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New King James Version

Exodus 5:14

Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Beating;   Brick;   Cruelty;   Servant;   Taskmasters;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pharaoh;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Straw;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Taskmaster;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Brick;   Exodus;   Officer;   Pharaoh;   Time;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bricks;   Yesterday, Yesternight;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Brick;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;   Moses;   Writing;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Brick;   Demand;   Here;   Libraries;   Taskmaster;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The officers of the children of Yisra'el, whom Par`oh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"
King James Version
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?
Lexham English Bible
And the foremen of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had appointed over them, were beaten by men who were saying, "Why have you not completed your portion of brickmaking as before, both yesterday and today?"
New Century Version
The king's slave masters had made the Israelite foremen responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, "Why aren't you making as many bricks as you made in the past?"
New English Translation
The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh's slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked, "Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past—both yesterday and today?"
Amplified Bible
And the Hebrew foremen, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your required quota of making bricks yesterday and today, as before?"
New American Standard Bible
Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and asked, "Why have you not completed your required task of making bricks either yesterday or today, as before?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaohs taskemasters had set ouer them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore haue ye not fulfilled your taske in making bricke yesterday and to daye, as in times past?
Legacy Standard Bible
Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?"
Contemporary English Version
The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said, "Why didn't you force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?"
Complete Jewish Bible
The foremen of the people of Isra'el, whom Pharaoh's slavemasters had appointed to be over them, were flogged and asked, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday and today, as you did formerly?"
Darby Translation
And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, [and] it was said, Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore?
Easy-to-Read Version
The Egyptian slave masters had chosen the Hebrew foremen and had made them responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these foremen and said to them, "Why aren't you making as many bricks as you made in the past? If you could do it then, you can do it now!"
English Standard Version
And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?"
George Lamsa Translation
And the scribes of the children of Israel, whom Pharaohs taskmasters had appointed over them, were beaten, and demanded, Why have you not completed your quota of bricks both yesterday and today, as heretofore?
Good News Translation
The Egyptian slave drivers beat the Israelite foremen, whom they had put in charge of the work. They demanded, "Why aren't you people making the same number of bricks that you made before?"
Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why haven’t you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”
Literal Translation
And the overseers of the sons of Israel were beaten, those whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had put over them, saying, Why have you not finished your appointed task, to make bricks as a day ago and the day before, both yesterday andtoday?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the officers of ye children of Israel, whom Pharaos worckmasters had set ouer them, were beaten, & it was saide vnto them: Wherfore haue ye not fulfilled yor appoynted daye worke to daye and yesterdaye, like as in tymes past?
American Standard Version
And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making brick as heretofore?
Bible in Basic English
And the responsible men of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's overseers had put over them, were given blows, and they said to them, Why have you not done your regular work, in making bricks as before?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the officers of the children of Israel which Pharaos taskemasters had set ouer them, were beaten. And they sayde vnto them: wherfore haue ye not fulfilled your taske in makyng of brycke both yesterday and to day, as well as in tymes past?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying: 'Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your appointed task in making brick both yesterday and today as heretofore?'
King James Version (1611)
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaohs task-masters had set ouer them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore haue ye not fulfilled your taske, in making bricke, both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the accountants of the race of the children of Israel, who were set over them by the masters of Pharao, were scourged, [[and questioned,]]men saying, Why have ye not fulfilled your rates of brick-work as yesterday and the third day, to-day also?
English Revised Version
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 both yesterday and today, in making brick as heretofore?
Berean Standard Bible
Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei, that weren maistris of the werkis of the sones of Israel, weren betun of the rent gadereris of Farao, that seiden, Whi filliden ye not the mesure of tijl stoonus, as bifore, nether yistirdai nethir to dai?
Young's Literal Translation
And the authorities of the sons of Israel, whom the exactors of Pharaoh have placed over them, are beaten, saying, `Wherefore have ye not completed your portion in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and to-day?'
Update Bible Version
And the officers of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Why have you not fulfilled your task both yesterday and today, in making bricks as before?
Webster's Bible Translation
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's task-masters had set over them, were beaten, [and] demanded, Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore?
World English Bible
The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"
New Living Translation
Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge of the work crews. "Why haven't you met your quotas either yesterday or today?" they demanded.
New Life Bible
And the Hebrew men who had been made to rule over the people by Pharaoh's work-leaders were beaten. They were asked, "Why have you not made as many clay blocks yesterday or today as you made before?"
New Revised Standard
And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, "Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then were beaten the overseers of the sons of Israel, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had set over them saying: Wherefore have ye not completed your task for making bricks, as heretofore, so also, yesterday and, to-day?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they that were over the works of the children of Israel, were scourged by Pharao’s taskmasters, saying: Why have you not made up the task of bricks, both yesterday and to day, as before?
Revised Standard Version
And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, "Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today, as hitherto?"
THE MESSAGE
The Israelite foremen whom the slave-drivers had appointed were beaten and badgered. "Why didn't you finish your quota of bricks yesterday or the day before—and now again today?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?"

Contextual Overview

10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh: "I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced."' 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, "Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw." 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Exodus 2:11 - burdens Exodus 5:6 - taskmasters Exodus 5:11 - not ought Leviticus 25:43 - rule Numbers 20:15 - vexed us Isaiah 3:15 - ye beat

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them,.... This makes it clear, not only that the taskmasters and officers were different persons, but that the one were Egyptians appointed by Pharaoh, and the other were Israelites, of the better sort of them, who were set over the poorer sort by the taskmasters, to look after them, and take an account of their work, and the tale of their bricks, and give it in to the taskmasters; now these

were beaten by the taskmasters, either with a cane, stick, or cudgel, or with whips and scourges, because there was a deficiency in their accounts, and the full tale of bricks was not given in:

[and] demanded, wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and today, as heretofore? the first day they were deficient they took no notice of it, did not call them to an account for it, but this being the case the second day, they not only expostulated with them about it, but beat them for it, which was hard usage. They had no need to ask them the reason of it, which they knew very well, and must be sensible that the men could not do the same work, and be obliged to spend part of their time in going about for straw or stubble; or the same number of men make the same tale of bricks, when some of them were employed to get straw for the rest, and to beat those officers for a deficiency through such means was cruel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 5:14. And the officers - were beaten — Probably bastinadoed; for this is the common punishment in Egypt to the present day for minor offences. The manner of it is this: the culprit lies on his belly, his legs being turned up behind erect, and the executioner gives him so many blows on the soles of the feet with a stick. This is a very severe punishment, the sufferer not being able to walk for many weeks after, and some are lamed by it through the whole of their lives.


 
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