MPV Commentary

1. Moses and Aaron entered Pharaoh's presence as representatives of the Hebrews, entitled to ask an audience with the king. Their Egyptian training had taught them how and when to seek it.

They delivered a message in the name of the God of Israel, using a national appellation that was likely directed by divine guidance (Ex 4:2). This designation honored the Hebrews in their depressed condition (Heb 11:16).

2. Pharaoh responded with skepticism, asking, "Who is this Lord?" He had never heard of Jehovah and estimated the character and power of this God based on the miserable condition of His worshippers. To demonstrate the supremacy of the true God over all Egyptian gods was the design of the plagues.

Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrew slaves, saying, "I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." He rejected their request in a tone of insolence or perhaps profanity, involving his own honor and interest.

3. Moses and Aaron explained that it was not a proposal originating among themselves but a duty enjoined on them by their God (Ex 3:12, 18). They asked permission to go three days' journey into the desert for sacrificial observances, concealing their ultimate design of abandoning the kingdom. This request was likely intended to test Pharaoh's temper before disclosing further intentions.

4. Pharaoh responded without notice of what they had said, treating them as ambitious demagogues who were stirring up sedition and discontent among the people. He saw them as a threat to the peace of the country.

6. As a consequence of this interview, Pharaoh put additional burdens on the oppressed Israelites by appointing taskmasters and officers to exact labor from them.

7. The taskmasters were instructed not to provide straw for the Israelites to make bricks, which was a government monopoly in ancient Egypt. Instead, they were told to let the people gather their own straw. This order was impractical, as Egyptian reapers typically left the stalks standing after harvesting the ears of corn.

8. The Israelites were required to produce the same amount of bricks without any materials being supplied, making it impossible to imagine more aggravated cruelty – a perfect specimen of Oriental despotism.

12. As a result, the people were scattered throughout Egypt's fields, which belonged to the crown (Ge 47:20). This was an immense grievance for individual laborers but did not hinder them from working in other areas.

13-19. The taskmasters and officers hastened the Israelites' work, beating those who failed to meet their demands. This brutal treatment was characteristic of Eastern tyrants, particularly in ancient Egypt (De 25:2).

20, 21. Moses met with the people, who reproached him for his interference. They said, "The Lord look upon you, and judge." In this instance, Moses' patriotic efforts only aggravated the evil he sought to remove, but it was a necessary step towards their ultimate deliverance.