Bible Strands
Exodus 10:3
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh to deliver a direct message from the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, demanding the release of His people for worship. This encounter occurs during the plague sequence, situated between the stated purpose of the signs and the impending threat of locusts.
The words — The Hebrew כֹּה (koh) translates literally as "thus," functioning as a formal marker for the divine oracle that follows. The text explicitly records the command to "humble yourself" before God and frames the entire exchange around the refusal to release the people.
The thread — The command to humble oneself before God appears in James 4:10 and 1 Peter 5:6, which similarly instruct believers to submit under God’s mighty hand. The motif of royal resistance to divine authority and subsequent humility is also noted in 1 Kings 21:29 regarding Ahab.
Why it lands — The verse states that stubborn refusal to submit to God prolongs judgment and blocks the purpose of worship. It requires the reader to acknowledge that true authority demands immediate humility and the cessation of resistance.
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
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
- 1 Kings 21:29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”
- James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
- Jeremiah 13:18 Say to the king and to the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads.”
- Romans 2:4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
- Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?
- Exodus 9:17 Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.
- Exodus 16:28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions?
- Numbers 14:27 “How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me.
- 1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.