Exodus 5:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The extent to which this increased the labor can be understood when considering that, rather than having straw prepared in advance, the Israelites were required to gather the leftover straw from the fields after the harvest. They had to cut it down, transport it to their work site, and only after processing it could they make use of it. This verse may also suggest a particular time of year; Cook posits it likely occurred at the end of April, shortly after the initial harvest of winter grains like wheat and barley. It is noteworthy that the plagues in Egypt spanned a year, and the Israelites departed from Egypt in April of the following year.