Exodus 5:9

Summary

Pharaoh's command specifies that the labor imposed on the Israelite men should be heavy, so that they remain occupied with it and do not turn their attention to false words. The verse structures cause (heavy work) and purpose (occupation preventing attention to shaker, "falsehood").

Key words

• tikh.Bad ("let it be heavy", H3513H) — qal imperfect 3rd feminine singular, functioning as a jussive; it agrees grammatically with the feminine noun avodah ("labor") and expresses a wish/command that the labor increase in weight.
• avodah ("labor", H5656I) — feminine singular noun with the definite article ha (H9009), naming the specific burden already imposed on the men.
• ya'asu ("they may work/do", H6213A) — qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural with prefixed ve (H9002), marking continuation/purpose: "so that they may do/work in it."
• bah ("in it", H9034 + H9003) — preposition be with 3rd feminine singular suffix, referring back to avodah; the feminine suffix confirms the labor as antecedent.
• yish'u ("let them pay attention", H8159) — qal jussive 3rd masculine plural, negated by al (H0408), forming a prohibition: "let them not attend to."

What the text says

The sentence divides into two coordinated jussive clauses linked by purpose. The first clause, tikh.Bad ha.avodah al ha.anashim ("let the labor be heavy upon the men"), places the verb tikh.Bad before its subject avodah, a common verb-first order in Biblical Hebrew jussive constructions. The second clause, introduced by ve.ya'asu-vah, continues the same verbal chain, expressing consequence: increased labor results in the men "doing" or being occupied within it — the verb asah (H6213A) carries the general sense of "doing/making," not a specialized term for toil.

The final clause, ve.al-yish'u be.divrei-shaker, uses the jussive negative al with yish'u (H8159, "pay attention/regard") to state the intended effect: the men should not turn their regard toward divrei-shaker, a construct phrase literally "words of falsehood" (H1697G + H8267). The construct chain ties "words" tightly to "falsehood," presenting the object of inattention as a category of speech rather than a specific utterance.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders tikh.Bad ha.avodah as βαρυνέσθω τὰ ἔργα ("let the works be heavy"), using plural "works" where the Hebrew has the singular avodah. For ve.ya'asu-vah ("and let them work in it"), the LXX uses μεριμνάτωσαν ταῦτα ("let them be anxious about these things"), and again μεριμνάτωσαν for yish'u, shifting the semantic field from "doing/attending" to "worrying/being anxious." The Vulgate renders tikh.Bad as "opprimantur" ("let them be oppressed"), a more forceful verb than "be heavy," and ya'asu-vah as "expleant ea" ("let them fulfill/complete them"), differing from the Hebrew's general "do/work."