Exodus 5 in the early church

48 passages quote, allude to, or echo Exodus 5, grouped by verse; passages on the same verse are in date order. Verse text from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). References use the Protestant English Bible's numbering, with a writer's own numbering in brackets where it differs.

Verses: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 14 · 15 · 17 · 21 · 23

Exodus 5:1

After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:1	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)
Exod 5:1	Preparation for the Gospel 9.27.22 · Eusebius of Caesarea	allusion, high confidence	ca. 313–324
Exod 5:1	Oration 1.3 · Gregory of Nazianzus	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 362–383
Exod 5:1	Liber Orsiesii 11 · Orsiesius	allusion, low confidence	ca. 380-390
Exod 5:1–21	On the Life of Moses 307 · Gregory of Nyssa	allusion, high confidence	ca. 385–395
Exod 5:1–21	On the Life of Moses 341 · Gregory of Nyssa	allusion, high confidence	ca. 385–395
Exod 5:1	Homilies on Matthew 56.2 · John Chrysostom	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 390
Exod 5:1	Explanation of Twelve Psalms 45.23.2 · Ambrose	quotation, high confidence	ca. 387-397
Exod 5:1–9	Exodus, lines 222–248 · Cyprianus Gallus	allusion, high confidence	early 5th cent.
Exod 5:1	Seven Books of History against the Pagans 1.10.8 · Orosius	allusion, high confidence	ca. 417–418
Exod 5:1	Part 1, chapter 35 · Quodvultdeus of Carthage	allusion, high confidence	ca. 445-450

Exodus 5:2

But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:2	PG 12:1201 (Ps 11 LXX) · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 220-254
Exod 5:2	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)
Exod 5:2	Homilies on Jeremiah 1.10 · Origen	echo, low confidence	ca. 240
Exod 5:2	Demonstration of the Gospel 9.2.2 · Eusebius of Caesarea	quotation, high confidence	ca. 314–324
Exod 5:2	Letter 96.14 · Jerome	quotation, high confidence	ca. 370–419
Exod 5:2	Letter 147.1 · Jerome	quotation, high confidence	ca. 370–419
Exod 5:2	Catechetical Oration 29 · Gregory of Nyssa	allusion, low confidence	ca. 385–390
Exod 5:2	On the Life of Moses 335 · Gregory of Nyssa	quotation, high confidence	ca. 385–395
Exod 5:2	Exposition of Psalm 118 16.16.3 · Ambrose	quotation, high confidence	ca. 386-397
Exod 5:2	Homilies on Matthew 43.3 · John Chrysostom	quotation, high confidence	ca. 390
Exod 5:2	Homilies on Matthew 65.6 · John Chrysostom	quotation, high confidence	ca. 390
Exod 5:2	The Institutes 12.8 · John Cassian	quotation, high confidence	ca. 419–426

Exodus 5:3

“The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:3	Homilies on Exodus 5.2 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)
Exod 5:3	Against Celsus 4.34 · Origen	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 248
Exod 5:3	Preparation for the Gospel 9.29.16 · Eusebius of Caesarea	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 313–324

Exodus 5:4

But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:4	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)

Exodus 5:7

“You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:7	Homily on Isaiah 5 · Origen	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 235–250
Exod 5:7	Letter 22.24 · Jerome	allusion, high confidence	ca. 370–419
Exod 5:7	Letter 78.19 · Jerome	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 370–419
Exod 5:7–18	On the Life of Moses 343 · Gregory of Nyssa	allusion, high confidence	ca. 385–395
Exod 5:7	Homilies on Matthew 39.4 · John Chrysostom	allusion, high confidence	ca. 390
Exod 5:7–19	Homily 3 · Gregory of Nyssa	allusion, high confidence	ca. 390–394
Exod 5:7	Letters 32.23 · Paulinus of Nola	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 394–413
Exod 5:7–21	Exodus, lines 249–271 · Cyprianus Gallus	allusion, high confidence	early 5th cent.
Exod 5:7–18	Seven Books of History against the Pagans 7.27.1 · Orosius	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 417–418

Exodus 5:8

But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:8	Explanation of Twelve Psalms 45.23.2 · Ambrose	allusion, high confidence	ca. 387-397
Exod 5:8	The Conferences 21.28 · John Cassian	quotation, high confidence	ca. 426–429

Exodus 5:9

Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:9	Against Marcion 2.14 · Tertullian	allusion, medium confidence	207/208 (third edition, completed later)
Exod 5:9	Explanation of Twelve Psalms 45.23.2 · Ambrose	allusion, high confidence	ca. 387-397
Exod 5:9	The Conferences 21.28 · John Cassian	quotation, high confidence	ca. 426–429

Exodus 5:14

Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:14	Against Marcion 2.20 · Tertullian	allusion, medium confidence	207/208 (third edition, completed later)
Exod 5:14	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	allusion, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)
Exod 5:14	The Conferences 2.11 · John Cassian	allusion, medium confidence	ca. 426–429

Exodus 5:15

So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:15	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)

Exodus 5:17

“You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:17	Homilies on the Psalms 45.8 · Basil of Caesarea	quotation, high confidence	ca. 360-378

Exodus 5:21

“May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:21	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)

Exodus 5:23

Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”
BSB

Reference	Passage	Kind	Date
Exod 5:23	Homilies on Exodus 3.3 · Origen	quotation, high confidence	ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410)