Exodus 11:9

In Exo 11:9 and Exo 11:10 the account of Moses' negotiations with Pharaoh, which commenced at Exo 7:8, is brought to a close. What God predicted to His messengers immediately before sending them to Pharaoh (Exo 7:3), and to Moses before his call (Exo 4:21), had now come to pass. And this was the pledge that the still further announcement of Jehovah in Exo 7:4 and Exo 4:23, which had already been made known to the hardened king (Exo 11:4.), would be carried out. As these verses have a terminal character, the vav consecutive in ויּאמר denotes the order of thought and not of time, and the two verses are to be rendered thus: "As Jehovah had said to Moses, Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt, Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land."

Pharaoh had told Moses to get out of his presence (Exo 10:28), and Moses had promised this should be the last time he would trouble him, yet he resolves to say out what he had to say, before he left him; accordingly, we have in this chapter, I. The instructions God had given to Moses, which he was now to pursue (Exo 11:1, Exo 11:2), together with the interest Israel and Moses had in the esteem of the Egyptians (Exo 11:3). II. The last message Moses delivered to Pharaoh, concerning the death of the firstborn (Exo 11:4-8). III. A repetition of the prediction of Pharaoh's hardening his heart (Exo 11:9), and the event answering to it (Exo 11:10).