Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 9:7
And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
7. was stubborn ] lit. heavy; the word regularly used by J ( v. 34, Exo 7:14, Exo 8:15; Exo 8:32, Exo 10:1).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Was hardened – See Exo 4:21. Pharaoh probably attributed the exemption of the Israelites to natural causes. They were a pastoral race, well acquainted with all that pertained to the care of cattle; and dwelling in a healthy district probably far more than the rest of Lower Egypt.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. And Pharaoh sent, &c.] Finding so many of his own cattle and those of his subjects slain, he sent to see whether the mortality had reached to the cattle of the Israelites, that he might know whether this were a judgment inflicted by their God, and probably designing to replace the lost cattle of the Egyptians with those of the Israelites.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
7. Pharaoh sent . . . there was notone of the cattle of the Israelites deadThe despatch ofconfidential messengers indicates that he would not give credit tovague reports, and we may conclude that some impression had been madeon his mind by that extraordinary exemption, but it was neither agood nor a permanent impression. His pride and obstinacy were in nodegree subdued.
Ex9:8-17. PLAGUE OFBOILS.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Pharaoh sent,…. Messengers to the land of Goshen, to see whether the murrain was upon the cattle of Israel or not, and whether any of them died or not. The Targum of Jonathan is,
“he sent to Pelusium to see”
and inquire about this matter; that is, to Raamses, for so that paraphrase calls Raamses in Ex 1:11 a city built by the Israelites, and where many of them might dwell. This Pharaoh did, not merely out of curiosity, but to know whether the divine prediction was accomplished, and that he might have wherewith to confront it, could he find the murrain was upon any of the cattle of Israel, or any died of it; and if they did not, his view might be to convert them to his own use, and make up his loss, and the loss of his people, in a good measure in this way, and perhaps this may be the reason why he so little regarded this plague:
and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead; which was very wonderful, and therefore a “behold”, a note of admiration, is prefixed to it, yet it made no impression on Pharaoh:
and the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go; though this plague was so heavy upon him and his people, and the loss they sustained so great: in the other plagues of the water, the frogs, lice, and flies, though very troublesome and terrible, yet the loss was not very great; but here much damage was done to their property, yet this did not make his heart relent, or cause him to yield to let Israel go.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But Pharaoh’s heart still continued hardened, though he convinced himself by direct inquiry that the cattle of the Israelites had been spared.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
7. And Pharaoh sent. I leave it undecided, whether he then first sent these inspectors; (104) it may be, that, in the blindness of his obstinacy he neglected this, until he was reminded by Moses; for we know how the reprobate shut their eyes against the manifest marks of God’s wrath, and willfully indulge in their errors. Certainly there is no doubt that Pharaoh, whilst he seeks to harden himself in every way, deliberately passed over what it was very useful for him to know; but, since he was informed by Moses of the distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, he is compelled, whether he will or no, to ascertain from actual inspection, what he would have gladly been in ignorance of. But this was no obscure demonstration of God’s paternal favor towards His chosen people; that the contagion should not have affected that part of Egypt, which was fullest of cattle, though it ravaged the whole surrounding neighborhood. Wherefore, the hardness of the king’s wicked heart was all the more base and marvelous, since he was not moved even by this extraordinary circumstance; for it was a token of horrible folly, that, when the matter was examined and discovered by his underlings, he still hardened his heart and would not obey God.
(104) “It is asked, why he did not do so before? Resp., Because either, first, The roads were impassable on account of the frogs, lice, etc.; or secondly, It did not previously occur to him.” — Menochius in Pol. Syn.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) Pharaoh sent.The Pharaoh evidently did not believe it possible that there should be such a widespread destruction of the Egyptian cattle without the Hebrew cattle suffering at all. He therefore sent persons to inquire and report on the facts. These persons found the announcement of Moses fulfilled to the letter. This was the more surprising, as Goshen consisted mainly of the low flat tract bordering on the Menzaleh marshes.
The heart of Pharaoh was hardened.Even the exact correspondence of the result with the announcement did not soften the heart of the king. It remained dull and unimpressedliterally, heavy kbd). Loss of property would not much distress an absolute monarch, who could easily exact the value of what he had lost from his subjects.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. And Pharaoh sent and the heart of Pharaoh was hardened Here, as in Exo 7:22, the grammatical construction implies cause and effect . This marked manifestation in behalf of Israel aroused the anger and obstinacy of Pharaoh the more . He does not melt or waver, and on this occasion is not awed even into temporary submission .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Zec 7:11-12 . Reader! observe the increasing obduracy of the heart! What an awful question is that of Job? Job 9:4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 9:7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Ver. 7. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened. ] Like a smith’s anvil, he grew harder for hammering. There was little need to say to Pharaoh, as the smith did to the Landgrave of Thuring, Durescite, durescite, O in felix Lantgravi. a He hardened fast enough.
a Pet. Nicol. Gelstronp.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Israelites. Some codices, with Samaritan Pentateuch, The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, and Septuagint, read “sons of Israel”.
hardened. See note on Exo 4:2.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the heart: Exo 9:12, Exo 7:14, Exo 8:32, Job 9:4, Pro 29:1, Isa 48:4, Dan 5:20, Rom 9:18
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 9:7. Pharaoh sent It seems as if Pharaoh, notwithstanding all he had seen, could not conceive that such a distinction could be made between cattle feeding together in the same or similar pastures, that those of the Egyptians alone should be stricken, while those of the Israelites were not affected; and therefore he sent expressly to know the truth of it: when behold, (and well might it be said, behold! for it was worthy of both notice and admiration,) there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead But, notwithstanding this most convincing evidence of the distinguishing favour of God toward his people, such was the unwillingness of Pharaoh to part with the advantage which the service of the Israelites was to him, that he could not bring himself to consent to their departure.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:7 And Pharaoh {b} sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
(b) Into the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.