And I will harden Pharaoh's heart ,.... See Gill on Exodus 4:21 . and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt ; work one miracle and wonderful sign after another, until they are all wrought intended to be wrought; and which he had given Moses power to do, and until the end should be answered and obtained, the letting go of the children of Israel. read more
I will harden Pharaoh's heart - I will permit his stubbornness and obstinacy still to remain, that I may have the greater opportunity to multiply my wonders in the land, that the Egyptians may know that I only am Jehovah, the self-existent God. See Clarke's note on Exodus 4:21 . read more
Verse 3 3.And I will harden. As the expression is somewhat harsh, many commentators, as I have before said, take pains to soften it. Hence it is that some take the words in connection, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart by multiplying my signs;” as if God were pointing out the external cause of his obstinacy. But Moses has already declared, and will hereafter repeat it, that the king’s mind was hardened by God in other ways besides His working miracles. As to the meaning of the words, I have no... read more
A god to Pharaoh. Moses was in the trying position of being sent out anew upon a mission in which hitherto he had not had the slightest particle of success. His discouragement was natural. Pharaoh, on a previous occasion, had repulsed him. He had lost the ear even of his own people. The situation, since his former interview with the monarch, had altered for the worse. To proceed further was like rowing against wind and tide, with little prospect of ever reaching shore. Discouragement ... read more
Once more God made allowance for the weakness and self-distrust of Moses, severely tried as he had been by his former failure to persuade Pharaoh ( Exodus 5:1-5 ) and his recent rejection by the people of Israel ( Exodus 6:9 ). He made allowance, and raised his courage and his spirits by fresh promises, and by a call upon him for immediate action. The process of deliverance, God assured him, was just about to begin. Miracles would be wrought until Pharaoh's stubbornness was overcome.... read more
I will harden Pharaoh's heart . See the comment on Exodus 4:21 . And multiply my signs and my wonders . The idea of a long series of miracles is here, for the first time, distinctly introduced. Three signs had been given ( Exodus 4:3-9 ); one further miracle had been mentioned ( Exodus 4:23 ). Now a multiplication of signs and wonders is promised. Compare Exodus 3:20 , and Exodus 6:6 , which, however, are not so explicit as the present passage. read more
Heart-hardening. On this subject, see above, and on Exodus 4:21 . The present seems an appropriate place for a somewhat fuller treatment. I. HARDENING AS PROCEEDING FROM GOD . " I will harden Pharaoh's heart." This, assuredly, is more than simple permission. God hardens the heart— 1 . Through the operation of the laws of our moral constitution , These laws, of which God is the author, and through which he operates in the soul, ordain hardening as the penalty of... read more
The fierceness of man turns to God's praise. The most signal triumphs of Divine power are those in which the resistance to it is the most determined. The greatest of all victories was probably that which was gained when—after "war in heaven"—Satan was seen, like lightning, falling from heaven to earth. Since then, great triumphs, tending to God's praise, occur whenever the right and the truth succeed against seemingly insuperable opposition. When the boy shepherd with his sling and stone... read more
Wonders - A word used only of portents performed to prove a divine interposition; they were the credentials of God’s messengers. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 7:1-7
Here, I. God encourages Moses to go to Pharaoh, and at last silences all his discouragements. 1. He clothes him with great power and authority (Exod. 7:1): I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; that is, my representative in this affair, as magistrates are called gods, because they are God's vicegerents. He was authorized to speak and act in God's name and stead, and, under the divine direction, was endued with a divine power to do that which is above the ordinary power of nature, and invested... read more