Kejadian 43:6

43:6 Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble ¹  on me by telling ²  the man you had one more brother?”

Keluaran 5:23

5:23 From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble ³  for this people, and you have certainly not rescued ⁴  them!” ⁵ 

Bilangan 11:11

11:11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you afflicted ⁶  your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that ⁷  you lay the burden of this entire people on me?

[43:6]  ¹ tn The verb may even have a moral connotation here, “Why did you do evil to me?”

[43:6]  ² tn The infinitive construct here explains how they brought trouble on Jacob.

[5:23]  ³ sn Now the verb (הֵרַע, hera’) has a different subject – Pharaoh. The ultimate cause of the trouble was God, but the immediate cause was Pharaoh and the way he increased the work. Meanwhile, the Israelite foremen have pinned most of the blame on Moses and Aaron. Moses knows all about the sovereignty of God, and as he speaks in God’s name, he sees the effect it has on pagans like Pharaoh. So the rhetorical questions are designed to prod God to act differently.

[5:23]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic: וְהַצֵּל לֹא־הִצַּלְתָּ (vÿhatsel lo’-hitsalta). The verb נָצַל (natsal) means “to deliver, rescue” in the sense of plucking out, even plundering. The infinitive absolute strengthens both the idea of the verb and the negative. God had not delivered this people at all.

[5:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “your people.” The pronoun (“them”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons here, to avoid redundancy.

[11:11]  ⁶ tn The verb is the Hiphil of רָעַע (ra’a’, “to be evil”). Moses laments (with the rhetorical question) that God seems to have caused him evil.

[11:11]  ⁷ tn The infinitive construct with the preposition is expressing the result of not finding favor with God (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 12-13, §57). What Moses is claiming is that because he has been given this burden God did not show him favor.