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.

6851. 'And Jehovah said, I have indeed seen the affliction of My people means the mercy shown towards those who belonged to the spiritual Church after molestations by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with often, though when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord 'saying' does not mean perception but omniscience, since the Lord has from eternity a perception and knowledge of every single thing; from the meaning of 'indeed seeing', when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as mercy, for when the Lord sees someone in distress or suffering affliction He has compassion on him (the Lord, it is true, sees everyone and so has compassion on everyone; yet it cannot really be said of any apart from those who accept His mercy, namely those governed by good, that He has compassion on them); from the meaning of 'affliction' as molestation, 6663, here by falsities since the affliction came from the Egyptians, by whom false factual knowledge is meant, 6651, 6679, 6683; and from the meaning of 'people' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 2928 (those who belong to the celestial Church are referred to in the Word as 'a nation').