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Exodus 4:21
And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

Exodus 7:13,14
And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said…

Exodus 9:27,34,35
And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORDis righteous, and I and my peopleare wicked…

that I

Exodus 3:20
And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

Exodus 7:4
But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies,and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

Exodus 9:16
And in very deed for thiscause have I raised thee up, for to shewin thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Go to Pharaoh
The command to "go to Pharaoh" is a continuation of Moses' mission to confront the Egyptian ruler and demand the release of the Israelites. Pharaoh, the title for the king of Egypt, was considered a god by his people, making this confrontation not just a political challenge but a spiritual one. This phrase sets the stage for the ongoing conflict between the God of Israel and the gods of Egypt, highlighting the theme of divine sovereignty.

for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials
The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is a complex theological concept. It demonstrates God's sovereignty over human will and serves to fulfill His purposes. This hardening is both a divine act and a response to Pharaoh's own stubbornness. The hardening of the officials' hearts indicates that the resistance to God's will is not limited to Pharaoh alone but extends to his entire administration, emphasizing the systemic nature of the opposition to God's plan.

that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them
The purpose of the hardening is to allow God to display His power through miraculous signs, which are the plagues. These signs serve multiple purposes: they are judgments against the gods of Egypt, they demonstrate God's supremacy, and they are a means of revealing His power to both the Egyptians and the Israelites. The plagues are also prophetic, foreshadowing future judgments and deliverances, and they typify the ultimate deliverance through Jesus Christ, who performs signs and wonders to reveal God's kingdom.

• Scripture repeatedly shows God initiating each encounter (Exodus 3:4; 6:2).

• Moses is reminded that he serves as the covenant representative, not an independent negotiator (Exodus 7:1–2).

• The phrase underscores that everything that follows flows from God’s revealed word, guaranteeing reliability (Numbers 23:19).

• The directive is clear and personal—no room for delay or debate (Exodus 8:1; 9:1).

• Pharaoh, the most powerful human figure in Egypt, must face the living God through His spokesman.

• Each approach amplifies the contrast between earthly authority and divine sovereignty (Psalm 2:1–6).

• God’s action serves His righteous purposes; He neither discovers nor causes evil but restrains and directs it (Exodus 4:21;Romans 9:17–18).

• Earlier verses record Pharaoh hardening his own heart (Exodus 8:15, 32), revealing a judicial handing over to persistent rebellion.

• The inclusion of “officials” shows that national leadership as a whole stands accountable (Exodus 9:34–35).

• Divine hardening secures the timing and intensity of the plagues, ensuring Israel’s complete deliverance (Exodus 11:9–10).

• The plagues are not random punishments; they are deliberate signs displaying God’s power over Egypt’s gods (Exodus 12:12;Numbers 33:4).

• They vindicate God’s name before Israel and the nations (Exodus 9:16; 15:11;Joshua 2:10).

• Each sign exposes human impotence and invites repentance, even as Pharaoh resists (Exodus 10:3).

• The overarching purpose is redemptive—preparing for the Passover, the Exodus, and ultimately pointing forward to the greater redemption accomplished in Christ (Luke 9:31;1 Corinthians 5:7).

Exodus 10:1 reveals a sovereign God directing His servant, confronting worldly power, and orchestrating events to magnify His glory through unmistakable signs. Pharaoh’s hardened heart does not thwart God’s plan; it becomes the stage on which divine power and faithfulness are showcased, assuring God’s people of both His judgment on evil and His unfailing commitment to deliver those who trust Him.

THE EIGHTH PLAGUE.

(1-4) The eighth plague, like the third and fourth, was one where insect life was called in to serve God's purposes, and chastise the presumption of His enemies. The nature of the visitation is uncontested and incontestable--it was a terrible invasion of locusts. Locusts are an occasional, though not a frequent, scourge in Egypt. They are not bred there, and necessarily arrive from some foreign country. When they descend, their ravages are as severe as elsewhere. "In the present day," says Mr. Stuart Poole, "locusts suddenly appear in the cultivated land, coming from the desert in a column of great length. They fly across the country, darkening the air with their compact ranks, which are undisturbed by the constant attacks of kites, crows, and vultures, and making a strange whizzing sound, like that of fire, or many distant wheels. Where they alight they devour every green thing, even stripping the trees of their leaves. Rewards are offered for their destruction; but no labour can seriously reduce their numbers" (Dict. of the Bible, vol. ii., p. 887). C. Niebuhr witnessed two invasions--in 1761 and 1762; Denon witnessed another about the year 1800; and Tischendorf saw one recently. They always enter Egypt either from the south or from the east, and necessarily come with a wind, since they cannot possibly fly any considerable distance without one. It is probable that at different times different varieties of the locust visit the country; but all varieties are almost equally destructive. After the loss of their cattle by murrain and hail, and the ruin of the flax and barley crops by the latter agency, nothing was wanting to complete the desolation of the country and the impoverishment of its inhabitants but the ruin of the wheat anddoora crops, which the locusts speedily effected.

(1)I have hardened . . . the heart of his servants.--They, too, had first hardened their own hearts (Exodus 9:34), and so deserved a penal hardening. A certain amount of responsibility rested onthem. Had they allowed the miracles to have their full natural effect upon their minds, they would have been convinced that resistance was useless, and would have impressed their views upon the Pharaoh. Even in the most absolute governments public opinion has weight, and the general sentiment of the Court almost always carries the sovereign with it.

That I might shew these my signs.--There is nothing derogatory to the Divine Nature in a penal hardening being, as it were, utilised to increase the glory of God, and affect for good future generations of His people. The accumulation of plague upon plague, which the obduracy of Pharaoh and his subjects brought about, was of vast importance in presenting to Israel, and even to the surrounding nations, a manifestation of the tremendous power of God, calculated to impress them as nothing else would have done.