Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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them. What they ask is very reasonable, only for a short vacation, while they went three days' journey into the desert, and that on a good errand, and unexceptionable: "We will sacrifice unto the Lord our God, as other people do to theirs;" and, lastly, they give a very good reason, "Lest, if we quite cast off his worship, he fall upon us with one judgment or other, and then Pharaoh will lose his vassals."
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, wherefore do ye, Moses and
Aaron, let the people from their works? Get you unto your burdens.
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many,
and ye make them rest from their burdens.
Pharaoh's denial of their request is very barbarous and unreasonable, Ex 5:4-9.
1. His suggestions were very unreasonable.
(1.) That the people were idle, and that therefore they talked of going to sacrifice. The cities they built for Pharaoh, and the other fruit of their labours, were witnesses for them that they were not idle; yet he thus basely misrepresents them, that he might have a pretence to increase their burdens.
(2.) That Moses and Aaron made them idle with vain words, Ex 5:9. God's words are here called vain words; and those that called them to the best and most needful business are accused of making them idle. Note, The malice of Satan has often represented the service and worship of God as fit employment for those only that have nothing else to do, and the business only of the idle; whereas indeed it is the indispensable duty of those that are most busy in the world.
2. His resolutions hereupon were most barbarous.
(1.) Moses and Aaron themselves must get to their burdens (Ex 5:4); they are Israelites, and, however God had distinguished them from the rest, Pharaoh makes no