Exodus 2:23-25
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The verse doesn't just say the Israelites cried out; it emphasizes they groaned because of their slavery. This isn't just a general complaint, but a deep, visceral reaction to the crushing weight of their oppression, so intense that it finally drove them to cry out to 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. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Moses' forty years in exile, the oppressive Pharaoh who had sought his life died, and his successor continued, and likely intensified, Israel's brutal slavery. The Israelites' suffering, having lasted for generations with no relief even from a change in leadership, became unbearable, causing them to groan and cry out to God for rescue. This deep, desperate cry from the enslaved people finally reached God, prompting His attention and remembrance of His covenant promises.
The death of a cruel king usually brings hope. But for the Israelites, it meant more of the same suffering. What does this tell us about oppressive systems?
The text notes that "in those many days the king of Egypt died." This wasn't just any king; it was a ruler who perpetuated Israel's brutal slavery. Many might expect a change of leadership to bring a change of fortune. However, the Israelites "groaned because of their slavery." The commentators suggest that successive kings continued the same harsh policies, possibly even intensifying the labor demands. This highlights how deeply entrenched and systemic oppression can be, where the individual leader is less the cause than a symptom of a larger, cruel structure.
The Cycle of Cruelty
Despair can lead us to cry out. But to whom? This verse shows a crucial shift in where Israel's cries were directed.
The text states, "their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God." This is a pivotal moment. For a long time, Israel had suffered under the Egyptians, perhaps fretting against their masters, but not necessarily turning their hearts to the divine.
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The Turn to God
Understand the original words
berit · Hebrew Noun
The formal, legally binding promise or commitment between God and His people, established by His grace. It involves divine obligations and blessings, and it is unbreakable because it is rooted in God’s faithfulness.
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.
zakar · Hebrew Verb
To recall or bring to mind with the implication of taking decisive action. When God "remembers" in the Bible, it signifies that He is ready to act in accordance with His promises and fulfill His commitments to His people.
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.
anachah · Hebrew Noun
A deep, inward expression of anguish or pain, often silent or muffled, resulting from physical or spiritual oppression. In the context of the people of Israel, it represents the collective suffering that catches God's attention.
yada' · Hebrew Verb
In a theological sense, this denotes not just intellectual awareness, but an intimate, relational, and compassionate concern. When God "knows," He acknowledges His people's plight and is personally moved to enter into their situation.
This verse highlights that even after a significant period of suffering and multiple changes in leadership, it was the unrelieved, intensifying oppression and the people's desperate cry that finally moved God to act, reminding us that God hears us even when our pleas seem overdue.
c. 1446 BC
Israel's Bondage Intensifies
After Moses fled Egypt, the Pharaoh who had favored him died. Successive rulers continued and intensified the Israelites' enslavement, viewing their growing population as a threat and a source of labor.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Moses is Eighty Years Old
Moses, having lived 40 years in Midian, is now 80. The Israelites have endured many years of harsh labor and oppression, enduring multiple changes in Pharaohs without relief.
c. 1406 BC
Israel Cries Out to God
The people of Israel, groaning under their unbearable slavery, cry out to God. Their suffering and desperation reach a new peak, prompting them to earnestly seek divine intervention.
c. 1406 BC
God Hears and Remembers
God hears the Israelites' groaning and remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This divine remembrance marks the turning point towards their liberation.
This passage mirrors the situation where the Israelites' groaning under oppression (Jabin and Sisera) leads to their cry for help, showing a recurring pattern of God hearing the cries of His oppressed people.
Psalm 106:43-45This psalm explicitly recounts how God heard the Israelites' cries and remembered His covenant, paralleling Exodus 2:23 and highlighting God's faithfulness in response to their suffering.
Jeremiah 15:11This verse shows God speaking to Jeremiah about His past compassion for Israel when they were afflicted and cried out, directly linking the cries of the oppressed to God's mercy and intervention.
Luke 18:7-8Jesus tells a parable about a persistent widow whose cries move an unjust judge, illustrating the principle that God hears and will eventually answer the persistent cries of His chosen people who cry out day and night.
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 doesn't just say the Israelites cried out; it emphasizes they groaned because of their slavery. This isn't just a general complaint, but a deep, visceral reaction to the crushing weight of their oppression, so intense that it finally drove them to cry out to God.
After Moses' forty years in exile, the oppressive Pharaoh who had sought his life died, and his successor continued, and likely intensified, Israel's brutal slavery. The Israelites' suffering, having lasted for generations with no relief even from a change in leadership, became unbearable, causing them to groan and cry out to God for rescue. This deep, desperate cry from the enslaved people finally reached God, prompting His attention and remembrance of His covenant promises.
After Moses' forty years in exile, the oppressive Pharaoh who had sought his life died, and his successor continued, and likely intensified, Israel's brutal slavery. The Israelites' suffering, having lasted for generations with no relief even from a change in leadership, became unbearable, causing them to groan and cry out to God for rescue. This deep, desperate cry from the enslaved people finally reached God, prompting His attention and remembrance of His covenant promises.
"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. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenan…" — The verse doesn't just say the Israelites cried out; it emphasizes they groaned because of their slavery. This isn't just a general complaint, but a deep, visceral reaction to the crushing weight o…
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Last reviewed October 2026
