Exodus 5:1

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 5:1-2

Moses and Aaron, having delivered their message to the elders of Israel, with whom they found good acceptance, are now to deal with Pharaoh, to whom they come in peril of their lives?Moses particularly, who perhaps was out-lawed for killing the Egyptian forty years before, so that if any of the old courtiers should happen to remember that against him now it might cost him his head. Their message itself was displeasing, and touch Pharaoh both in his honour and in his profit, two tender points;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 5:1

And afterwards Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh ,.... Whose name, some say, was Cenchres, others Amenophis, according to Manetho and Chaeremon F8 Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 26. 32. ; See Gill on Exodus 3:10 went into Pharaoh's palace, and being introduced by the proper officer at court for that purpose, addressed him in the following manner: thus saith the Lord God of Israel : as ambassadors of him, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords; and so Artapanus F9 ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 5:1

And afterward Moses and Aaron went - This chapter is properly a continuation of the preceding, as the succeeding is a continuation of this; and to preserve the connection of the facts they should be read together. How simply, and yet with what authority, does Moses deliver his message to the Egyptian king! Thus saith Jehovah, God of Israel, Let my people go. It is well in this, as in almost every other case where יהוה Jehovah occurs, to preserve the original word: our using the word... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 5:1

Verse 1 1.And afterwards Moses and Aaron went in. Moses here begins to set forth how many and how great were the proofs of God’s power displayed in the deliverance of his people. For, since the pride, the madness, and the obstinacy of the king were indomitable, every door was closed, until broken down miraculously, and by various means. It was, indeed, possible for God to overwhelm him at once, by a single nod, so that he should even fall down dead at the very sight of Moses; but, as we have... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 5:1

And afterward . The interposition of some not inconsiderable space of time seems to be implied. Menephthah resided partly at Memphis, partly at Zoan (Tanis). Moses and Aaron may have had to wait until he returned from his southern to his northern capital. Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh . Aaron was, no doubt, the sole spokesman, but as he spoke for both, the plural is used. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. Literally , "Thus saith Jehovah, God of Israel." Pharaoh would... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 5:1-4

A first interview. Accompanied by Aaron, Moses passes again through the hails of the Pharaohs from which he has been so long a stranger. Kings, courtiers, and people are different; but all else gates and pillars, courts, corridors, and reception-rooms—how unchanged since first he knew them! The feelings of the quondam prince must have been strangely mingled, as, after forty years of exile, he trod the familiar pavements, and looked upon the old splendours. But the narrative, absorbed in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 5:1-5

Having secured the adhesion of the Israelitish people, Moses and Aaron sought an interview with the Egyptian monarch who was now in possession of the throne. According to the bulk of modern authorities, and according to our own views of Egyptian history, this was Menephthah,the son and successor of Rameses II . Menephthah was a weak prince, whom events had favoured, and who had been thus led to have an exalted opinion of himself. A great invasion of Egypt had occurred at the beginning of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 5:1-5

God's will often opposed by the great of the earth, and his servants rebuffed. Encouraged by their success with the elders and with the people ( Exodus 4:29-31 ), Moses and Aaron would stop boldly into the presence of Pharaoh. It was, no doubt, known that they represented the feelings of an entire nation, a nation moreover of whom the Egyptians had begun to be afraid ( Exodus 1:9 , Exodus 1:10 ). The courtiers would treat them, at any rate, with outward politeness and respect. They... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 5:1-5

God's demand and Pharaoh's answer. I. THE DEMAND . 1 . Its modesty. They merely ask liberty to depart on a three days' journey into the wilderness. 2 . It was asked in good faith; it was not a cover for escape. God would give deliverance; but that was left in God's hand; and meanwhile they asked only for liberty to worship him. 3 . Its reasonableness: they could not sacrifice the sacred animals of the Egyptians before their faces. 4 . Its necessity. Pharaoh might not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 5:1-21

Failure. " I know not Jehovah," etc.: Exodus 5:2 . We now come face to face with the king. As the king here becomes very prominent, we will keep him conspicuous in the outlining of this address. I. AUDIENCE WITH THE KING . This is a convenient moment for introducing Pharaoh as the terrestrial representative of the Sun, as the vicegerent of Deity upon earth. Does it seem wonderful that men should receive a man in this capacity? But millions of professed Christians in this... read more

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