Exodus 6:9 - Exposition

Anguish of spirit . Literally, "shortness." Compare Job 21:4 . Their spirit was shortened—they had lost all heart, as we say, so cruel had been their disappointment. The contrast between their feelings now, and when Moses first addressed them ( Exodus 4:31 ), is strong, but "fully accounted for by the change of circumstances". (Cook). Cruel bondage. Bondage, i.e ; far more oppressive and continuous than. it had been ( Exodus 5:9-14 ). The Samaritan version adds: "And they said to him, Let us alone, and let us serve the Egyptians; for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than die in a wilderness," an addition which receives some support from Exodus 14:12 .