Exodus 5:15
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cryed vnto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy seruants? Exodus 5:15 (KJV)
In this verse we find the context of the Israelites’ oppression in Egypt and their urgent request to Pharaoh. The Book of Exodus, the second book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, tells the story of the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and their journey to the Promised Land under Moses’ leadership.
At this point Moses and Aaron have confronted Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, with God’s command to let the Israelites go and worship Him in the wilderness (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh remains defiant and refuses to release the Israelites, and no signs or miracles have yet been performed.
In Exodus 5:15 the officers of the children of Israel—likely appointed leaders among the Israelite slaves—come before Pharaoh and cry out. They say, “Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?” (KJV) and, in another rendering, “Wherefore do you increase our burdens? for we have no straw.” Their question reveals the harsh treatment they are enduring.
The cry exposes the suffering imposed by Pharaoh’s orders: he commanded the Israelites to increase their daily brick production for his building projects while denying them the straw needed to make the bricks (Exodus 5:6‑14). As a result the people faced heavier labor and were beaten by taskmasters when they failed to meet the quota.
Speaking on behalf of the whole community, the officers acknowledge that they are servants of Pharaoh yet are being mistreated despite their labor. Their plea demonstrates the Israelites’ desperation and their longing for relief from oppressive bondage.
This verse also sets the stage for God’s intervention in response to their cries for deliverance. In the broader narrative, Exodus 5:15 marks the beginning of an intensified conflict between Pharaoh and Moses, a conflict that will culminate in the ten plagues God brings upon Egypt.
Ultimately, the passage highlights the Israelites’ plea for relief, their recognition of their status as servants, and serves as a precursor to the remarkable events that follow—namely, the eventual liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and their journey toward the Promised Land.
