And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

EXODUS 1:14KJV
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Exodus 1:14 (KJV)

What does Exodus 1:14 mean?

Exodus 1:14 describes how the Egyptians made the lives of the Israelites extremely harsh and miserable by forcing them into hard labor, including making bricks, working with mortar, and doing all kinds of demanding work in the fields. Every task the Egyptians gave the Israelites was done with severe cruelty and strictness.

In this verse, the book of Exodus is recounting how the Israelites, living in Egypt, were subjected to increasingly harsh treatment by the Egyptians after a new king came to power. The verse emphasizes the physical and emotional suffering the Israelites endured as slaves, highlighting the relentless and oppressive nature of their forced labor.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 1:14

  • "bitter" (מָרַר, marar): This word means to make something bitter or harsh, not just in taste but in experience. Here, it underscores that the Israelites' daily lives were made deeply unpleasant and filled with suffering.
  • "hard" (קָשֶׁה, qashé): This word means severe or difficult. It stresses the intensity and toughness of the labor the Israelites were forced to do.
  • "bondage" and "service" (עֲבֹדָה, avodah): This word is used multiple times in the verse and refers to forced labor or servitude. The repetition highlights how every aspect of their work was oppressive.
  • "rigour" (פָּרֶךְ, parekh): This word means cruelty or ruthless harshness. It shows that the Egyptians were not just demanding but intentionally brutal in how they treated the Israelites.

Why Exodus 1:14 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the suffering of the Israelites was not just about being made to work, but about the extreme cruelty and relentless pressure they faced in every part of their daily lives.
  • The repeated use of words for "service" and "bondage" emphasizes that the oppression was total, affecting every kind of work and leaving no relief.
  • Understanding the depth of this oppression helps explain why the Israelites cried out for deliverance and why their eventual liberation is such a central moment in the story of Exodus.

Where else these words appear

“rigour” Hebrew H6531 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 1:13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
  • Leviticus 25:43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.
  • Leviticus 25:53 And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.

“brick” Hebrew H3843 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Exodus 5:16 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.
  • Isaiah 9:10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

“made” Hebrew H4843 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
  • 1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
  • Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

“morter” Hebrew H2563 · used in 26 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Job 30:19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
  • Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.