So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
Pharaoh scattered them across Egypt precisely to break them: they cannot gather straw in one place while making bricks elsewhere, so he has rigged an impossible task. His cruelty is calculated, he knows they labor faithfully, but he reproaches them with idleness anyway, hoping to turn them away from Moses and the promise of God, or force them to renounce their deliverance altogether.
AI summary
Cruel princes always find cruel servants willing to obey them, and this enmity against God's people breaks through all bounds of reason and justice. The scattered Israelites, forced to gather stubble while the work stays the same, made Pharaoh's tyranny known throughout Egypt; persecution never wins good-will, even from a despot's own subjects.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 5:10-14
With straw unavailable, the people were forced to gather stubble from the fields instead. Some interpret this not as fuel for burning bricks but as the small chaff and sticks left behind after harvest, which they mixed into the clay.
AI summary