4 And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, distract the people from their works? go to your work. (Pharaoh refused them again).
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people in this land are numerous, and you distract them from their work. (Dont distract people from their work!).
6 And on the same day Pharaoh gave a command to the officers of the people and the overseers, saying: (Pharaohs command).
7 from now on, do not give the people straw for making bricks, as yesterday and the third day, let them go and collect straw for themselves, (Collecting straw for bricks means adobe bricks consisting of clay with the addition of cut straw, since ancient times common in treeless areas).
8 but put the same number of bricks on them as they did yesterday and the day before, and do not reduce them; they are idle, therefore they shout: lets go, lets sacrifice to our God; (Thats how to argue with the authorities!).
9 give them more work, so that they work and do not engage in empty speeches. (The boss is always right, if the boss is wrong, see the beginning of the phrase).
10 And the officers of the people and their overseers went out and said to the people: Thus says Pharaoh: I will not give you straw; (The bailiffs and overseers carry out Pharaohs order).
11 Go yourself, take straw for yourself wherever you find it, but nothing is reduced from your work. (Initiative is punishable!).
12 And the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. (Stubble or stubble is the lower part of the stems of grain crops that remains on the root after harvesting).
13 But the bailiffs urged, saying, «Do your work every day, just as when you had straw.» (Using stubble instead of straw).
14 But the overseers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaohs officers had set over them, were beaten, saying, «Why do you not make a fixed number of bricks yesterday and today, as it has been until now? (Use as overseers and Jews).
15 And the overseers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, Why do you do this to your servants? (The Jewish overseers are outraged).
16 They do not give straw to your servants, but they tell us to make bricks. And behold, your servants are being beaten; it is a sin for your people. (Pre-revolutionary state).
17 But he said, «You are idle, idle, therefore you say, Lets go and sacrifice to the LORD.» (However, Pharaoh believes that Jews are idlers).
18 Go and work; they will not give you straw, but give you the required number of bricks. (First of all, work, from the Pharaohs point of view).
19 And the overseers of the children of Israel saw their trouble in the words: do not decrease the number of bricks, which is [laid] for every day. (It is necessary to fulfill the norm for every day thats the workday).
20 And when they went out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who were standing waiting for them (Here are the troublemakers!).
21 And they said to them, May the LORD see and judge you, because you have made us hateful in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, and have given them a sword in their hands to kill us. (That is, Moses and Aaron actually became instigators).
22 And Moses turned to the LORD and said, Lord! why did You subject this people to such a calamity, why did You send me? (The need to receive new instructions, they have become, without instructions from «above», virtually completely powerless).
23 For from the time that I came to Pharaoh and began to speak in your name, he began to do worse to this people; but to deliver, you have not delivered your people. (Criticism of the Lord-God).
Chapter 6
1 And the LORD said to Moses, Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; by the action of a strong hand he will let them go; by the action of a strong hand he will even drive them out of his land. (Confirmation by the Lord God of his intentions to Moses).
2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: I am the Lord. (That is, sir, and you have to serve me).
3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with [the name] «God Almighty,» but with [my] name «the Lord» I did not reveal myself to them; (The new name of God).
4 And I have made my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojourn, in which they have sojourned. (That is, Canaan is a place where Jews used to wander).
5 And I heard the lamentation of the children of Israel that the Egyptians held them in bondage, and I remembered my covenant. (Now the situation has changed and important trade routes pass through this territory, which should be seized and established their dominance in order to receive good commissions for the transportation of goods).
6 So say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will save you with an outstretched arm and great judgments; (The Israelites must become «cannon fodder» in order to seize the most profitable trade routes).
7 And I will receive you into my people, and I will be your God, and you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of Egypt; (For this I will deliver you from the Egyptian captivity, but you will fall into my captivity).
8 And I will bring you into the land of which I lifted up my hand and swore to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as an inheritance. I am the Lord. (Your job is to perform, not to reason. Talions rule: you to me, I to you).
9 Moses told this to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their cowardice and the severity of the work. (Naturally, none of the Israelis aspired to become «cannon fodder»).
10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (The priest does not back down, wealth and control over profitable caravan lands are at stake).
11 Go in and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land. (Incites disobedience to Pharaoh).
12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel do not listen to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me? And Im not verbal. (Moses refuses, stating that he cannot speak well).
13 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them commands to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. (Connects Aaron).
14 These are the heads of their generations: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Fallu, Hezron and Harmi: these are the Reuben families. (The ancestors of Moses and Aaron).
15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ogad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Saul, the son of the Canaanite woman: these are the families of Simeon. (The ancestors of the Jews).
16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their families: Gershon, and Kaath, and Merari. And the years of Levis life were one hundred and thirty-seven. (The ancestors of the Jews. The chronology of the Jews from ancient times was conducted according to the time of the reign of the kings, important political events. The calendar was introduced from the «creation of the world», the annual count of months and days was twofold: the spring month of Nisan (modern March April) was considered the beginning of the «sacred» year, the beginning of the civil year was the autumn month of tishri (September October), ascending to the worship of the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes. Thus, most likely, Levi lived 68.5 years, which is quite logical, that is, modern (in our understanding) the year was actually divided in two).
17 The sons of Gershon: Livni and Shimei with their families. (The ancestors of the Jews).
18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Ishgar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of Kaafs life were one hundred and thirty-three years. (The ancestors of the Jews. Kafa lived 66.5 years).
19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their genera. (The ancestors of the Jews).
20 Amram took his aunt Jochebed to be his wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of Amrams life were one hundred and thirty-seven. (This is an example of sororat, Amram lived 68.5 years).
21 The sons of Yitzhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. (The ancestors of the Jews).
22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sethri. (The ancestors of the Jews).
23 Aaron took Elizabeth, the daughter of Aminadab, the sister of Naasson, to wife, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (The ancestors of the Jews).
24 The sons of Korah: Asher, Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of Korah. (The ancestors of the Jews).
25 Eleazar the son of Aaron took one of the daughters of Phuthiel to wife, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levitical generations according to their families. (The ancestors of the Jews).
26 Aaron and Moses, these are the ones to whom the LORD said, «Bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.» (The purpose of Moses and Aaron for the «great» mission).
27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt; these are Moses and Aaron. (It is impossible to disobey the «higher forces»).
28 So at the time when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, (Repetition of what was said).
29 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, «I am the LORD! Tell Pharaoh, King of Egypt, all that I am telling you. (In other words, Moses is obliged to follow instructions, not to reason).
30 But Moses said before the LORD, «Behold, I am not a man of words.»: how will Pharaoh listen to me? (Moses again says that he is not able to express himself tolerably).
Chapter 7
1 But the Lord said to Moses: Look, I have made you a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron, your brother, will be your prophet: (Again repeating what has already been said in order to better seal).
2 You will say whatever I command you, and Aaron your brother will tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go out of his land; (The end justifies the means!).
3 But I will harden Pharaohs heart, and I will show a multitude of my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt; (Miracles are necessary, how can they be without them to affect the public).
4 Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my army, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments; (Pharaohs reaction will be clear).
5 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them. (That is, the chief priest is the lord).
6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, and so they did. (They are already sealed).
7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they began to speak to Pharaoh. (Moses 40, Aaron 41,5).
8 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: (New instructions).
9 If Pharaoh says to you, «Do a miracle,» then you say to Aaron, «Take your rod and throw it before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.» (Magic tricks begin, snakes began to appear en masse due to the deterioration of the water).
10 Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and did as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and he became a serpent. (One of the vases of ancient Lagash, Sumer, depicts two crowned snakes with wings, the other vase depicts snakes wrapped around a rod, it dates back to the middle of the III millennium BC).
11 And Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers; and these magi of Egypt did the same with their enchantments.: (Enchantment means enchantment, enchantment, that is, hypnosis, it is also possible that various snakes have emerged from the wands).
12 Each of them threw down his rod, and they became serpents, but the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods. (Most likely, Aarons snake was just more venomous and aggressive).
13 Pharaohs heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. (Pharaoh is still against Aaron and Moses, who of those in power admits his weakness!).
14 And the LORD said to Moses, «Pharaohs heart is stubborn: he does not want to let the people go. (Moses complains to his patron, as a man would do in relation to his master).
15 Go to Pharaoh tomorrow: behold, he will come out to the water, you stand in his way, on the bank of the river, and take the rod that turned into a serpent in your hand (a new instruction, so the Lord God does not have the necessary power to influence Pharaoh).
16 And say to him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; but, behold, you have not obeyed hitherto. (Previous indication).
17 Thus saith the LORD: By this you will know that I am the LORD: with this rod, which is in my hand, I will strike the water that is in the river, and it will turn into blood (A new «miracle»).
18 And the fish in the river will die, and the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be disgusted to drink water from the river. (The priest knows that the harbingers of a volcanic eruption begin, therefore he threatens the Egyptian pharaoh with all sorts of troubles).
19 And the LORD said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of the Egyptians: over their rivers, over their streams, over their lakes, and over every receptacle of their waters, and they will turn into blood, and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in wooden and stone vessels. (The biblical myth of the transformation of water into blood goes back to the Sumerian myth «Inanna and Shukallituda», where we are talking about a goddess who, wanting to take revenge on the person who insulted her, turned all the waters of the country into blood).
20 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. And [Aaron] lifted up the rod and struck the river water before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water in the river turned into blood, (The fulfillment of the «miracle»).
21 And the fish in the river died out, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (Various underwater volcanoes can be harbingers of underwater volcanic activity, the activity of which is manifested on the surface of rivers by the release of huge masses of steam and gas, the emission of slag and gases, which lead to the appearance of red water, as it were, as a result, fish and aquatic vegetation die, which indicates that the «river stank», that is, it has become unsuitable for drinking and household use).
22 And the magi of Egypt did the same by their enchantments. And Pharaohs heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (The Magi of Egypt also used the situation to their advantage).
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and his heart was not moved by this either. (Most likely, he did not guess the reasons volcanic activity, and considered it all the machinations of the gods. As for Santorini (Tyra, Cyclades archipelago), variations are possible here. There is also an assumption by Alexey Morozov («Science and Religion», 1990, No. 3) that the reform is connected with the eruption of the Santorini volcano in about 1380 BC. Clouds that covered the sky, poisonous rains, cold all this could cause a sharp transition to increased worship of the «angry» Sun god. Santorini is an active shield volcano on the island of Tyre, another name Fira, in the Aegean Sea, the eruption of which led to the death of Aegean cities and settlements on the islands of Crete, Tyre and the Mediterranean coast. The eruption dates back to 16451600 BC (according to various estimates), the eruption had a power of 7 points. The eruption destroyed the Minoan civilization of Crete and caused a giant tsunami about 18 m high (according to other estimates up to 100 m). The ash cloud stretched for 2001000 km. The Aegeans were skilled sailors, warriors and merchants, and their fleet reigned supreme in the Mediterranean. The island of Tyre was the metropolis of the Aegeans, where the capital of Tyre and other settlements were located on the slopes of Mount Santorini. At the foot of the mountain was the best harbor on the Mediterranean Sea. The sudden and catastrophic eruption of the Santorini volcano destroyed the capital of the Aegeans, Thiru. The earthquake that began warned the residents of Tyre and they, having embarked on their ships, left their native island. Having spewed out a colossal amount of red-hot ash and pumice, the volcano emptied its interior and the huge volcanic cone, unable to withstand its own weight, along with the deserted cities and roads on its slopes, collapsed. The sea waters gushed into the giant abyss that had formed. A giant tsunami wave formed, which washed away almost all coastal towns and villages. The Aegean civilization ceased to exist. Mount Santorini has disappeared. A huge oval abyss the caldera of the volcano was filled with the waters of the Aegean Sea, which is clearly visible on the satellite image. The largest Minoan eruption in ancient history on the island of Tyre, or Fira, occurred in 1628 BC (dendrochronological date). The next the most powerful occurred in 1380 BC (approximate date). The last one happened in 1950. The island of Tira, or Fira, is located at the junction of two plates African and Eurasian, which contributes to the occurrence of volcanic relief and manifestations of volcanic activity in these areas, including on the island of Tira).