Exodus 5
05 Apr 2026 - Theology
A Three Days’ Journey
Why did Moses ask for only a three-day journey for his people?
Exodus 5:3 - “And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.”
He requested this of Pharaoh because it was what God had told him to say back in Exodus 3.
Exodus 3:18 - “And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.”
Why would God tell Moses to ask for only a three-day journey instead of permanent release from bondage? It is possible that God wanted to test Pharaoh’s heart by giving him the opportunity to show mercy and allow the Israelites to fulfill their religious obligations. After all, a three-day journey is certainly a reasonable proposal and requires little loss for Egypt. This event made Pharaoh’s response of denial morally unjustifiable, and also made God’s escalation to the ten plagues (Exodus 7-12), and the demand for total liberation morally justifiable.
There is also prophetic significance to a three-day journey. In the Bible, the “three days” or “third day” is a recurring prophetic pattern (also called a “typology”) that signals divine intervention, the rising of new life from death, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. The most profound significance of the three-day request in Exodus is that it prefigures the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Paul states that Christ rose “on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4), he is referring to a pattern established throughout the Old Testament.
We have seen examples of this three-day pattern already:
- New Life from the Ground: The pattern begins on the third day of Creation, when life first “rose up” from the earth in the form of plants and seeds (Genesis 1:11-13)
- The “Binding” of Isaac: Abraham reaches the place of sacrifice on the “third day.” Isaac, who was as good as dead in Abraham’s mind, is “returned” to him on that day, symbolizing a resurrection from death (Genesis 22:4).
Hosea 6:2 - “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”
Because of Christ’s three day journey from His death to His resurection, we should consider ourselves dead to the kingdom of sin and alive unto God, as ones who have been called into a state of righteousness and new life (Romans 6).
Pharaoh’s Response
The request by Moses only made the problem worse for the Hebrew slaves. Pharaoh commanded his taskmasters to no longer give the people straw for bricks, but to have them gather the straw for themselves (7). He also told them to keep the required daily quota of bricks the same, just as it was when straw was given to them (13).
Exodus 5:15-16 - “Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.”
Because of their increased suffering, the people cried out to Pharaoh. However, he did not listen (17-18). Therefore, the Israelites complained to Moses and Aaron:
Exodus 5:21 - “And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.”
Exodus 5:22-23 - “And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.”
Moses again begins to doubt why the Lord has sent him, questioning if he was really the right choice to lead the people. After all, Moses is correct in that this has so far only caused more suffering for the people, and they have not yet been delivered from their slavery. We read the Lord’s response in Exodus 6.
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)