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

12But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians used violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor; and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves. 15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall 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

• and they madeמָרַרmârar · to provokeH4843
• with hardקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
• laborעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · serviceH5656
• in mortarחֹ֫מֶרchômer · clayH2563
• and bricksלְבֵנָהlebênâh · brickH3843
• and at allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• laborעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · service: workH5656
• in the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• they violentlyפֶּ֫רֶךְperek · severityH6531
• had them performעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647

Cross-references for Exodus 1:14

• Exodus 2:23Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.
• Exodus 6:9So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.
• Genesis 15:13Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.
• Numbers 20:15that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.
• Deuteronomy 4:20But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people of His own possession, as today.
• Deuteronomy 26:6And the Egyptians treated us badly and oppressed us, and imposed hard labor on us.
• Ruth 1:20But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
• Acts 7:19It was he who shrewdly took advantage of our nation and mistreated our fathers in order that they would abandon their infants in the Nile, so that they would not survive.
• Psalms 68:13When you lie down among the sheepfolds, You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold.
• Psalms 81:6“I relieved his shoulder of the burden, His hands were freed from the basket.
• Nahum 3:14Draw for yourself water for a siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!
• Exodus 1:13The Egyptians used violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor;
• Exodus 5:7“You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as previously; have them go and gather straw for themselves.
• Exodus 20:2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
• Leviticus 25:43You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.
• Isaiah 14:6Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.

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