Exodus 10:8

8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, worship the Lord your God! But which ones are to go?"

Exodus 10:8 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 10:8

And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh
Upon this motion of his ministers, messengers were sent to bring them in again:

and he said, go, serve the Lord your God;
as you have often desired:

but who are they that shall go?
or, "who and who" ^F6? for Pharaoh was unwilling that they should all go, but would have some retained as pledges of their return; for he was jealous of a design to get out of his country, and never return again, which he could not bear the thoughts of, even of losing such a large number of men he had under his power, and from whom he received so much profit and advantage by their labour.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 (ymw ym) "qui et qui?" Pagninus, Montanus; "quis & quis?" Vatablus.

Exodus 10:8 In-Context

6 They shall fill your houses, and the houses of all your officials and of all the Egyptians—something that neither your parents nor your grandparents have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.' " Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7 Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long shall this fellow be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God; do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?"

8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, worship the Lord your God! But which ones are to go?"

9 Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; we will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, because we have the Lord's festival to celebrate."

10 He said to them, "The Lord indeed will be with you, if ever I let your little ones go with you! Plainly, you have some evil purpose in mind.