The Meaning of Exodus 5:3 Explained

Exodus 5:3

KJV: And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

YLT: And they say, 'The God of the Hebrews hath met with us, let us go, we pray thee, a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest He meet us with pestilence or with sword.'

Darby: And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword.

ASV: And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto Jehovah our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they said,  The God  of the Hebrews  hath met  with us: let us go,  we pray thee, three  days'  journey  into the desert,  and sacrifice  unto the LORD  our God;  lest he fall  upon us with pestilence,  or with the sword. 

What does Exodus 5:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 5:1-14 - The Request To Worship Jehovah Answered By Oppression
The bondage of Israel in Egypt is an apt type of our bondage to sin. See John 8:34-36; Romans 7:23-25. The weary tyranny of our besetting sins; the imperious demands of Satan; the absence of all reward to our hopeless toils-these are striking points of analogy. Though we weep and struggle, there is no help for us but in God. No straw! No lessening of the tale of bricks! The charge of idleness! Cruel beatings! Deliverance apparently more distant than ever! But the darkest hour precedes dawn.
The hue and cry is always raised when a prisoner is escaping. The tyrant, who has so long held his prey, is not minded to surrender it without a struggle. The devil convulsed the child, as he was about to depart. Moreover, Israel must be taught to look beyond Moses or Aaron to the Eternal Jehovah. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 5

1  Pharaoh chides Moses and Aaron for their message
6  He increases the Israelites' task
16  He ignores their complaints
19  They cry out to Moses and Aaron
22  Moses complains to God

What do the individual words in Exodus 5:3 mean?

So they said the God of the Hebrews has met with us Let us go please journey three days' into the desert and sacrifice to Yahweh our God lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָעִבְרִ֖ים נִקְרָ֣א עָלֵ֑ינוּ נֵ֣לֲכָה נָּ֡א דֶּרֶךְ֩ שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת יָמִ֜ים בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר וְנִזְבְּחָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ פֶּ֨ן־ יִפְגָּעֵ֔נוּ בַּדֶּ֖בֶר א֥וֹ בֶחָֽרֶב

וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ  So  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֱלֹהֵ֥י  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
הָעִבְרִ֖ים  of  the  Hebrews 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: עִבְרִי  
Sense: a designation of the patriarchs and the Israelites adj.
נִקְרָ֣א  has  met 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
עָלֵ֑ינוּ  with  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.
נֵ֣לֲכָה  Let  us  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
נָּ֡א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
דֶּרֶךְ֩  journey 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
יָמִ֜ים  days' 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר  into  the  desert 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
וְנִזְבְּחָה֙  and  sacrifice 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: זָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice.
לַֽיהוָ֣ה  to  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
פֶּ֨ן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
יִפְגָּעֵ֔נוּ  He  fall  upon  us 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
בַּדֶּ֖בֶר  with  pestilence 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֶּבֶר 
Sense: pestilence, plague.
בֶחָֽרֶב  with  the  sword 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.