During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that the king's death didn't bring immediate relief, but instead intensified Israel's suffering, prompting their desperate cries. This emphasizes that God doesn't always intervene when we expect or when circumstances change; sometimes, it's only in the face of seemingly unchanging or worsening hardship that our pleas are truly heard.
During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse marks a crucial turning point after a period of continued oppression, even through changes in Egyptian leadership. Despite the death of a pharaoh, the Israelites' slavery didn't lessen; in fact, the ongoing hardship intensified their suffering and desperation. It was during this extended period of crushing bondage, marked by their intense groaning and crying out, that their pleas finally reached God.
The Israelites had been suffering for generations. What finally shifted their focus from mere suffering to seeking divine help?
The text highlights that after the death of the Egyptian king, the Israelites sighed and cried out. This wasn't just a continuation of their suffering, but a turning point. For a long time, they had been focused on their immediate pain and the 'instruments of their trouble,' as some commentators note, perhaps even forgetting to look to God. The prolonged and relentless nature of their oppression, even with new kings taking the throne, finally pushed them to a deeper level of desperation and dependence. This verse shows us that sometimes, it's the sheer weight of hardship, when all other avenues seem closed, that forces us to genuinely cry out to God, not just lamenting our circumstances but actively seeking His intervention.
Why did God wait so long to act, and what does His response reveal about His character?
The verse states, 'their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.' This wasn't the first time the Israelites had suffered, and it's implied their cries weren't entirely absent before. However, the renewed and intensified cry following the king's death marks a significant moment. The commentaries suggest that God was waiting for this very moment – a point where their despair and desperate cries would be earnest. God 'heard their groaning' and 'remembered His covenant.' This shows God's deep patience and His unwavering commitment to His promises, even when His people are slow to turn to Him with true faith. His response isn't immediate based on our timing, but it is certain, rooted in His covenant faithfulness.
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Understand the original words
ze'aqah · Hebrew Noun
The act of calling out to God in distress, often expressing deep suffering, oppression, or helplessness. It serves as a plea for divine intervention and mercy, signaling that the sufferer looks to God as their only hope.
abodah · Hebrew Noun
A state of forced labor and subjugation, often serving as a metaphor for spiritual bondage to sin or powers opposed to God. It highlights the desperate need for a deliverer to set the captive free.
The death of a king, which might normally bring hope for relief, instead intensifies the Israelites' suffering, driving them to a desperate cry to God. This highlights how God often uses the unchanging nature of our deepest troubles to finally turn our hearts fully toward Him.
c. 1446 BC
Moses Flees Egypt
After killing an Egyptian taskmaster, Moses flees Egypt and lives in Midian for forty years.
c. 1446 BC - c. 1406 BC
Moses' Exile in Midian
During these forty years, the Israelites' oppression continues or intensifies, with successive Pharaohs ruling.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Death of Oppressive Pharaoh
The Pharaoh who had so harshly oppressed the Israelites, possibly the one who initially ordered the killing of Hebrew baby boys, dies. However, his successor continues or even increases the cruelty.
c. 1406 BC
Israelites Cry Out to God
The prolonged and unchanging (or worsening) harshness of their slavery leads the Israelites to groan and cry out to God for deliverance.
c. 1406 BC
God Hears and Remembers Covenant
God hears the Israelites' cries and remembers His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, setting the stage for their deliverance.
This passage describes a cycle where the Israelites do evil, fall into oppression, cry out to God, and are then delivered, mirroring the pattern seen in Exodus. It highlights how distress often leads God's people to seek Him.
Psalm 106:43-45This psalm explicitly recounts God hearing the cries of the Israelites when they were oppressed, remembering His covenant, and showing compassion. It underscores the theme of God's faithfulness in response to their pleas.
2 Samuel 22:7David cries out to the Lord in his distress, and the Lord hears him from His temple. This demonstrates the principle that God hears the cries of His people, even in their deepest suffering.
Jeremiah 29:12-13This prophetic promise states that if people call on God and seek Him with all their heart, He will be found by them. It resonates with the Israelites' action of crying out and God's subsequent attention.
bensonExodus 2:23: "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage."
Exodus 2:23 . The king of Egypt died — And, after him, one or two more of his sons or successors. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage — Probably the murdering of their infants did not continue; that part of their affliction only attended the birth of Moses, t…
calvinExodus 2:23-25: "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage."
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry came up unto God, by reason of the bondage.
Accidit autem diebus illis multis, mortuus est rex Aegypti: et susp…
The verse highlights that the king's death didn't bring immediate relief, but instead intensified Israel's suffering, prompting their desperate cries. This emphasizes that God doesn't always intervene when we expect or when circumstances change; sometimes, it's only in the face of seemingly unchanging or worsening hardship that our pleas are truly heard.
This verse marks a crucial turning point after a period of continued oppression, even through changes in Egyptian leadership. Despite the death of a pharaoh, the Israelites' slavery didn't lessen; in fact, the ongoing hardship intensified their suffering and desperation. It was during this extended period of crushing bondage, marked by their intense groaning and crying out, that their pleas finally reached God.
This verse marks a crucial turning point after a period of continued oppression, even through changes in Egyptian leadership. Despite the death of a pharaoh, the Israelites' slavery didn't lessen; in fact, the ongoing hardship intensified their suffering and desperation. It was during this extended period of crushing bondage, marked by their intense groaning and crying out, that their pleas finally reached God.
"During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God." — The verse highlights that the king's death didn't bring immediate relief, but instead intensified Israel's suffering, prompting their desperate cries. This emphasizes that God doesn't always interven…
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Last reviewed October 2026