Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
So the Egyptians appointed harsh supervisors over the Israelites to oppress them with heavy forced labor. The Israelites were made to build storage cities for Pharaoh called Pithom and Rameses.
The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites and forced them to build cities under cruel supervision.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Exodus, the Israelites had grown into a large population in Egypt after Joseph, a Hebrew who rose to power, invited his family there during a time of famine. However, after Joseph's death, a new Pharaoh came to power who did not know of Joseph's contributions and feared the Israelites' increasing numbers, leading him to enslave them. As a result, he appointed harsh taskmasters to oppress the Israelites and force them to build storage cities like Pithom and Raamses for Egypt's benefit.
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