Exodus 10:10

10 The king said to them, "The Lord will really have to be with you if ever I let you and all of your children leave Egypt. See, you are planning something evil!

Exodus 10:10 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 10:10

And he said unto them, let the Lord be so with you, as I will
let you go, and your little ones
Either as mocking them, let the Lord you talk of be with you if he will, and let him deliver you if he can, as I shall let you go with your children, which I never will; or as wishing them ill, that the Lord their God may be with them, as he should dismiss them on their proposal, that is, not at all; he wishes they might never have the presence of the Lord, or receive any from him, till he should dismiss them, which he was determined never to do in the manner they desired; and therefore the sum of his wish or imprecation is, that they might never enjoy any benefits from the Lord; the first sense seems to be best:

look to it, for evil is before you;
which is either a charge of sin upon them, that they had an evil design upon him, and intended to raise a mutiny, make an insurrection, and form a rebellion against him; or a threatening to inflict the evil of punishment upon them, if they would not comply with his terms; and it is as if he should say, be it at your peril if you offer to go away in any other manner than it is my pleasure.

Exodus 10:10 In-Context

8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to the king. He said to them, "Go and worship the Lord your God. But tell me, just who is going?"
9 Moses answered, "We will go with our young and old people, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds, because we are going to have a feast to honor the Lord."
10 The king said to them, "The Lord will really have to be with you if ever I let you and all of your children leave Egypt. See, you are planning something evil!
11 No! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, which is what you have been asking for." Then the king forced Moses and Aaron out of his palace.
12 The Lord told Moses, "Raise your hand over the land of Egypt, and the locusts will come. They will spread all over the land of Egypt and will eat all the plants the hail did not destroy."
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.