“And 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.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 5:21 Mean?
The Israelite foremen turn on Moses and Aaron after Pharaoh increases their labor: "The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred." The people Moses came to liberate are cursing him. The slaves he was sent to free are blaming him for making their slavery worse. The initial result of the deliverance mission is increased oppression.
The phrase "ye have made our savour to be abhorred" (literally "you've made us stink") means Moses' intervention has made the Israelites' situation worse, not better. Before Moses arrived, they were oppressed but stable. After Moses arrived, they're oppressed and punished. The first effect of the liberation mission was increased suffering. The deliverer made things worse before he made them better.
The pattern is theologically important: liberation often produces a counter-reaction that intensifies the oppression before it breaks it. Pharaoh's response to God's demand isn't immediate compliance. It's doubled punishment. The system doesn't release its grip when challenged. It tightens it. And the people caught in between—the slaves whose liberation has been announced but not yet executed—bear the worst of both forces.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you tried to bring positive change and initially made things worse? What happened?
- 2.When liberation is announced but not yet delivered, the oppression often intensifies. Where are you in that ugly middle?
- 3.The people Moses came to save blamed him for their increased suffering. How do you handle being cursed by the people you're trying to help?
- 4.Deliverance makes things worse before better. How do you stay in the mission when the first result is more pain?
Devotional
"You've made us stink." The people Moses came to save are cursing him. His intervention made everything worse. Before Moses, they were enslaved but stable. After Moses, they're enslaved and punished. The deliverer's first result is increased suffering for the people he's delivering.
This is one of the most discouraging moments in the liberation narrative—and one of the most important to understand: deliverance often makes things worse before it makes them better. When you challenge an oppressive system, the system doesn't immediately crumble. It doubles down. Pharaoh didn't release the slaves. He took away their straw and demanded the same quota. The announcement of liberation produced the intensification of bondage.
The foremen's curse—"the LORD look upon you and judge"—is aimed at God's chosen deliverer by God's chosen people. The people Moses is risking everything for are the ones condemning him. The mission hasn't failed. It's in the ugly middle—the space between the announcement of freedom and the arrival of it, where the oppression is at its worst and the liberation hasn't materialized yet.
If you've tried to do the right thing—to bring change, to challenge an unjust system, to liberate someone from a destructive situation—and the first result was things getting worse, Moses' experience normalizes yours. The deliverer's reward is often increased suffering for the people being delivered. The system tightens before it breaks. The oppression intensifies before it ends. And the people you're trying to help may curse you before they thank you. Stay in the mission. The sea splits later.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge,.... Or, "will look upon you and judge" (q); and so it is…
The Lord look upon you, and judge - These were hasty and unkind expressions; but the afflicted must be allowed the…
It was a great strait that the head-workmen were in, when they must either abuse those that were under them or be abused…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture