Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
Ye are idle - The old Egyptian language abounds in epithets which show contempt for idleness. The charge was equally offensive and ingenious; one which would be readily believed by Egyptians who knew how much public and private labors were impeded by festivals and other religious ceremonies. Among the great sins which, according to Egyptian belief, involved condemnation in the final judgment, idleness is twice mentioned.
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Exodus 5:17:
Exodus 19:1-2
Psalms 81:6
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