Bible Strands
Exodus 10:20
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records Yahweh’s action immediately after the locust plague is removed and before the darkness plague begins. God strengthens Pharaoh’s heart, which results in Pharaoh’s refusal to release the Israelites.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יְחַזֵּ֥ק (va/y.cha.Zek) means "he made strong" and takes לֵ֣ב (lev), "heart," as its object. This construction directly states that God actively fortified Pharaoh’s resolve rather than merely permitting it.
The thread — The same divine hardening motif appears in Exodus 4:21, Exodus 11:10, and Deuteronomy 2:30, where God stiffens the resolve of rulers to fulfill His purposes. These references establish a consistent pattern of sovereign intervention in human leadership.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that historical events and royal decisions fall under divine sovereignty. It demands acceptance that God’s purposes advance regardless of human opposition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
Cross-references
- Exodus 4:21 The LORD instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
- Exodus 11:10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.
- Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.
- Exodus 7:13 Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
- Exodus 9:12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
- Isaiah 6:9 And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
- John 12:39 For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says:
- Romans 9:18 Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:11 For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,