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Exodus 5:13

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 5:13 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfil your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfil your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw.
Exodus 5:13 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it: for nought of your work shall be diminished.
12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfil your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh`s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making brick as heretofore?
15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault it in thine own people.
← Exodus 5:12Exodus 5:14 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the taskmasters hasted them, Kept them tight and close to their work, and were urgent on them to make quick dispatch of it: saying, fulfil your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw; they insisted upon it, that they did the same business at the brickkilns, made the same number of bricks every day, as they used to do when they had straw at hand. (see <020511>Exodus 5:11).”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And the taskmasters hasted them . . . officers . . . beaten--As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Egypt, like modern China, was principally governed by the stick" [TAYLOR]. "The mode of beating was by the offender being laid flat on the ground and generally held by the hands and feet while the chastisement was administered" [WILKINSON]. (Deu 25:2). A picture representing the Hebrews on a brick field,…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“daily tasks: Heb. a matter of a day in his day Exodus 5:17”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“בּיומו יום דּבר, the quantity fixed for every day, "just as when the straw was (there)," i.e., was given out for the work. Exodus 5:14”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification