Shemot 10:1

1 0 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his lev, and the lev of his avadim, that I might show these My otot before him;

Shemot 10:1 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 10:1

And the Lord said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh, for I have
hardened his heart
Or, as some render it, "though I have hardened his heart" ^F21; or otherwise it would seem rather to be a reason he should not go, than why he should; at least it would be discouraging, and he might object to what purpose should he go, it would be in vain, no end would be answered by it; though there was an end God had in view, and which was answered by hardening his heart,

and the heart of his servants;
whose hearts also were hardened until now; until the plague of the locusts was threatened, and then they relent; which end was as follows:

that I might shew these my signs before him;
which had been shown already, and others that were to be done, see ( Exodus 7:3 ) or in the midst of him ^F23, in the midst of his land, or in his heart, see ( Exodus 9:14 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (yk) "quamvis", Piscator; so Ainsworth.
F23 (wbrqb) "in medio ejus", Pagninus, Drusius; "in interioribus ejus", Montanus.

Shemot 10:1 In-Context

1 0 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his lev, and the lev of his avadim, that I might show these My otot before him;

2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy ben, and of thy ben’s ben, what things I have wrought in Mitzrayim, and My otot which I have done among them; that ye may have da’as that I am Hashem.

3 And Moshe and Aharon came in unto Pharaoh,and said unto him, Thus saith Hashem Elohei HaIvrim, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

4 Else, if thou refuse to let My people go, hineni, tomorrow will I bring the arbeh into thy border;

5 And they shall cover the face of ha’aretz, that one cannot be able to see ha’aretz; and they shall devour the remnant of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the barad, and shall eat kol haetz which groweth for you out of the sadeh;