Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 5:21
And they said unto them, The LORD 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.
21. Jehovah look upon you, and judge ] not leave you unheeded and unpunished, for the evil you have brought upon the people.
made our savour to be abhorred, &c.] lit. made our savour to stink; as we should say, brought us into ill odour with: cf. Gen 34:30; also, in the Heb., 1Sa 13:4, 2Sa 10:6 al.
to put
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. The Lord look upon you, and judge] These were hasty and unkind expressions; but the afflicted must be allowed the privilege of complaining; it is all the solace that such sorrow can find; and if in such distress words are spoken which should not be justified, yet the considerate and benevolent will hear them with indulgence. God is merciful; and the stroke of this people was heavier even than their groaning.
Put a sword in their hand] Given them a pretence which they had not before, to oppress us even unto death.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To give them what they have long sought and thirsted after, to wit, an occasion to destroy and root us out.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge,…. Or, “will look upon you and judge” q; and so it is either a prediction of what would be done to them, or an imprecation on them that God would take notice of their conduct, and punish them, or at least chastise them for acting the part they had, if not wickedly, yet imprudently:
because you have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh; or to “stink” r; they were become vile, abominable, and hateful to him, he could not bear the sight of them, and treated them as the filth and offscouring of all things; they had lost their good name, credit, and reputation with him; for leave being asked for them to go three days’ journey into the wilderness, to offer sacrifice, and keep a feast, they were looked upon as a parcel of idle slothful fellows:
and in the eyes of his servants; not the taskmasters only, but his nobles, counsellors, and courtiers:
to put a sword in their hands to slay us; a proverbial expression, signifying that they by their conduct had exposed them to the utmost danger, and had given their enemies an occasion against them, and an opportunity of destroying their whole nation, under a pretence of disobedience and disloyalty.
q – “videbit” “et judicabit”, Rivet. r “fecisti foetere”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“ Jehovah look upon you and judge ” (i.e., punish you, because) “ ye have made the smell of us to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, ” i.e., destroyed our good name with the king and his servants, and turned it into hatred and disgust. , a pleasant smell, is a figure employed for a good name or repute, and the figurative use of the word explains the connection with the eyes instead of the nose. “ To give a sword into their hand to kill us. ” Moses and Aaron, they imagined, through their appeal to Pharaoh had made the king and his counsellors suspect them of being restless people, and so had put a weapon into their hands for their oppression and destruction. What perversity of the natural heart! They call upon God to judge, whilst by their very complaining they show that they have no confidence in God and His power to save. Moses turned ( Exo 5:22) to Jehovah with the question, “ Why hast Thou done evil to this people, ” – increased their oppression by my mission to Pharaoh, and yet not delivered them? “These are not words of contumacy or indignation, but of inquiry and prayer” ( Aug. quaest. 14). The question and complaint proceeded from faith, which flies to God when it cannot understand the dealings of God, to point out to Him how incomprehensible are His ways, to appeal to Him to help in the time of need, and to remove what seems opposed to His nature and His will.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(21) Ye have made our savour to be abhorred.Heb., to stink. An idiom common to the Hebrews with the Egyptians (Comp. Gen. 34:30; 1Sa. 13:4; 2Sa. 10:6, &c, with Papyr. Anastas. 1:27, 7), and very expressive. The English idiom, to be in bad odour with a person, is similar, but lacks the force of the Hebrew phrase.
In the eyes.Mixed metaphors occur in all languages, and may generally be accounted for by the literal meaning of some familiar expression having come to be forgotten. In Heb., liphney, in the face of, and beeyney, in the eyes of, were mere prepositions, having the force of before, with, in regard to.
A sword . . . to slay us.This was not, perhaps, mere Oriental hyperbole. The officers may have feared that their inability to enforce the Pharaohs impracticable demands would ultimately lead to their execution.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 5:21. The Lord look upon you, and judge See Gen 16:5 and, for the latter clause of the verse, Gen 34:30.
Have made our savour to be abhorred Or, have made us odious. The last clause of the verse, to put a sword in their hands to slay us, is proverbial; importing, “to give them a handle to destroy us.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 5:21 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.
Ver. 21. The Lord look upon you. ] Thus we have seen dogs in a chase bark at their best friends.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
abhorred, &c. Hebrew “stink in the eyes”. Figure of speech Catachresis (App-6) for emphasis.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
The Lord: Exo 4:31, Exo 6:9, Gen 16:5
our savour: Ecc 10:1, Joe 2:20, 2Co 2:15, 2Co 2:16
to be abhorred: Heb. to stink, Gen 34:30, 1Sa 13:4, 1Sa 27:12, 2Sa 10:6, 1Ch 19:6
Reciprocal: Exo 14:12 – Is not this Exo 16:3 – to kill Exo 17:2 – the people Num 20:4 – why 1Ki 18:9 – What have I sinned Jer 31:2 – The people
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 5:21. The Lord look upon you and judge They should have humbled themselves before God, but instead of that they fly in the face of their best friends. Those that are called to public service for God and their generation, must expect to be tried not only by the threats of proud enemies, but by the unjust and unkind censures of unthinking friends. To put a sword in their hand to slay us To give them the occasion they have long sought for.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:21 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 {g} put a sword in their hand to slay us.
(g) It is a grievous things for the servants of God to be accused of evil, especially by their brethren, when they do what their duty requires.