Exodus 5:20-21 · Bible study
Exodus 5:20-21 Commentary: Blaming God’s Messengers in the Dark
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
The Israelite officers confront Moses and Aaron after Pharaoh’s harsh refusal, revealing how suffering can test faith in God’s promises.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Israelite officers accuse Moses and Aaron of ruining their standing with Pharaoh and endangering their lives, reflecting a crisis of faith when deliverance seems to worsen suffering.
- Key words: “met” (paga, H6293, can imply a hostile encounter); “may he look” (yere, jussive form, a wish or imprecation); “made to stink” (hib’ashtem, Hiphil perfect, causative, often figurative for ruining reputation).
- Main debate: Whether the officers’ words are a curse (imprecation) or a desperate cry for God’s justice, most commentators see it as the former, but the emotional weight points to deep anguish.
- Theological theme: God’s timing vs. human impatience; the struggle to trust when circumstances worsen; the honesty of lament in Scripture.
- Best use: Sermons or lessons on suffering, leadership under criticism, and the nature of faith during delay; a caution against judging God’s work by temporary setbacks.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
20When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
21“May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
WEB World English Bible 2000
20They met Moses and Aaron, who stood along the way, as they came out from Pharaoh.
21They said to them, “May Yahweh look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”
KJV King James Version 1769
20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21and they said unto them, Jehovah look upon you, and judge: because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
20And they meet Moses and Aaron standing to meet them, in their coming out from Pharaoh,
21and say unto them, `Jehovah look upon you, and judge, because ye have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants--to give a sword into their hand to slay us.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood there to meet them, as they came out from Pharaoh.
21And they said to them, Jehovah look upon you and judge, that ye have made our odour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his bondmen, putting a sword into their hand to kill us!
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood over against them as they came out from Pharao:
21And they said to them: The Lord see and judge, because you have, made our savour to stink before Pharao and his servants, and you have given him a sword, to kill us.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 5:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that verses 20-21 capture a moment of deep crisis. The Israelite officers, who had earlier believed Moses’ message (Exodus 4:31), now confront him with accusations after Pharaoh increases their bondage. Clarke describes their words as “hasty and unkind expressions,” while Calvin sees “blind grief” and “unfounded anger” driven by a loss of faith. The Cambridge Bible notes they blame Moses for “the aggravation of the people’s sufferings.” Gill interprets their cry “May Yahweh look and judge” as an imprecation, a call for God to punish Moses and Aaron. Keil & Delitzsch call it a sign of “the perversity of the natural heart,” and Matthew Henry says the officers “fly in the face of their best friends.” Yet Jamieson-Fausset-Brown observe a pattern: “the greatest darkness is immediately before the dawn.” The consensus is that this outburst reflects sincere anguish, but also a failure to trust God’s timing when deliverance seems delayed and suffering has increased.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Imprecation of judgment: The jussive verb forms ‘May he look… and judge’ are typical of curses or calls for divine punishment (cf. Genesis 16:5). Most Reformed and Baptist commentators (Calvin, Gill) read this as a hostile wish against Moses and Aaron.
- Cry of anguish: Clarke and others emphasize the officers’ extreme suffering, suggesting that their words, though harsh, come from a place of desperation that God treats with compassion. The surrounding context (Exodus 6:9) shows that the people did not listen to Moses ‘for anguish of spirit.’
- Prophetic irony: A minority reading sees the officers unintentionally speaking truth: Moses and Aaron will indeed be ‘judged’ by Yahweh (in the sense of tested and vindicated), and the ‘sword’ prefigures the judgment against Egypt. This view is not widely attested in the supplied sources.
What is clear: The officers blamed Moses and Aaron for the worsening of their condition, reflecting a moment of deep discouragement and failure to trust God’s promise of deliverance.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'May Yahweh look and judge' | All traditions recognize this as a call for divine intervention, the officers want God to hold Moses and Aaron accountable for their suffering. | Christians who emphasize the sinfulness of the human heart (e.g., Reformed) read this primarily as a curse born of unbelief; those more pastoral (e.g., Wesleyan-Arminian) see it as a natural, if hasty, expression of grief that God treats with mercy. |
| Were the officers justified in their anger? | Most agree that the officers were suffering real injustice from Pharaoh, and their pain was genuine. | Some commentators (Calvin, Keil & Delitzsch) stress the unfairness of shifting blame to Moses, calling it a failure of faith; others (Clarke, Matthew Henry) show sympathy for the afflicted and note that such words are understandable in extreme distress. |
| The phrase 'put a sword in their hand' | All interpret this figuratively: the officers believe Moses gave Pharaoh a pretext for oppression or destruction. | Is this an accurate assessment of Moses’ actions, or is it a distortion caused by fear? Some (Gill, Cambridge Bible) see it as a real consequence of Moses’ request to Pharaoh, while others argue it is an unfair exaggeration driven by panic. |
| Spiritual lesson of the passage | The passage illustrates the human tendency to blame God’s servants when suffering increases, and the need for patience in God’s timing. | Evangelical traditions often use this as a warning against losing faith; liturgical traditions (e.g., Anglican, Catholic) may emphasize lament as a valid form of prayer, noting that the officers’ complaint is part of the biblical pattern of honest grief. |
Historical & Cultural Context
These verses sit at a turning point in the Exodus narrative. In Exodus 4:31 the people had bowed and worshiped when they heard that Yahweh had visited them. But Moses’ first audience with Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1-5) backfired: the king refused to let Israel go, and instead intensified their labor. The straw for brickmaking was cut off, yet the daily quota remained (Exodus 5:6-19). The “officers” (Hebrew shoterim) were Israelite foremen placed between the Egyptian taskmasters and the Hebrew slaves. They bore the heat of Pharaoh’s rage and the people’s despair. When they “met” Moses and Aaron, the Hebrew verb paga (H6293) can carry a hostile sense, an encounter that is more like a confrontation. The officers had positioned themselves (“standing,” nitsavim) along the path, waiting to intercept the two brothers as they left Pharaoh’s court. Their complaint uses vivid agricultural imagery: “you have made our savor to stink”, a phrase that evokes rottenness and ruin. They accuse Moses of “putting a sword in Pharaoh’s hand”, that is, giving the king a pretext for destruction. This was no calm disappointment; it was a raw, desperate accusation from men who had hoped for rescue and now faced greater misery. The whole scene sets the stage for Moses’ own crisis of faith in verses 22-23, where he asks God why He has brought trouble on His people.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 5:20-21. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the differences in English translations (e.g., “savour to be abhorred” vs. “stench”) reflect translation choices for the same Hebrew phrase hib’ashtem et-reichenu (“you have caused our aroma to stink”), not textual variation. The verb form is a Hiphil perfect second person plural, clearly causative.
Reception History
Exodus 5:20-21 has been read across traditions as a sobering portrait of human frailty under trial. Reformed commentators (Calvin, Geneva Bible) used it to warn against judging God by immediate circumstances, urging faith in His hidden purposes. Wesley and Clarke, with their Methodist sensitivity, highlighted God’s mercy toward the afflicted and did not fully condemn the officers’ outburst. The passage has been a touchstone in pastoral theology for discussing how spiritual leaders bear criticism in times of crisis, Matthew Henry notes that those called to public service “must expect to be tried” even by unthinking friends. In more recent evangelical preaching, this moment is often paired with Exodus 6:1 as a “dark before the dawn” motif, encouraging believers to hold on through seasons when God seems absent.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- When hope seems to fail, the people accuse God’s servants. The officers had believed (Exodus 4:31), but the initial failure of Moses’ mission shattered their confidence. Their cry “May Yahweh look and judge” turns against the very ones God sent. This is a pattern: when delays come, we often target the messenger rather than wrestle with God.
- Suffering can distort our perception of God’s plan. The officers saw only the immediate pain, not the larger redemption unfolding. They measured God’s favor by earthly success. Their accusation that Moses “put a sword in their hand” is an unfair charge, Pharaoh’s cruelty did not originate with Moses. Yet it feels true to them.
- God does not abandon His people in the darkness. The narrative does not end here. In Exodus 6:1-8 God reaffirms His covenant and promises deliverance. The officers’ failure of faith is not the final word; God’s faithfulness is.
Five-point outline
- Confrontation in the path: The officers deliberately meet Moses and Aaron, turning a meeting into a trial.
- The cry for judgment: “May Yahweh look and judge”, a call that could be either a curse or a desperate prayer; either way it shows they have lost confidence in human leadership.
- Accusation of causing a stench: The officers say Moses has ruined their reputation with Pharaoh, making them odious in the eyes of the powerful.
- The sword given to the enemy: They claim Moses has armed Pharaoh, giving him the very excuse he wanted to destroy them.
- A crisis that leads to prayer: Moses’ response (verses 22-23) turns the problem back to God. The officers’ anger becomes a catalyst for the leader’s honest lament.
Illustration hooks
- A family waiting for a medical test result: When a hoped-for diagnosis turns worse than expected, the natural reaction is to blame the doctor, the healthcare system, or even God. The officers’ anger mirrors the raw human response when suffering deepens after a promise of help.
- A pastor or church leader facing criticism after a difficult season: Congregations sometimes turn on their leaders when a building project fails or a revival doesn’t come. Like the officers, they may feel that the leaders “made us stink” in the eyes of the community.
- The disappointment of a delayed answer to prayer: Many believers have prayed for a breakthrough, only to see their situation worsen. The officers embody the cry of the person who says, “God, this is worse than before You sent help.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- Did Moses and Aaron do something wrong in their approach to Pharaoh, or was the harsh response God’s plan all along?
- How should we respond when following God’s call leads to greater hardship instead of immediate relief?
- Is it wrong to express anger and frustration to God or His servants when suffering increases?
Leading a Discussion
These verses thrust us into the raw tension between God’s promise and present suffering. The Israelites had just seen signs and heard that Yahweh had visited them (Exodus 4:31). But now their work is harder, their hope crushed. The officers’ words, “May Yahweh look and judge”, reveal hearts that have turned from worship to accusation. As you discuss, notice that the Bible does not hide this honest grief. It invites us to bring our deepest disappointments into the light.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 4:31 and then 5:20-21. What changed for the people between these two moments? Why do you think their faith evaporated so quickly?
- The officers say Moses and Aaron have “made our savor to stink” before Pharaoh and his servants. What does this language reveal about how they saw themselves? About how they saw their leaders?
- Look at the phrase “to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Is that a fair accusation? What does it tell us about how suffering can distort our judgment of others?
- Compare the officers’ cry with Moses’ prayer in verses 22-23. What is similar? What is different? How does Moses handle the same disappointment?
- When have you experienced a situation where following God seemed to make things worse before they got better? How did you respond?
- The cross-reference in Genesis 16:5 shows Sarai using similar language: “May Yahweh judge between me and you.” What does this pattern of calling on God to judge someone else suggest about human nature in conflict?
- How can a church community support people who are in the “Exodus 5 moment”, where hope has soured and suffering has increased? What does leadership look like in that space?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 16:5 | Sarai said to Abram, “This wrong is your fault. I gave my servant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, she despised me. May Yahweh judge between me and you.” |
| Genesis 34:30 | Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.” |
| Exodus 4:31 | The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. |
| Exodus 6:9 | Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn’t listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. |
| Exodus 14:11 | They said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt? |
| I Samuel 13:4 | All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was considered an abomination to the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal. |
| I Samuel 27:12 | Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he will be my servant forever.” |
| II Samuel 10:6 | When the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke grants that the sufferer's words were hasty and unkind, yet insists the afflicted must be allowed the privilege of complaining; the merciful and considerate will hear with indulgence. He warns that such complaints can arm oppressors with a pretext they lacked, leading to even greater oppression.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights how uncontrolled grief drove the Israelites to irrational anger against Moses and Aaron, blaming the innocent for Pharaoh's cruelty. Their fault was measuring God's favor by immediate success, so when trouble came their faith vanished. This shows how easily passion overcomes both reason and gratitude.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The foremen accuse Moses and Aaron of making them stink in Pharaoh's nostrils—the Hebrew idiom for ruining their reputation. Their request for a pilgrimage, they argue, simply handed Pharaoh a reason to destroy them. Jehovah will see and judge, they add, for the evil brought on the people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note highlights that the Israelites blame Moses and Aaron for making them hateful to Pharaoh, as if the messengers were the cause of their danger. The complaint charges that God’s servants have handed the people over to slaughter, missing that Pharaoh’s hardness, not the request to worship, is the real threat.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the officers' words "the Lord look upon you and judge" can be read as either a prediction of coming punishment or a curse on Moses and Aaron. He explains the complaint about making their "savour abhorred" means they became repulsive to Pharaoh, and the "sword" phrase is a proverb for exposing the whole nation to deadly danger.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that Moses' attempt to help his people only made their suffering worse at first, and he was met with blame rather than thanks. But they draw a pattern from this: the darkest moment often comes just before the dawn, and God's people are frequently plunged into the deepest trouble right on the eve of their rescue.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights the perversity of the natural heart: the overseers appeal to God's judgment even as their complaint reveals no trust in Him. By contrast, Moses' questioning is not indignation but prayerful faith, flying to God precisely when His ways are incomprehensible.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the tension in Moses and Aaron's message: it looks like a polite request for a religious festival, but it carries the hidden thunder of a divine command to set Israel free. Pharaoh's reply is not just defiance
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the painful dilemma of the head-workmen: they had to choose between abusing those under them or being abused by those over them. Rather than become tyrants themselves, they chose to suffer tyranny, showing a principled refusal to mistreat others even when under terrible pressure.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that those called to serve God publicly must expect trials not only from proud enemies but also from the unjust and unkind censures of unthinking friends. Instead of humbling themselves before God, such friends lash out, handing enemies a weapon against the very servants they should support.