Exodus 10:28

“Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Pharaoh addresses Moses at the conclusion of the tenth plague, immediately after the text records that the LORD hardened his heart and he remained unwilling to release Israel.

The words — The Hebrew לֵ֣ךְ מֵ/עָלָ֑/י (lekh me-'a.La/i) literally means "go from before me," while הִשָּׁ֣מֶר אֶל־ תֹּ֙סֶף רְא֣וֹת (hi.Sha.mer 'el- to.sef re.'ot) translates as "take heed to not repeat seeing."

The thread — The pattern of authority opposing a divine messenger appears when Asa imprisons a seer (2 Chronicles 16:10), a king questions a prophet's role and warns him against speaking further (2 Chronicles 25:16), and a priest commands a prophet to stop prophesying at Bethel (Amos 7:13).

Why it lands — The passage states that delivering an unyielding divine warning provokes a hostile dismissal from entrenched power, requiring the recipient to accept the threat without negotiation.

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

וַיֹּֽאמֶר־va/i.yo.mer-and/ he saidל֥וֹl/oto <the>/ himפַרְעֹ֖הfar.'OhPharaoh לֵ֣ךְlekhgo מֵעָלָ֑יme./'a.La/ifrom/ with <the>/ me הִשָּׁ֣מֶרhi.Sha.mertake heedלְךָ֗le./Khato <the>/ yourselfאֶל־'el-to תֹּ֙סֶף֙to.sefmay you repeat רְא֣וֹתre.'otto see פָּנַ֔יpa.Na/iface/ my כִּ֗יKifor בְּי֛וֹםbe./Yomon/ [the] day רְאֹתְךָ֥re.'o.te./Khaseeing/ you פָנַ֖יfa.Na/iface/ my תָּמֽוּת׃ta.Mutyou will die

King James Version

And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.

Cross-references

2 Chronicles 16:10 Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.
2 Chronicles 25:16 While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
Amos 7:13 But never prophesy at Bethel again, because it is the sanctuary of the king and the temple of the kingdom.”

People named

Pharaoh