Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” New Living Translation “We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand, ‘Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!” English Standard Version No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” Berean Standard Bible No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” Berean Literal Bible Straw is not being given to your servants, and they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten, and the fault is in your people.” King James Bible There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. New King James Version There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.” New American Standard Bible There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” NASB 1995 “There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” NASB 1977 “There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” Legacy Standard Bible There is no straw given to your slaves, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your slaves are being beaten; but it is the sin of your own people.” Amplified Bible No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of your own people.” Berean Annotated Bible No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks! Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people. Christian Standard Bible No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks! ’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault.” Holman Christian Standard Bible No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault.” American Standard Version There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault it in thine own people. Contemporary English Version No one brings us any straw, but we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame." English Revised Version There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. GOD'S WORD® Translation We're given no straw, and yet we're told to make bricks. We're being beaten, but your men are at fault." Good News Translation We are given no straw, but we are still ordered to make bricks! And now we are being beaten. It is your people that are at fault." International Standard Version No straw is being given to us, yet they're saying to us, 'Make bricks!' Look, we are being beaten. It's wrong how you are treating your people!" NET Bible No straw is given to your servants, but we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your people." New Heart English Bible No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, 'Make brick.' and look, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people." Webster's Bible Translation There is no straw given to thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thy own people. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleNo straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” World English Bible No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionStraw is not given to your servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and behold, your servants are struck—and your people have sinned.” Berean Literal Bible Straw is not being given to your servants, and they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten, and the fault is in your people.” Young's Literal Translation Straw is not given to thy servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and lo, thy servants are smitten -- and thy people hath sinned.' Smith's Literal Translation Straw was not given to thy servants, and they said to us, Make bricks: and behold, thy servants were beaten; and the sin, thy people. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleStraw is not given us, and bricks are required of us as before: behold we thy servants are beaten with whips, and thy people is unjustly dealt withal. Catholic Public Domain Version Straw is not given to us, and yet the same amount of bricks is commanded. So we, your servants, are cut up by scourging, and injustice is done against your people.” New American Bible No straw is supplied to your servants, and still we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look how your servants are beaten! It is you who are at fault.” New Revised Standard Version No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look how your servants are beaten! You are unjust to your own people.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThere is no straw given to your servants, and yet they say to us, Make bricks: and, behold, your servants are beaten; and you sin against your people. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Straw is not given to your Servants, and they were saying to us, ‘Cast bricks’, and behold, your Servants are beaten and you sin against your people.” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us: Make brick; and, behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people.' Brenton Septuagint Translation Straw is not given to thy servants, and they tell us to make brick; and behold thy servants have been scourged: thou wilt therefore injure thy people. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Cry of the Israelites15So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way? 16No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” 17“You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’… Cross References No straw has been given to your servants Exodus 1:13-14 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly / and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh. Deuteronomy 26:6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor. Exodus 2:23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God. yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Genesis 11:3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. Exodus 1:11 So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. Isaiah 10:1-2 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, / to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder. Look, your servants are being beaten Exodus 2:11-12 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. / After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. Acts 7:24 And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. 2 Corinthians 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. but the fault is with your own people.” 1 Kings 12:14 and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.” Micah 3:1-3 Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? / You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. / You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” Isaiah 1:23 Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them. Exodus 6:6-9 Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. / I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. / And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’” … Exodus 3:7-9 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. / I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them. Exodus 7:14-16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. / Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. / Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. Exodus 8:1-2 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. / But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. Treasury of Scripture There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people. no reference Jump to Previous Beaten Blows Bondmen Brick Bricks Dry Fault Make Servants Sinned Smitten Stems Straw WrongJump to Next Beaten Blows Bondmen Brick Bricks Dry Fault Make Servants Sinned Smitten Stems Straw WrongExodus 5 1. Pharaoh chides Moses and Aaron for their message.6. He increases the Israelites' task. 16. He ignores their complaints. 19. They cry out to Moses and Aaron. 22. Moses complains to God. No straw has been given to your servants In ancient Egypt, straw was a crucial component in brick-making, providing the necessary binding to hold the clay together. The Israelites, as slaves, were responsible for producing bricks for Pharaoh's building projects. The removal of straw by the Egyptians was a strategic move to increase the Israelites' burden, reflecting the harshness of their oppression. This phrase highlights the increased difficulty in their labor, symbolizing the intensification of their suffering. The lack of straw can be seen as a metaphor for the absence of resources or support, a theme that resonates throughout the Bible when God's people face trials without apparent means of relief. yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten but the fault is with your own people. Persons / Places / Events 1. PharaohThe ruler of Egypt who enslaved the Israelites and increased their burdens. 2. Israelite Foremen The leaders among the Israelites who were responsible for meeting the brick quotas and were punished when the quotas were not met. 3. Egyptian Taskmasters The overseers appointed by Pharaoh to enforce the labor demands on the Israelites. 4. Moses and Aaron God's chosen leaders who were sent to deliver the Israelites from slavery. 5. Egypt The land where the Israelites were enslaved and where these events took place. Teaching Points Understanding OppressionThe Israelites' cry highlights the reality of unjust demands and the suffering that comes from oppressive systems. Believers are called to recognize and stand against injustice in their own contexts. God's Awareness and Deliverance Despite the immediate suffering, God is aware of His people's plight and has a plan for their deliverance. Trust in God's timing and sovereignty is crucial. The Burden of Legalism The Israelites' experience can be likened to the spiritual burden of legalism, where people are expected to meet impossible standards without the necessary means. Jesus offers freedom from such burdens. Intercession and Advocacy The role of the Israelite foremen as advocates for their people can inspire believers to intercede and advocate for those who are oppressed or in need. Faith in Adversity The Israelites' situation teaches the importance of maintaining faith and hope even when circumstances seem to worsen before they improve. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Exodus 5:16?2. How does Exodus 5:16 illustrate the consequences of disobedience to God's commands? 3. What can we learn about leadership from the Israelites' plea in Exodus 5:16? 4. How does Exodus 5:16 connect to God's promises in Exodus 3:7-10? 5. How should we respond when facing unjust treatment, as seen in Exodus 5:16? 6. What role does faith play when circumstances seem unfair, according to Exodus 5:16? 7. Why did Pharaoh refuse to provide straw for the Israelites in Exodus 5:16? 8. How does Exodus 5:16 reflect the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt? 9. What does Exodus 5:16 reveal about the relationship between Pharaoh and the Israelites? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Exodus 5? 11. What is building a spiritual house? 12. Exodus 5:8-9: Is there any record or historical precedent indicating such sudden changes in Egyptian labor policy? 13. Exodus 5:7: How could the Israelites maintain the same brick quota without Egyptian-provided straw under harsh labor conditions? 14. In 2 Chronicles 25:4, how can Amaziah's execution of his father's assassins yet sparing their children be reconciled with other Old Testament commands on punishment and inheritance of guilt? What Does Exodus 5:16 Mean No straw has been given to your servants• Pharaoh had just ordered, “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks” (Exodus 5:7). The removal of straw stripped Israel of an essential material, making the same workload humanly impossible. • Scripture consistently shows how oppressors add weight to the vulnerable—“They made their lives bitter with hard labor” (Exodus 1:14). • The scene anticipates God’s concern for the oppressed throughout the Bible (Proverbs 14:31; James 5:4), reminding us that He sees every unjust burden. yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ • The demand stays firmly in place even though the means have been taken away. Pharaoh’s command mirrors the heartless leadership Jesus rebukes: “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders” (Matthew 23:4). • The tension highlights our need for deliverance; human power structures often refuse mercy, but God will intervene (Psalm 103:6). • For Israel, the impossible quota underscores that salvation must come from the LORD, not from negotiating with tyranny (Exodus 6:6). Look, your servants are being beaten • The foremen describe real violence: “The Israelite foremen were beaten” (Exodus 5:14). Physical suffering is being used as a tool of control. • Similar cruelty appears later in Israel’s history when corrupt leaders strike God’s prophets (Jeremiah 20:2) or soldiers mock the Messiah (Matthew 27:30). • Yet God keeps record of every blow: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15); He will vindicate the abused (Romans 12:19). but the fault is with your own people. • The foremen insist the true blame lies with Pharaoh’s system, not with the workers. They expose the injustice: rulers created the crisis, then punished the victims. • Blame-shifting by authorities appears again when Saul excuses himself (1 Samuel 15:24) and when Pilate washes his hands (Matthew 27:24). In each case God’s Word makes clear where responsibility truly rests. • By stating the truth, these Israelite foremen model the courage to confront evil systems, anticipating Moses’ own bold appeals (Exodus 7:10). summary Exodus 5:16 captures the crescendo of oppression: essential resources withheld, impossible demands imposed, brutal punishment inflicted, and rulers denying responsibility. The verse exposes human tyranny while setting the stage for divine deliverance. God hears the cry of His people, sees every injustice, and will act in power to free and vindicate them—then and now. (16) The fault is in thine own people.--Heb., thy people is in fault. There can be no reasonable doubt that this clause is antithetical to the preceding one, and means that, though the Hebrews are punished, the people really in fault are the Egyptians.Verse 16. - They say to us. Or, "they keep saying to us." The participle is used, which implies continuance or repetition. The fruit is in thine own people. Literally, "Thine own people is in fault," or "sins."Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Noאֵ֤ין (’ên) Adverb Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle straw תֶּ֗בֶן (te·ḇen) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 8401: Material, refuse haum, stalks of grain has been given נִתָּן֙ (nit·tān) Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5414: To give, put, set to your servants, לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ (la·‘ă·ḇā·ḏe·ḵā) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5650: Slave, servant yet we are told, אֹמְרִ֥ים (’ō·mə·rîm) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say ‘Make עֲשׂ֑וּ (‘ă·śū) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural Strong's 6213: To do, make bricks!’ וּלְבֵנִ֛ים (ū·lə·ḇê·nîm) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural Strong's 3843: Brick, tile Look, וְהִנֵּ֧ה (wə·hin·nêh) Conjunctive waw | Interjection Strong's 2009: Lo! behold! your servants עֲבָדֶ֛יךָ (‘ă·ḇā·ḏe·ḵā) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5650: Slave, servant are being beaten, מֻכִּ֖ים (muk·kîm) Verb - Hofal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 5221: To strike but the fault וְחָטָ֥את (wə·ḥā·ṭāṯ) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn [is] with your own people.” עַמֶּֽךָ׃ (‘am·me·ḵā) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock Links Exodus 5:16 NIVExodus 5:16 NLT Exodus 5:16 ESV Exodus 5:16 NASB Exodus 5:16 KJV Exodus 5:16 BibleApps.com Exodus 5:16 Biblia Paralela Exodus 5:16 Chinese Bible Exodus 5:16 French Bible Exodus 5:16 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 5:16 No straw is given to your servants (Exo. 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