Bricks without straw

Bricks without straw

"Bricks without straw" is a phrase which refers to a task which must be done without appropriate resources.

Origin

In Exodus 5 (Parshat Shemot in the Torah), Moses and Aaron meet with Pharaoh and deliver God's message, "Let my people go". Pharaoh not only refuses but punishes the Israelites by telling his overseers, "Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves", but still requiring the same daily output of bricks as before. The Israelites complain to Moses and Aaron that they have now made things worse for them, and Moses in turn complains to God that every time he has gone to Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites, things have gotten worse for them. God replies to Moses that the time will come when Pharaoh himself will actually drive the Israelites out of Egypt; and that on behalf of his covenant with the Patriarchs, God will redeem the Israelites "With a strong hand and an outstretched arm", so that they will know him.

The scripture gives no evidence of Moses or Aaron replying directly to the Israelites regarding their complaint, but only of Moses' discussing it with God, and God's reply, which Moses conveys to the Israelites.

Making bricks with straw

The ancient brick-making process can still be seen on Egyptian tomb paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (reproduced on page 22 of [http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn09/gn97ma.pdf this pdf).]


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  • you cannot make bricks without straw — Nothing can be made or performed without the necessary materials. Frequently used as a metaphorical phrase, to make bricks without straw. A (misapplied) allusion to EXODUS V. 7 (AV) Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as… …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • make bricks without straw — 1. To try to do a piece of work without the materials necessary for it 2. To make something that will not last • • • Main Entry: ↑brick * * * make bricks without ˈstraw idiom (BrE) to try to work without the necessary material, money, information …   Useful english dictionary

  • make bricks without straw — {v. phr.} To make something without the wherewithal; do something the hard way; do a job under hard conditions. * /John could not go to a library, and writing the report was a job of making bricks without straw./ * /It was making bricks without… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • make bricks without straw — {v. phr.} To make something without the wherewithal; do something the hard way; do a job under hard conditions. * /John could not go to a library, and writing the report was a job of making bricks without straw./ * /It was making bricks without… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • make\ bricks\ without\ straw — v. phr. To make something without the wherewithal; do something the hard way; do a job under hard conditions. John could not go to a library, and writing the report was a job of making bricks without straw. It was making bricks without straw to… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • You can't make bricks without straw. — something that you say which means you cannot do something correctly without the necessary materials. I need an electric drill to put these shelves up. You can t make bricks without straw …   New idioms dictionary

  • you can't make bricks without straw — ► you can t make bricks without straw proverb nothing can be made or accomplished without adequate material or information. Main Entry: ↑brick …   English terms dictionary

  • you can't make bricks without straw — proverb nothing can be made or accomplished without proper or adequate material or information Origin: with biblical allusion to Exodus 5; without straw meant without having straw provided (i.e., the Israelites were required to gather the straw… …   Useful english dictionary

  • make bricks without straw — do something in spite of the lack of necessary materials, make something out of nothing …   English contemporary dictionary

  • straw — See: GIVE A HANG, GRASP AT A STRAW, GRASP AT STRAWS, LAST STRAW or STRAW THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL S BACK, MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW …   Dictionary of American idioms

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