6852. 'And have heard their cry from before their taskmasters' means the help of that mercy in opposition to those who wished to compel them to serve. This is clear from the meaning of 'cry' as a calling for help, dealt with in 6801; from the meaning of 'hearing' as obeying and discerning, dealt with in 5017, though when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord 'hearing' is bringing the help of His mercy to the one calling out for it (the situation with 'hearing' is the same as that above in 6851 with 'seeing', in that the Lord hears everyone and so brings help to everyone, but each according to his needs. Those who cry out to Him and call for help solely in support of themselves, and so in opposition to others, as the evil are accustomed to do, are also heard by the Lord, but He does not bring them help; and when He does not bring help it is said that He does not hear); and from the meaning of 'taskmasters' as those who wish to compel people to serve. The fact that 'a taskmaster' is one who compels another to serve is evident in Isaiah,

The peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and they will have dominion over their taskmasters. It will happen on the day on which Jehovah will give you rest, both from your turmoil and from your hard service in which you were made to serve, that you will declare this parable about the king of Babel, How the task master has ceased! Isaiah 14:2-4.

And in Zechariah,

I will pitch camp by My house with an army because of him who is leaving and returning, so that the taskmaster passes over them no more. Zechariah 9:8.

'Taskmasters' is used in 2 Kings 23:35; Deuteronomy 15:3, to describe those who demanded tribute. They are also those who compelled people to do work required by the imposition of tributes; in Exodus 1:11 they are called 'princes of tributes'. And for the fact that they are those who compel people to serve, see 6659.

5017. 'And it happened as he was hearing [me]' means when it was discerned. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing' as obeying and also discerning. As regards obeying being meant, see 2542, 3869; but the fact that discerning is meant as well is evident from the actual function performed by the ear and consequently from the nature of hearing. The function of the ear is to receive what is spoken by another and to convey this to the general seat of sensation, so that this may discern from what has been conveyed to it the other person's thought. This is the reason why 'hearing' means discerning. The nature of hearing therefore is to carry one person's utterances expressing his thought to another's thought, and from there into his will, and from there into actions. This is the reason why 'hearing' means obeying. Such are the two functions proper to hearing, and in spoken languages they are distinguished from each other by the expressions 'to hear someone', meaning to discern what he says, and 'to listen to someone or hearken to him, meaning to obey him. The reason hearing has these two functions is that the human being is unable to communicate the contents of his thought and also of his will in any other way; nor can he do other than use reasons to persuade and lead others to do and obey what he wills. From this one may see the circle through which desires and ideas are communicated - from will into thought and thus into speech, then from speech by way of his ear into another's thought and will. From this one may also see why spirits and angels who correspond to the ear or sense of hearing in the Grand Man are not only 'discernments' but also 'obediences'. As regards their being 'obediences', see 4652-4660; and being these they are also 'discernments', for the one entails the other.