Exodus 11:3

Exo 11:3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

Ver. 3. Was very great in the land of Egypt.] Great he was both in gifts and authority; so that for his sake the Israelites might have what they would of the Egyptians. It was not here as once at Rome, Calamitas nostra Magnus est. Sic Mimus olim de Pompeio, plaudente populo Romano tam eleganti soloecismo.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Exo 11:3. The man Moses was very great — The Egyptians all held him in great esteem and veneration, as a person that had an extraordinary power with God. This seems to be mentioned as the reason why Pharaoh did not attempt any thing against his person; and also why he and the Israelites found so much favour in the sight of the Egyptians.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11:3 Pharaoh refused to recognize the truth, but the Lord ensured that the rest of Egypt would recognize it.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. The man Moses was very great] The miracles which Pharaoh and his servants had already seen him work had doubtless impressed them with a high opinion of his wisdom and power. Had he not appeared in their sight as a very extraordinary person, whom it would have been very dangerous to molest, we may naturally conclude that some violence would long ere this have been offered to his person.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(3) The Lord gave the people favour—i.e., when the time arrived. (See below, Exo_12:36.)

The man Moses.—At first sight there seems a difficulty in supposing Moses to have written thus of himself. “The man” is not a title by which writers of any time or country are in the habit of speaking of themselves; but it is far more difficult to imagine any one but Moses giving him so bald and poor a designation. To other writers he is a “prophet (Deu_34:10; Luk_24:27; Act_3:22; Act_7:37), or “a man of God” (Deu_33:1; Jos_14:6; Psalms 90, Title; Ezr_3:2), or “the servant of the Lord” (Jos_1:1; Heb_3:5); never simply “the man.”

Very great.—It has been said that this expression does not comport well with the “meekness” of Moses. But it is the mere statement of a fact, and of one necessary to be stated for the proper understanding of the narrative. Moses, in the course of his long contention as an equal with Pharaoh, had come to be regarded, not only by the courtiers, but by the Egyptians generally, as a great personage—a personage almost on a par with the Pharaoh, whom they revered as a god upon earth. The position to which he had thus attained exerted an important influence on the entire Egyptian people at this time, causing them to be well-inclined towards his countrymen, and willing to make sacrifices in order to help them and obtain their good-will.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians,.... So that they freely and willingly lent them the things they asked of them; which seems to be said by way of anticipation, for this was not done until the following plague was inflicted, see Exo 12:35,

moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt; his name was famous throughout the whole land, because of the signs and wonders, and miracles wrought by him; they took him to be a very extraordinary person, as he was, and had him in great esteem, because at his entreaty the plagues were removed from them, when they had been wrought on them; and this made them the more willing to lend the above things to the people of Israel when they asked them of them, because of their great respect to Moses, and whom, if they did not cordially love, yet they feared, and might imagine that if they did not comply with the request of his people, he might resent it, and employ his power against them; and thus he stood, either beloved or feared, or both:

in the sight of Pharaoh's servants; his ministers, courtiers, and counsellors: and in the sight of the people; the common people, the inhabitants of the land of Egypt.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Lord. The Samaritan makes this a continuation of God’s speech, "and I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they shall give them what they ask. --- ver. 4. For, about midnight, I will go forth into the midst of the land of Egypt. --- ver. 5. And every first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, &c. (as in our fifth verse). --- ver. 6. And there, &c. --- ver. 7. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man, nor even against beast, that thou mayest know that Jehovah doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. --- ver. 8. And thou also shall be greatly honoured in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharao’s servants, and in the sight of the people. --- ver. 9. Then said Moses unto Pharao, Thus sayeth Jehovah: Israel is my son, my first-born; and I said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. --- ver. 10. But thou hast refused to let him go; behold! therefore Jehovah slayeth thy son, thy first-born." --- ver. 11. And Moses said, (as above, ver. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.) The Jews have retained the parts of the 3rd and 8th verses, which were honourable to their nation, but they have given them as an historical narration. The 9th and 10th verses in the Samaritan copy, record what God had before commanded Moses to declare, chap. iv. 22, 33. As, therefore, all had been once written in the Hebrew text, the transcribers might probably think themselves dispensed from repeating the same things; and thus they might change some passages, and still repel the accusation of any wilful corruption, which seems to be the meaning of Ben Chaim’s preface to Bromberg’s Hebrew Bible; where he acknowledges 13 such alterations made in the copies which were presented to King Ptolemy, and translated by the Septuagint. (Kennicott, Dis. 2 p. 310.) --- Moses. This exaltation of Moses and the people took place only after the slaughter of the first-born, chap. xii. 36. Hence the Septuagint observes here, the Egyptians gave or lent to them (echresan) all. (Haydock) --- The greatness and dignity of Moses, impressed the king with awe, and made the people more willing to assist the Hebrews. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Therefore they complied with their request, not only out of love to the people, but out of fear to Moses, lest he should punish them severely in case of refusal.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. And the Lord gave the people favour… the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt — At this crisis the Egyptians had become so panic-stricken that they gave the Israelites whatever they asked, and Moses, Jehovah’s dread messenger, overwhelmed them with awe and terror. The author does not here refer to any moral or intellectual greatness of Moses, but simply to the impression which he had produced upon the Egyptians.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the Lord gave the people favouri.e. When the time came. See below, Exo_12:36. Moreover the man Moses, etc. It has been supposed that this is an interpolation, and argued that Moses, being so "meek" as he was, (Num_12:3) would not have spoken of himself in the terms here used. But very great here only means "very influential;" and the fact is stated, not to glorify Moses, but to account for the ornaments being so generally given. Moreover, it is highly improbable that any other writer than himself would have so baldly and bluntly designated Moses as the man Moses. (Compare Deu_33:1; Jos_1:1, Jos_1:13, 15 14:6, 7 22:2, 4; etc.) The "greatness" which Moses had now attained was due to the powers which he had shown. First of all, he had confounded the magicians; (Exo_8:18, Exo_8:19) then he had so far impressed the courtiers that a number of them took advantage of one of his warnings and thereby saved their cattle and slaves. (Exo_9:20) Finally, he had forced the entire Court to acknowledge that it lay in his power to destroy or save Egypt. (Exo_10:7) He had after that parleyed with the king very much as an equal (ib. 8-11; 16-18). It is no wonder that the Egyptians, who regarded their king as a "great god," were deeply impressed.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

AND THE ETERNAL GAVE THE PEOPLE FAVOR IN THE SIGHT OF THE EGYPTIANS. The purport thereof is that the Egyptians did not hate them because of the plagues. Instead, they conceived affection for them, and the Israelites found favor in their eyes, the Egyptians acknowledging, “we are the wicked ones. There is violence in our hands, and you merit that G-d be gracious to you.”

MOREOVER, THE MAN MOSES, who brought the plagues upon them, WAS VERY GREAT IN THE ENTIRE LAND OF EGYPT, IN THE SIGHT OF PHARAOH’S SERVANTS — his opponents — AND IN THE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE, Israel. as referring to the Egyptians. Ramban will refer to this explanation further on. After [the officers of the children of Israel] had said to Moses and Aaron, The Eternal look upon you, and judge, after they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, 6:9. he now became very great in their sight when they saw that he was established to be a prophet of the Eternal. And some scholars say that the expression, in the sight of the people, means the Egyptians.The reason Scripture does not state [that Moses was very great] “in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants,” [but instead mentions only Pharaoh’s servants], is that G-d made Pharaoh’s heart obstinate towards Moses because he [Pharaoh] had twice spoken to him improperly, ), and ibid., Verse 28 (Get thee from me). and He desired that Pharaoh come to Moses and bow down to him as one comes before his enemy, all this being a sign of the power and achievement of Moses.Now it is impossible to explain the expression, And the Eternal gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, as referring to the favor they found in the eyes of the Egyptians at the time of the borrowing, [mentioned further, 12:36]. In that case, the verse there relates that G-d later fulfilled the promise He made here. If the verse here were establishing the Divine promise, [i.e., that the people will find favor in the sight of the Egyptians and that they will let them have what they asked], the verse here should not have said, And the Eternal gave; it should have said, “And I will give the people favor.” [Hence we must conclude that the intent of the verse here is to be explained as above, i.e., that the Egyptians bore no grudge against the Israelites because of the plagues.] It is further on at the time of the actual event that Scripture says, And the Eternal gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.