Exodus 10:8

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto them, "Go, serve the LORD your God. But who are they that shall 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 And they shall fill thy houses and the houses of all thy servants and the houses of all the Egyptians -- which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers' fathers have seen since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day.'" And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.

7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, "How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?"

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto them, "Go, serve the LORD your God. But who are they that shall go?"

9 And Moses said, "We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go, for we must hold a feast unto the LORD."

10 And he said unto them, "Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones. Look to it, for evil is before you.