruth 1:20Naomi said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, instead. The Almighty God has made my life very sad.
• Acts 7:19He was very cruel to our ancestors and he caused them to suffer. When new babies were born, he said that our people must put them out of their homes. He said that because he wanted the babies to die.
• Psalms 68:13Even those who stayed to take care of the sheep found valuable things, like a dove with silver wings and bright gold feathers.
• Psalms 81:6It said: ‘I took the heavy load off your back. You no longer had to carry those heavy baskets.
• Nahum 3:14Take as much water as you can for the attack. Make your walls strong. Do repairs to your buildings.
• Exodus 1:13So the Egyptians made the Israelites work without any rest.
• Exodus 5:7This was the command: ‘Do not give the people any more straw to make bricks. Now they must go and find their own straw.
• Exodus 20:2‘I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt, the country where you were slaves.
• Leviticus 25:43You must be kind to all Israelites. Remember to obey your God.
• Isaiah 14:6You used your power to attack people all the time. In your anger, you ruled over other nations, and you never stopped being cruel to them.

Commentaries on Exodus 1:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14They made their lives bitter - So that they became weary of life, through the severity of their servitude. With hard bondage - קשה בעבדה baabodah kashah, with grievous servitude. This was the general character of their life in Egypt; it was a life of the most painful servitude, oppressive enough in itself, but made much more so by the cruel manner of their treatment while performing their tasks. In mortar, and in brick - First, in digging the clay…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14The use of brick, at all times common in Egypt, was especially so under the 18th Dynasty. An exact representation of the whole process of brickmaking is given in a small temple at Thebes, erected by Tothmosis III, the fourth in descent from Amosis. Immense masses of brick are found at Belbeis, the modern capital of Sharkiya, i. e. Goshen, and in the adjoining district. All manner of service in the field - Not merely agricultural labor, but probably the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-14Verses 8-14 The land of Egypt became to Israel a house of bondage. The place where we have been happy, may soon become the place of our affliction; and that may prove the greatest cross to us, of which we said, This same shall comfort us. Cease from man, and say not of any place on this side heaven, This is my rest. All that knew Joseph, loved him, and were kind to his brethren for his sake; but the best and most useful services a man does to others, are…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14The Egyptians could only get stone for building from the far south of the country. In the north, where the Hebrews lived, they used stone only for the most important state and religious buildings. They built other structures with mortar and bricks made from durable clay. They mixed in seashells or straw to bind it together. After sun-drying in a mold, these materials were surprisingly strong. This was especially true in Egypt, where there was little rain…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. The Egyptians ... made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick--Ruins of great brick buildings are found in all parts of Egypt. The use of crude brick, baked in the sun, was universal in upper and lower Egypt, both for public and private buildings; all but the temples themselves were of crude brick. It is worthy of remark that more bricks bearing the name of Thothmes III, who is supposed to have been the king of Egypt at the…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 1:14

• Bondage
• Brick
• House
• Israel
• Mortar
• Oppression
• Servant
• Usurpation

In the dictionaries

• Arise
• Bitter
• Bricks
• Exodus
• Hard
• Mason
• Mortar
• Moses
• Pharaoh
• Wisely

Commentaries on Exodus 1

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings