Exodus 6:9

They hearkened not. The Israelites, expecting a speedy deliverance, but the more oppressed because of Moses’ unwelcome interference, were too dispirited to be cheered even by the gracious promises and assurances Moses was commissioned to give them. They refused longer to place trust in one they thought had deceived them, one who was obviously but a dreamer, a visionary, if not worse. “Anguish of spirit” crushed their souls and “cruel bondage” wearied their bodies day by day, with the result that they lacked both the time and the will to listen.

The Samaritan version has an addition to v. 9, which, though probably not written by Moses, nevertheless casts some light on the reasoning of the disappointed Israelites. In agreement with a statement by the Israelites at a later time (Exodus 14:12), it reads: “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.”