King James Version
Exodus 5:13 in the King James Version says “And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. your daily: Heb. ...” — study this verse from Exodus chapter 5 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.
“And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. your daily: Heb. a matter of a day in his day”
Exodus 5:13 · KJV
Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. your daily: Heb. a matter of a day in his day
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore ?
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
KJV Study — Public Domain
“And the taskmasters”
H5065to drive (an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication, to tax, harass, tyrannize
“Fulfil”
H3615to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
“your works”
H4639an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property
“tasks”
H1697a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
“your daily”
H3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
“your daily”
H3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
“as when there was”
H1961to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
“straw”
H8401properly, material, i.e., (specifically) refuse haum or stalks of grain (as chopped in threshing and used for fodder)
This verse is found in the book of Exodus. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Exodus 5:13 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.