Exodus 5:6

“And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, etc.] Who were Egyptians, and whom Pharaoh sent for the same day, to give them orders to oppress them yet more and more, so far was he from complying with their request: [and] their officers; who were Israelites, and were under the taskmasters, and accountable to them for each man’s work that they had the inspection and care of: saying, as follows.”

“Pharaoh commanded--It was a natural consequence of the high displeasure created by this interview that he should put additional burdens on the oppressed Israelites. taskmasters--Egyptian overseers, appointed to exact labor of the Israelites. officers--Hebrews placed over their brethren, under the taskmasters, precisely analogous to the Arab officers set over the Arab Fellahs, the poor laborers in modern Egypt.”

“Their officers - Or scribes. Hebrews able to keep accounts in writing, appointed by the Egyptian superintendents, and responsible to them for the work; see Exodus 5:14. Subordinate officers are frequently represented on Egyptian monuments, giving in written accounts to their immediate superiors. return to 'Top of Page'”

“The task - masters, were Egyptians, the officers were Israelites employed under them. Exodus 5:7”

“5:6-14 Pharaoh made the work harder in retaliation for their insubordination; he also believed they had too much time on their hands (5:8). He could not conceive of a god who would reveal himself outside of the established royal system of worship, so the only explanation he could imagine for their strange religious ideas was that they had dreamed them up themselves—when they should have been working (see also 5:17).”

“taskmasters: Nogesim, literally, exactors, oppressors. These taskmasters were Egyptians ( Exo 1:11), but the officers were Hebrews. Exo 5:14. Exo 5:10, Exo 5:13, Exo 5:15, Exo 5:19, Exo 1:11; Pro 12:10 officers: Shoterim, from the Arabic saytara, to overlook, superintend, seems to denote, as musaytar in Arabic also does, overseers, superintendents. They may have been somewhat like the chiefs of trades, who are found in every city in the East; where every trade has a head, who is entrusted with authority over them, and is in some measure answerable for them to Government. Compare Exo 2:14. Num 11:16; Deu 1:15, Deu 16:18; Jos 8:33, Jos 24:1, Jos 24:4; Ch2 26:11 Exodus 5:7”

“As Pharaoh possessed neither fear of God (εὐσέβεια) nor fear of the gods, but, in the proud security of his might, determined to keep the Israelites as slaves, and to use them as tools for the glorifying of his kingdom by the erection of magnificent buildings, he suspected that their wish to go into the desert was nothing but an excuse invented by idlers, and prompted by a thirst for freedom, which might become dangerous to his kingdom, on account of the numerical strength of the people. He therefore thought that he could best extinguish such desires and attempts by increasing the oppression and adding to their labours. For this reason he instructed his bailiffs to abstain from delivering…”