Exodus 1:14

KJV1611 – Modern English

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

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיְמָרְר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

Transliteration

And way-mārərû ʾet-ḥayyêhem in ʿăḇōdâ qāšâ with ḥōmer and with ləḇēnîm and with all ʿăḇōdâ in the śādeh ʾēt all ʿăḇōdātām which ʿāḇədû with them with pāreḵ

Grammar Details

• וַיְמָרְר֨וּ: conjunction *wə-* + verb, Piel imperfect, 3rd masculine plural, vav-consecutive - 'and they made bitter'
• אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם: direct object marker + noun, masculine plural + 3rd masculine plural suffix - 'their lives'
• בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה: preposition + noun, feminine singular - 'with labor'
• *qāšâ*: adjective, feminine singular - 'hard'
• בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙: preposition + noun, masculine singular - 'with mortar'
• וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים: conjunction *wə-* + preposition + noun, feminine plural - 'and with bricks'
• וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה: conjunction *wə-* + preposition + noun, feminine singular - 'and with all labor'
• בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה: preposition + definite article + noun, masculine singular - 'in the field'
• אֵ֚ת: direct object marker
• כָּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם: construct + noun, feminine singular + 3rd masculine plural suffix - 'all their labor'
• אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ: relative pronoun + verb, Qal perfect, 3rd masculine plural - 'which they worked'
• בָהֶ֖ם: preposition + 3rd masculine plural suffix - 'with them'
• בְּפָֽרֶךְ: preposition + noun, masculine singular - 'with rigor'

Word Meanings

• *way-mārərû*: they made bitter, embittered
• *ḥayyêhem*: their lives, their existence
• *ʿăḇōdâ*: labor, service, work, servitude
• *qāšâ*: hard, harsh, severe, cruel
• *ḥōmer*: mortar, clay, cement
• *ləḇēnîm*: bricks
• *śādeh*: field, country, open land
• *ʿăḇōdātām*: their service, their labor, their work
• *ʿāḇədû*: they worked, served, labored
• *pāreḵ*: rigor, harshness, cruelty

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor, the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  and they made{H4843} their lives{H2416} bitter{H4843} with hard{H7186} service,{H5656} in mortar{H2563} and in brick,{H3843} and in all manner of service{H5656} in the field,{H7704} all their service,{H5656} wherein they made them serve{H5647} with rigor.{H6531}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And they made{H4843} their lives{H2416} bitter{H4843}{(H8762)} with hard{H7186} bondage{H5656}, in morter{H2563}, and in brick{H3843}, and in all manner of service{H5656} in the field{H7704}: all their service{H5656}, wherein they made them serve{H5647}{(H8804)}, was with rigour{H6531}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  and made their lyues bitter vnto them with cruell laboure in claye and bricke, and all maner worke in the feldes, and in all maner of service, which they caused the to worke cruelly

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  and made their lyues bytter vnto them with greuous laboure in claye and brycke, and with allmaner of bondage in ye felde, and with allmaner of laboure, which they layed vpon them without mercy.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Thus they made them weary of their liues by sore labour in clay & in bricke, & in al worke in the fielde, with all maner of bondage, which they layde vpon them most cruelly.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And they made their lyues bytter vnto them in that cruell bondage, in claye, and bricke, and all maner of worke in the fielde: for all their bondage wherein they serued them was ful of tirannie.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every `kind' of service in the field; all their service in which they have served `is' with rigour.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And made their lives bitter with hard work, making building-material and bricks, and doing all sorts of work in the fields under the hardest conditions.

• World English Bible (2000)

  and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous.

Referenced Verses

• Exod 2:23 : 23 Now it happened, in the process of time, that the king of Egypt died. The children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
• Exod 6:9 : 9 And Moses spoke so to the children of Israel: but they did not listen to Moses because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.
• Num 20:15 : 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.
• Acts 7:19 : 19 This king dealt shrewdly with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, forcing them to expose their infants so that they might not live.
• Acts 7:34 : 34 I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.
• Ps 81:6 : 6 I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets.
• Isa 14:6 : 6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hinders.
• Isa 51:23 : 23 But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you; who have said to your soul, 'Bow down, that we may go over:' and you have laid your body like the ground, and like the street, for those who went over.'
• Isa 52:5 : 5 Now therefore, what have I here, says the LORD, that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them make them to wail, says the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
• Isa 58:6 : 6 Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
• Jer 50:33-34 : 33 Thus says the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all who took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
• Mic 3:3 : 3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, like meat for the pot, and like flesh within the cauldron.
• Nah 3:14 : 14 Draw water for the siege, fortify your strongholds: go into clay and tread the mortar, make strong the brick kiln.
• Exod 20:2 : 2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
• Lev 25:43 : 43 You shall not rule over him with rigor; but shall fear your God.
• Lev 25:46 : 46 And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen forever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, you shall not rule one over another with rigor.
• Lev 25:53 : 53 And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight.
• Exod 5:7-9 : 7 You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as before: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the quota of bricks, which they made before, you shall lay upon them; you shall not diminish anything from it: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let more work be laid upon the men, so they may labor in it; and let them not regard lying words. 10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, This is what Pharaoh says, I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get straw where you can find it: yet nothing of your work shall be diminished. 12 So the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hastened them, saying, Fulfill your work, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and questioned, Why have you not fulfilled your task in making bricks both yesterday and today, as before? 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, Make bricks: and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people. 17 But he said, You are idle, you are idle: therefore you say, Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. 18 Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks. 19 And the officers of the children of Israel realized they were in trouble when it was said, You shall not diminish anything from your bricks of your daily task. 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came out from Pharaoh: 21 And they said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge; because you have made our odor to be loathed in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.
• Gen 15:13 : 13 And He said to Abram, Know certainly that your offspring shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
• Exod 1:13 : 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor:
• Deut 4:20 : 20 But the LORD has taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be to him a people of inheritance, as you are this day.
• Deut 26:6 : 6 And the Egyptians mistreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
• Ruth 1:20 : 20 And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
• Ps 68:13 : 13 Though you have lain among the pots, yet you shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.