Exodus 1:14

“And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, etc.] So that they had no ease of body nor peace of mind; they had no comfort of life, their lives and mercies were embittered to them: in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service of the field; if Pelusium was one of the cities they built, that had its name from clay, the soil about it being clayish, and where the Israelites might be employed in making brick for the building of that and other cities: Josephus f29 says, they were ordered to part the river (Nile) into many canals, to build walls about cities, and raise up mounds, lest the water overflowing the banks should stagnate; and to build pyramids, obliging them to learn…”

“The 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 digging of canals and processes of irrigation which are peculiarly onerous and unhealthy. return to 'Top of Page'”

“1:14 The only stone that the Egyptians could obtain for building purposes came from the far south of the country. Therefore, in the north where the Hebrews were settled, only the most important state and religious buildings were made of stone. The rest were constructed with mortar and bricks made of durable clay with a binder such as seashells or straw mixed in. After being sun-dried in a form, these materials were surprisingly durable—especially in a land such as Egypt, where there was little rainfall or humidity.”

“their lives: Exo 2:23, Exo 6:9; Gen 15:13; Num 20:15; Deu 4:20, Deu 26:6; Rut 1:20; Act 7:19, Act 7:34 in mortar: Psa 68:13, Psa 81:6; Nah 3:14 was with rigour: Exo 1:13, Exo 5:7-21, Exo 20:2; Lev 25:43, Lev 25:46, Lev 25:53; Isa 14:6, Isa 51:23, Isa 52:5, Isa 58:6; Jer 50:33, Jer 50:34; Mic 3:3 Exodus 1:16”