The Meaning of Deuteronomy 26:6 Explained

Deuteronomy 26:6

KJV: And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

YLT: and the Egyptians do us evil, and afflict us, and put on us hard service;

Darby: And the Egyptians evil-entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage;

ASV: And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the Egyptians  evil entreated  us, and afflicted  us, and laid  upon us hard  bondage: 

What does Deuteronomy 26:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 26:1-19 - First-Fruits And Tithes
The Israelites were God's tenants-at-will. The entire land and its produce were His; and they were required to acknowledge His ownership by the payment of first-fruits-both at Passover and at Pentecost, Leviticus 2:14; Numbers 28:26 -and of tithes.
All we possess and all we earn are equally the gift of God. Let us acknowledge this by setting apart a fixed proportion of the results of our daily work, whether wages, or crops, or brood, or herd. The words of this ancient collect, with very slight modifications, will suit us well, Deuteronomy 26:5-10. Note the injunction of Deuteronomy 26:11. There is not enough joy in our lives or faces. Nothing so quickly commends our religion as the gladness which the world can neither give nor take. To joy let us add intercession, Deuteronomy 26:15; and let us never forget to renew our vows of consecration when we bring our gifts, Deuteronomy 26:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 26

1  The confession of him who offers the basket of firstfruits
12  The prayer of him who gives his third year's tithes
16  The covenant between God and his people

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 26:6 mean?

but mistreated us the Egyptians and afflicted us and laid on us labor hard
וַיָּרֵ֧עוּ אֹתָ֛נוּ הַמִּצְרִ֖ים וַיְעַנּ֑וּנוּ וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עֲבֹדָ֥ה קָשָֽׁה

וַיָּרֵ֧עוּ  but  mistreated 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
אֹתָ֛נוּ  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
הַמִּצְרִ֖ים  the  Egyptians 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: מִצְרִי  
Sense: Egyptian—an inhabitant or citizen of Egypt.
וַיְעַנּ֑וּנוּ  and  afflicted  us 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, first person common plural
Root: עָנָה 
Sense: (Qal) to be occupied, be busied with.
וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ  and  laid 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
עָלֵ֖ינוּ  on  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עֲבֹדָ֥ה  labor 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲבֹדָה  
Sense: labour, service.
קָשָֽׁה  hard 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: קָשֶׁה  
Sense: hard, cruel, severe, obstinate.