Exodus 5:3

Exodus 5:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
• New International Version (NIV)Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”

Context of Exodus 5:3

1Afterward, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Adonai, God of Israel, says: Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast for Me in the wilderness.” 2But Pharaoh said, “Who is Adonai, that I should listen to His voice and let Israel go? I do not know Adonai, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so we may sacrifice to Adonai our God, or else He may strike us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, make the people break loose from their work? Go to your labors!” 5Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now so numerous, yet you would have them rest from their labors?”

Exodus 5:3 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָעִבְרִ֖ים נִקְרָ֣א עָלֵ֑ינוּ נֵ֣לֲכָה נָּ֡א דֶּרֶךְ֩ שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת יָמִ֜ים בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר וְנִזְבְּחָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ פֶּ֨ן־יִפְגָּעֵ֔נוּ בַּדֶּ֖בֶר א֥וֹ בֶחָֽרֶב׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• The Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of the Hebrewsעִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680
• hath metקָרָאqârâ' · to encounter: meetH7122
• with us: let us goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• we pray thee, threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• days’יוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• journeyדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
• into the desertמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• and sacrificeזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• lest he fallפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
• upon us with pestilenceדֶּ֫בֶרdeber · pestilenceH1698
• or with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719

Cross-references for Exodus 5:3

• Exodus 3:18“They will listen to your voice. So you will go, you along with the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and say to him: ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to Adonai our God.’
• Deuteronomy 28:21Adonai will make the plague cling to you, until He has put an end to you from the land that you are going in to possess.
• 2 Kings 17:25When they first began dwelling there, they did not fear Adonai—so Adonai sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
• 2 Chronicles 30:8Do not stiffen your neck as your fathers did, but reconcile to Adonai, and come to His Temple, which He has consecrated forever, and worship Adonai your God that His burning anger may turn away from you.
• Ezra 7:23Everything that the God of heaven has required, let it be done with diligence for the House of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
• Ezekiel 6:11Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Clap your hands, stamp your foot and cry, ‘Alas!’ because of all the vile abominations of the house of Israel who will fall by the sword, by famine and by plague.
• Zechariah 14:16Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot.

Commentaries on Exodus 5:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Three days' journey - The distance from Goshen to Sinai; see Exodus 3:18. And sacrifice unto the Lord - Great stress is laid on this circumstance. God required sacrifice; no religious acts which they performed could be acceptable to him without this. He had now showed them that it was their indispensable duty thus to worship him, and that if they did not they might expect him to send the pestilence - some plague or death proceeding immediately from…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Three days‘ journey - See the Exodus 3:18 note. With pestilence, or with the sword - This shows that the plague was well known to the ancient Egyptians. The reference to the sword is equally natural, since the Israelites occupied the eastern district, which was frequently disturbed by the neighboring Shasous.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3He may strike us: God had not said this. Perhaps Moses and Aaron were trying to strengthen their case by saying that they had to obey God or die.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. The God of the Hebrews hath met with us--Instead of being provoked into reproaches or threats, they mildly assured him that it was not a proposal originating among themselves, but a duty enjoined on them by their God. They had for a long series of years been debarred from the privilege of religious worship, and as there was reason to fear that a continued neglect of divine ordinances would draw down upon them the judgments of offended heaven, they…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Cover
• Demand
• Jew
• Tale
• Task
• Desert
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis

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