Exodus 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.
Original Language Analysis
וַיְהִי֩
H1961
וַיְהִי֩
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 19
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
בַיָּמִ֨ים
of time
H3117
בַיָּמִ֨ים
of time
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
2 of 19
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
הָֽרַבִּ֜ים
H7227
הָֽרַבִּ֜ים
Strong's:
H7227
Word #:
3 of 19
abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)
הָהֵ֗ם
And it came to pass in process
H1992
הָהֵ֗ם
And it came to pass in process
Strong's:
H1992
Word #:
4 of 19
they (only used when emphatic)
וַיָּ֙מָת֙
died
H4191
וַיָּ֙מָת֙
died
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
5 of 19
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
בְנֵֽי
and the children
H1121
בְנֵֽי
and the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
9 of 19
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
10 of 19
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
מִן
by reason of
H4480
מִן
by reason of
Strong's:
H4480
Word #:
11 of 19
properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
וַיִּזְעָ֑קוּ
and they cried
H2199
וַיִּזְעָ֑קוּ
and they cried
Strong's:
H2199
Word #:
13 of 19
to shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly
וַתַּ֧עַל
came up
H5927
וַתַּ֧עַל
came up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
14 of 19
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים
unto God
H430
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים
unto God
Strong's:
H430
Word #:
17 of 19
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of
Cross References
James 5:4Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.Acts 7:30And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.Psalms 18:6In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.Psalms 12:5For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.Nehemiah 9:9And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;Genesis 16:11And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.Genesis 4:10And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.Isaiah 19:20And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.Exodus 4:19And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.Deuteronomy 24:15At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
Historical Context
If Moses was 80 at the call (Acts 7:30) and 40 at exile (Acts 7:23), this covers ~40 years. The pharaoh who sought Moses' life died (4:19), but oppression continued under his successor. Israel's cry echoes earlier cries (Genesis 4:10, 18:20-21) that moved God to action. The narrative emphasizes that deliverance comes not from human timing but divine response to covenant people's prayers.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Israel's cry after decades of silence encourage you when God seems to delay His response to suffering?
- What does this verse teach about prayer as the catalyst that moves God to fulfill His covenant promises?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
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 (וַיְהִי בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵם וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָעֲבֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ, vayehi vayamim harabim hahem vayamat melekh Mitsrayim vaye'anechu venei-Yisra'el min-ha'avodah vayiz'aku)—In process of time (בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים, "in many days") covers decades. Pharaoh's death doesn't end oppression. Sighed... cried—two Hebrew verbs (אָנַח, anach, groaning; זָעַק, za'ak, crying out) intensify their desperation. Their cry came up unto God (וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים, vata'al shav'atam el-ha'Elohim)—God hears covenant prayers. This verse transitions from Moses' story to God's response, setting up the burning bush encounter.