Exodus 8:20

20 And the Lord said to Moses, Rise thou (up) early, and stand before Pharaoh, for he shall go out to the waters; and thou shalt say to him, The Lord saith these things, Deliver thou my people, that it make sacrifice to me (The Lord saith these things, Let my people go, so that they can worship me);

Exodus 8:20 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 8:20

And the Lord said unto Moses, rise up early in the morning,
&c.] Of the day following, the twenty eight of Adar, or February, according to Bishop Usher; this was the fittest time to meet with Pharaoh, and the most likely to make impressions on him:

and stand before Pharaoh:
meet him as he comes along, and stop him, and stand before him as having something to say to him; this was using great boldness and freedom with a king; but as Moses was ordered to do it by the King of kings, it became him to obey him:

lo, he cometh forth to the water; (See Gill on Exodus 7:15)

and say unto him, thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may
serve me;
which had often been required before, but to no purpose, and in case of refusal he is threatened as follows.

Exodus 8:20 In-Context

18 And the witches did in like manner by their enchantments, that they should bring forth gnats, and they might not; and gnats were as well in men as in work beasts. (And the witches did likewise with their enchantments, so that they would also bring forth gnats, but they could not do so; still, gnats covered all the people, and the work beasts as well.)

19 And the witches said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. And the heart of Pharaoh was made hard, and he heard not them, as the Lord commanded (But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said).

20 And the Lord said to Moses, Rise thou (up) early, and stand before Pharaoh, for he shall go out to the waters; and thou shalt say to him, The Lord saith these things, Deliver thou my people, that it make sacrifice to me (The Lord saith these things, Let my people go, so that they can worship me);

21 that if thou wilt not deliver the people (but if thou wilt not let the people go), lo! I shall send into thee, and into thy servants, and into thy people, and into thine houses, all the kind(s) of flies; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full-filled with flies of diverse kinds, and all the land in which they shall be.

22 And in that day I shall make wonderful the land of Goshen, in which my people is, that flies be not there; and that thou know that I am the Lord in the midst of [the] earth; (But on that day I shall protect the land of Goshen, where my people be, so that there shall be no flies there; and so that thou shalt know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land;)