Exodus 7:13

13. was hardened] Heb. was strong. One of the three synonyms used in Ex. to express the idea of hardening of the heart: the three being (1) ḥâzaḳ, ḥizzçḳ, lit. to be and to make strong (i.e. firm, hard, unyielding, cf. Eze_3:7-9 Heb.), used by P (Exo_7:13; Exo_7:22, Exo_8:19, Exo_9:12, Exo_11:10, Exo_14:4; Exo_14:8; Exo_14:17), and E (Exo_4:21, Exo_9:35, Exo_10:20; Exo_10:27); (2) kâbçd, hikbîd, lit. to be and to make heavy (i.e. slow to move or be affected, unimpressionable, cf. of the tongue, Exo_4:10), used by J (Exo_7:14, Exo_8:15; Exo_8:32, Exo_9:7; Exo_9:34, Exo_10:1); and (3) hiḳshâh, which is properly rendered, to harden (cf. the cognate adj. of the neck, Exo_32:9 al.), only Exo_7:3 (P). (1) and (2) are always distinguished in RV. of Ex. by a marg. In these passages, Pharaoh’s heart is itself said to be hard in Exo_7:13-14; Exo_7:22, Exo_8:19, Exo_9:7; Exo_9:35; Pharaoh is said to harden it himself in Exo_8:15; Exo_8:32, Exo_9:34; and God is said to harden it in Exo_4:21, Exo_7:3, Exo_9:12, Exo_10:1; Exo_10:20; Exo_10:27, Exo_11:10, Exo_14:4; Exo_14:8 (cf. 17). See further the detached note below.

and he hearkened not to them, as Jehovah had spoken] P’s closing formula (p. 55), as v. 22, Exo_8:15 b, 19, Exo_9:12. Had spoken, see v. 4a.

Both in P (Exo_7:13) and J (Exo_6:1), the same point has thus been reached: the Pharaoh will listen to no request to let the people go. Accordingly stronger measures are threatened; and the ten ‘Plagues’ follow.

On the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart

God is spoken of as ‘hardening’ Pharaoh’s heart by E in Exo_4:21, Exo_10:20; Exo_10:27, by J (or RJE) in Exo_10:1, and by P in Exo_7:3, Exo_9:12, Exo_11:10, Exo_14:4; Exo_14:8, by P also as hardening the heart of the Egyptians so that they followed Israel into the sea in Exo_14:17 : in Exo_4:21 and Exo_7:3 generally, in view of the whole series of coming plagues, otherwise first after the sixth plague Exo_9:12). In what sense are these passages to be understood? The Hebrews, with their vivid sense of the sovereignty of God, were in the habit of referring things done by man to the direct operation of God; and it is possible that these are merely examples of the same custom: we may notice that the performance of signs and wonders in Egypt, which in Exo_10:1 is described as a consequence of Jehovah’s having ‘hardened’ the hearts of Pharaoh and his servants, is in Exo_11:9 represented as a consequence simply of Pharaoh’s not hearkening himself to Moses and Aaron. In this case, the meaning will be that God ‘hardened’ Pharaoh just in so far as he hardened himself. But even supposing that the passages mean more than this, we must remember that, especially in His dealings with moral agents, God cannot be properly thought of as acting arbitrarily; He only hardens those who begin by hardening themselves: though the reasons for His actions are not always specified, it would be contrary to His moral attributes, and inconsistent with the character of a righteous God, if He were to harden those whose hearts were turned towards Him, and did not wish to harden themselves. The Pharaoh—whatever he was in actual history—is depicted in Exodus as from the first a self-willed, obstinate man who persistently hardens himself against God, and resists all warnings: God thus hardens him only because he has first hardened himself. And even here we must remember that the means by which God hardens a man is not necessarily by any extraordinary intervention on His part; it may be by the ordinary experiences of life, operating through the principles and character of human nature, which are of His appointment: the man who has once begun to harden himself, may thus find in the experiences of life, and even in the approaches made by God or His messengers to him, occasions and excuses for hardening himself yet more (cf. Psa_18:26 ‘with the crooked thou shewest thyself tortuous’).

The question arises again, in a slightly different form, in connexion with Exo_9:16, where Jehovah is said to have made Pharaoh continue in life, in order that he might experience His power. Does He, in so doing, act arbitrarily with Pharaoh? The passage is quoted, together with Exo_33:19 (see the note), in Rom_9:15-18, in order to shew that God has absolute liberty of choice in selecting whom He will, either as examples of His hardening judgement, or as the recipients of His mercy. But although St Paul says (v. 18) ‘He hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth,’ we have no right to interpret this ‘will’ in a sense inconsistent with God’s righteousness, or to suppose that He is actuated in His choice by the motives of a despot, responsible not to a law of righteousness, but only to His own caprice. The apostle is arguing against those who maintained that because God had once chosen the Jewish nation, His hands were, so to say, tied, and, whatever they did, He could not reject them, except by being unrighteous. Against such a contention St Paul quotes two passages of the OT. in which Jehovah asserts His right to shew mercy and judgement to whom He will. But we must not exalt God’s sovereignty at the expense of His justice; and so we must think of God as ‘willing’ to shew mercy and judgement, not arbitrarily, or where either would be unmerited, but according to character and deserts. As Bp Gore says, in the course of an illuminative discussion of the whole question (Ep. to the Romans, ii. 3–13, 31–43), ‘The liberty asserted for God is wholly consistent with His being found, in fact, to have “hardened” those only who have deserved hardening by their own wilfulness. It was for such a moral cause that God hardened the hearts of the Jews, that “seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not hear.” We can feel no doubt that some similar moral cause underlay the hardening of Pharaoh’ (p. 38).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Exo 7:13 And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Ver. 13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart.] Not by bare prescience, or permission only, but by withdrawing his grace, directing the tyrant’s actions to his own glory, irritating his corruptions by oracles and miracles, and delivering him up to Satan to be further hardened.

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 7:13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart — That is, permitted it to be hardened: or, as the very same Hebrew word is rendered in Exo 7:22, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

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

Verse 13. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart] ויחזק לב פרעה vaiyechezah leb Paroh, "And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened," the identical words which in Ex 7:22 are thus translated, and which should have been rendered in the same way here, lest the hardening, which was evidently the effect of his own obstinate shutting of his eyes against the truth, should be attributed to God. See Clarke on Ex 4:21.

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

(13) He hardened Pharaoh’s heart.—This is a mis-translation. The verb is intransitive, and “Pharaoh’s heart” is its nominative case. Translate, “Pharaoh’s heart hardened itself.” It is essential to the idea of a final penal hardening that in the earlier stages Pharaoh should have been left to himself.

That he hearkened not.—Heb., and he hearkened not.

As the Lord had said.—See above, Exo_3:19; Exo_7:4

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

And he hardened Pharaoh's heart,.... Or, "notwithstanding the heart of Pharaoh was hardened" (a); though he saw the rods of his magicians devoured by rod; or "therefore" (b) his heart was hardened, because he saw that the rods of his magicians became serpents as well as Aaron's; in which there was a deception of sight, and which was suffered for the hardening of his heart, there being other wonders and miracles to be wrought, for showing forth the divine power, before Israel must be let go:

that he hearkened not unto them; to Moses and Aaron, and comply with their demand, to dismiss the people of Israel:

as the Lord had said; or foretold he would not.

(a) "attamen obfirmatum est", Junius & Tremellius. (b) "Itaque", Piscator.

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

And he hardened - Or Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. See Exo 4:21.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He, the Lord, to whom this act of hardening is frequently ascribed both in this book and elsewhere.

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

13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart — Rather, And hard was the heart of Pharaoh. (Samuel, Septuagint, Vulg., Onk., Syr.) The presence of superhuman power, and the solemn symbolic lessons, though they may have created in Pharaoh a momentary awe, yet failed to arouse his torpid conscience. Here, in this “sign,” was no infliction of punishment, but a simple manifestation of power in attestation of the mission of Moses and Aaron, as well as a symbolic prediction hereafter to be more fully understood.

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

And he hardened Pharaoh"s heart. Rather, "But Pharaoh"s heart was hard. " The verb employed is not active, but neuter; and "his heart" is not the accusative, but the nominative. Pharaoh"s heart was too hard for the sign to make much impression on it. He did not see that Moses had done much more than his own magicians could do. As the Lord had said. See ver. 4.

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

And he harden'd Pharaoh's heart - That is, permitted it to be hardened.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He himself caused the hardening of his heart, because he saw the sorcerers could replicate what Aharon did.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.