Exodus 9:34

Exo 9:34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

Ver. 34. But sinned yet more.] As iron is very soft and malleable while in the fire, but soon after returns to its former hardness: so here.

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_9:34-35

He sinned yet more.

Lessons

1. Sense of judgment and mercy without faith worketh more evil in sinners against God.

2. Mercies may prove occasions of hardening unto wicked souls; but no causes of their sin.

3. Wicked powers by unbelief harden themselves and others (Exo_9:34).

4. God sets on hardening when sinners choose to be stubborn against God.

5. Breach of promise with God is nothing with sinners.

6. Gods foretelling of sinners ways aggravates that sin abundantly (Exo_9:35). (G. Hughes, B. D.)

Pharaohs conduct after the storm

I. Pharaohs conduct is often resembled by men of our day. Mens views of themselves and life change as the dark clouds roll away, and the sun breaks forth to gild their path again. This has become proverbial.

II. Pharaohs conduct reveals that his heart had been unchanged. Afflictions do change some sinners into saints. They have come out of the storm new men. But it often produces no radical change. It does not change the heart. Love only awakens permanent resistance to sin.

III. Pharaohs conduct manifested the basest ingratitude. Sin is always lamentable, but more so in the face of Divine mercy. Such insensibility to mercy is sure to bring another judgment.

IV. Pharaohs conduct was most peesumptuous.

V. Pharaohs conduct shows the amount of depravity that may lurk in a human heart. Our only safety is in humiliating ourselves before the Lord, and seeking for His grace to overcome our own stubbornness and sins. (W. Lilley.)

The cessation of penitential sorrow

1. When calamity removed.

2. When mercy bestowed.

3. When gratitude expected. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

Repentance under judgments

One day, visiting a prison chaplain, the Rev. W. Harness asked him whether his ministry had been attended with success. With very little, I grieve to say, was the reply. A short time since I thought I had brought to a better state of mind a man who had attempted to murder a woman and had been condemned to death, he showed great signs of contrition after the sentence was passed upon him, and I thought I could observe the dawnings of grace upon the soul. I gave him a Bible, and he was most assiduous in the study of it, frequently quoting passages from it which he said convinced him of the heinousness of his offence. The man gave altogether such a promise of reformation, and of a change of heart and life, that I exerted myself to the utmost, and obtained for him such a commutation of his sentence as would enable him soon to begin the world again, and, as I hoped, with a happier result. I called to inform him of my success. His gratitude knew no bounds; he said I was his preserver--his deliverer. And here, he added, as he grasped my hand in parting, here is your Bible; I may as well return it to you, for I hope I shall never want it again..

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 34. He sinned yet more, and hardened his heart] These were merely acts of his own; "for who can deny," says Mr. Psalmanazar, "that what God did on Pharaoh was much more proper to soften than to harden his heart; especially when it is observable that it was not till after seeing each miracle, and after the ceasing of each plague, that his heart is said to have been hardened? The verbs here used are in the conjugations pihel and hiphil, and often signify a bare permission, from which it is plain that the words should have been read, God suffered the heart of Pharaoh to be hardened." - Universal Hist., vol. i., p. 494. Note D.

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

(34) Pharaoh . . . sinned yet more, and hardened his heart.—As Pharaoh had never been so much moved previously, so it now required a greater effort of his will to “harden his heart” than it had ever done before; and thus he now “sinned yet more” than he had as yet sinned. It seems strange that the mercy of God should still have allowed him one other chance (Exo_10:3-6).

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

34. hardened his heart] made his heart stubborn (lit. heavy), J’s regular word: see on Exo_7:13.

35 (E). was hardened] waxed strong (or firm), the word used by E: cf. Exo_10:20; Exo_10:27, Exo_4:21 b.

as Jehovah had spoken] This is P’s formula (Exo_7:13; Exo_7:22, Exo_8:15; Exo_8:19, Exo_9:12): the clause was probably added here, on the basis of the passages quoted, by the compiler who combined JE with P.

by the hand of Moses. Moses is never said to have foretold what is here referred to him: in Exo_9:12 ‘unto Moses’ is said, which agrees with Exo_7:3 f. Perhaps the words are intended as a reference to v. 30.

Thunder and hail are not common in Egypt: nevertheless they occur occasionally. Different travellers (see Di., or DB. iii. 891) speak of storms of heavy rain, hail, or thunder in Egypt occurring during the winter months; and Sayce (EHH. 169) states that in the spring of 1895 a violent storm of thunder and hail swept along the valley of the Nile and desolated 3000 acres of cultivated land. Vv. 31 f. shew that the plague took place in Jan., or thereabouts; and with this date agrees the statement in v. 19 that the cattle were at the time in the fields, for the cattle in Egypt are from Jan. to April on their pastures, while from May to Dec. they are commonly kept in their stalls.

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.

And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened,.... Instead of being softened, as it seemed to be when under the plague, it became harder and harder when delivered from it:

neither would he let the children of Israel go; though he had so absolutely promised it, and assured them that he would not keep them, and that they should not stay any longer:

as the Lord had spoken by Moses; that so his heart would be hardened until the signs and wonders were multiplied upon him, God designed to perform, Exo 4:21.

Next: Exodus Chapter 10

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

He sinned yet more, and hardened his heart. Altogether there are three different Hebrew verbs, which our translators have rendered by "harden," or "hardenedkabad, qashah, and khazaq. The first of these, which occurs in Exo_7:14 Exo_8:15, 32 9:7 and 34, is the weakest of the three, and means to be "dull" or "heavy," rather than "to be hard." The second, which appears in Exo_7:3, and 13:15, is a stronger term, and means "to be hard," or, in the Hiphil, "to make hard." But the third has the most intensive sense, implying fixed and stubborn resolution. It occurs in Exo_4:21 Exo_7:22 Exo_8:19 Exo_9:35; and elsewhere. He and his servants. Pharaoh"s "servants," i.e. the officers of his court, still, it would seem, upheld the king in his impious and mad course, either out of complaisance, or because they were really not yet convinced of the resistless might of Jehovah. After the eighth plague, we shall find their tone change. (Exo_10:7)

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

hardened his heart

Here "heart" refers to Pharaoh. His stubborn attitude is spoken of as if his heart was hard. AT: "became more defiant" (See: Synecdoche and Metaphor)

Pharaoh's heart was hardened

Here "heart" refers to Pharaoh. His stubborn attitude is spoken of as if his heart was hard. See how you translated this in Exodus 7:13. AT: "Pharaoh became more defiant" (See: Synecdoche and Metaphor)

translationWords

Pharaoh

heart

Israel

Yahweh

Moses

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.