Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 7:13
And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
13. was hardened ] Heb. was strong. One of the three synonyms used in Ex. to express the idea of hardening of the heart: the three being (1) za, izz, lit. to be and to make strong (i.e. firm, hard, unyielding, cf. Eze 3:7-9 Heb.), used by P (Exo 7:13; Exo 7:22, Exo 8:19, Exo 9:12, Exo 11:10, Exo 14:4; Exo 14:8; Exo 14:17), and E (Exo 4:21, Exo 9:35, Exo 10:20; Exo 10:27); (2) kbd, hikbd, lit. to be and to make heavy (i.e. slow to move or be affected, unimpressionable, cf. of the tongue, Exo 4:10), used by J (Exo 7:14, Exo 8:15; Exo 8:32, Exo 9:7; Exo 9:34, Exo 10:1); and (3) hishh, which is properly rendered, to harden (cf. the cognate adj. of the neck, Exo 32:9 al.), only Exo 7:3 (P). (1) and (2) are always distinguished in RV. of Ex. by a marg. In these passages, Pharaoh’s heart is itself said to be hard in Exo 7:13-14; Exo 7:22, Exo 8:19, Exo 9:7; Exo 9:35; Pharaoh is said to harden it himself in Exo 8:15; Exo 8:32, Exo 9:34; and God is said to harden it in Exo 4:21, Exo 7:3, Exo 9:12, Exo 10:1; Exo 10:20; Exo 10:27, Exo 11:10, Exo 14:4; Exo 14:8 (cf. 17). See further the detached note below.
and he hearkened not to them, as Jehovah had spoken ] P’s closing formula (p. 55), as v. 22, Exo 8:15 b, 19, Exo 9:12. Had spoken, see v. 4a.
Both in P (Exo 7:13) and J (Exo 6:1), the same point has thus been reached: the Pharaoh will listen to no request to let the people go. Accordingly stronger measures are threatened; and the ten ‘Plagues’ follow.
On the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
God is spoken of as ‘hardening’ Pharaoh’s heart by E in Exo 4:21, Exo 10:20; Exo 10:27, by J (or R JE ) in Exo 10:1, and by P in Exo 7:3, Exo 9:12, Exo 11:10, Exo 14:4; Exo 14:8, by P also as hardening the heart of the Egyptians so that they followed Israel into the sea in Exo 14:17: in Exo 4:21 and Exo 7:3 generally, in view of the whole series of coming plagues, otherwise first after the sixth plague Exo 9:12). In what sense are these passages to be understood? The Hebrews, with their vivid sense of the sovereignty of God, were in the habit of referring things done by man to the direct operation of God; and it is possible that these are merely examples of the same custom: we may notice that the performance of signs and wonders in Egypt, which in Exo 10:1 is described as a consequence of Jehovah’s having ‘hardened’ the hearts of Pharaoh and his servants, is in Exo 11:9 represented as a consequence simply of Pharaoh’s not hearkening himself to Moses and Aaron. In this case, the meaning will be that God ‘hardened’ Pharaoh just in so far as he hardened himself. But even supposing that the passages mean more than this, we must remember that, especially in His dealings with moral agents, God cannot be properly thought of as acting arbitrarily; He only hardens those who begin by hardening themselves: though the reasons for His actions are not always specified, it would be contrary to His moral attributes, and inconsistent with the character of a righteous God, if He were to harden those whose hearts were turned towards Him, and did not wish to harden themselves. The Pharaoh whatever he was in actual history is depicted in Exodus as from the first a self-willed, obstinate man who persistently hardens himself against God, and resists all warnings: God thus hardens him only because he has first hardened himself. And even here we must remember that the means by which God hardens a man is not necessarily by any extraordinary intervention on His part; it may be by the ordinary experiences of life, operating through the principles and character of human nature, which are of His appointment: the man who has once begun to harden himself, may thus find in the experiences of life, and even in the approaches made by God or His messengers to him, occasions and excuses for hardening himself yet more (cf. Psa 18:26 ‘with the crooked thou shewest thyself tortuous’).
The question arises again, in a slightly different form, in connexion with Exo 9:16, where Jehovah is said to have made Pharaoh continue in life, in order that he might experience His power. Does He, in so doing, act arbitrarily with Pharaoh? The passage is quoted, together with Exo 33:19 (see the note), in Rom 9:15-18, in order to shew that God has absolute liberty of choice in selecting whom He will, either as examples of His hardening judgement, or as the recipients of His mercy. But although St Paul says ( v. 18) ‘He hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth,’ we have no right to interpret this ‘will’ in a sense inconsistent with God’s righteousness, or to suppose that He is actuated in His choice by the motives of a despot, responsible not to a law of righteousness, but only to His own caprice. The apostle is arguing against those who maintained that because God had once chosen the Jewish nation, His hands were, so to say, tied, and, whatever they did, He could not reject them, except by being unrighteous. Against such a contention St Paul quotes two passages of the OT. in which Jehovah asserts His right to shew mercy and judgement to whom He will. But we must not exalt God’s sovereignty at the expense of His justice; and so we must think of God as ‘willing’ to shew mercy and judgement, not arbitrarily, or where either would be unmerited, but according to character and deserts. As Bp Gore says, in the course of an illuminative discussion of the whole question ( Ep. to the Romans, ii. 3 13, 31 43), ‘The liberty asserted for God is wholly consistent with His being found, in fact, to have “hardened” those only who have deserved hardening by their own wilfulness. It was for such a moral cause that God hardened the hearts of the Jews, that “seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not hear.” We can feel no doubt that some similar moral cause underlay the hardening of Pharaoh’ (p. 38).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And he hardened – Or Pharaohs heart was hardened. See Exo 4:21.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart] vaiyechezah leb Paroh, “And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened,” the identical words which in Ex 7:22 are thus translated, and which should have been rendered in the same way here, lest the hardening, which was evidently the effect of his own obstinate shutting of his eyes against the truth, should be attributed to God. See Clarke on Ex 4:21.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He, the Lord, to whom this act of hardening is frequently ascribed both in this book and elsewhere.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart,…. Or, “notwithstanding the heart of Pharaoh was hardened” a; though he saw the rods of his magicians devoured by rod; or “therefore” b his heart was hardened, because he saw that the rods of his magicians became serpents as well as Aaron’s; in which there was a deception of sight, and which was suffered for the hardening of his heart, there being other wonders and miracles to be wrought, for showing forth the divine power, before Israel must be let go:
that he hearkened not unto them; to Moses and Aaron, and comply with their demand, to dismiss the people of Israel:
as the Lord had said; or foretold he would not.
a “attamen obfirmatum est”, Junius & Tremellius. b “Itaque”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(13) He hardened Pharaohs heart.This is a mis-translation. The verb is intransitive, and Pharaohs heart is its nominative case. Translate, Pharaohs heart hardened itself. It is essential to the idea of a final penal hardening that in the earlier stages Pharaoh should have been left to himself.
That he hearkened not.Heb., and he hearkened not.
As the Lord had said.See above, Exo. 3:19; Exo. 7:4
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart Rather, And hard was the heart of Pharaoh . (Samuel, Septuagint, Vulg . , Onk . , Syr . ) The presence of superhuman power, and the solemn symbolic lessons, though they may have created in Pharaoh a momentary awe, yet failed to arouse his torpid conscience . Here, in this “sign,” was no infliction of punishment, but a simple manifestation of power in attestation of the mission of Moses and Aaron, as well as a symbolic prediction hereafter to be more fully understood .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 7:13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened says Dr. Waterland. The same phrase occurs, Exo 7:22 and ought in ours, as in other versions, to have been rendered the same in both places.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 7:13 And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Ver. 13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart.] Not by bare prescience, or permission only, but by withdrawing his grace, directing the tyrant’s actions to his own glory, irritating his corruptions by oracles and miracles, and delivering him up to Satan to be further hardened.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
He hardened. The Hebrew here is “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened”. See on Exo 4:21.
as = according as.
It will be noticed that the number nine is connected with judgment (see App-10), and that the third plague of each three is without warning. To make the sym metry complete, Aaron was used in the infliction of the first three, and Moses of the last three.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Exo 7:4, Exo 4:21, Exo 8:15, Exo 10:1, Exo 10:20, Exo 10:27, Exo 14:17, Deu 2:30, Zec 7:11, Zec 7:12, Rom 1:28, Rom 2:5, Heb 3:7, Heb 3:8, Heb 3:13
Reciprocal: Exo 7:22 – and Pharaoh’s Exo 8:32 – General Exo 9:12 – General Exo 11:10 – the Lord Exo 14:4 – harden 1Sa 6:6 – the Egyptians Joh 12:40 – hardened Rom 9:18 – will he
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 7:13. And he hardened Pharaohs heart That is, permitted it to be hardened: or, as the very same Hebrew word is rendered in Exo 7:22, Pharaohs heart was hardened.