“And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 7:13 Mean?
After the first plague—water turned to blood—Pharaoh's heart is hardened. The text says "he hardened Pharaoh's heart"—and the referent of "he" is debated: did Pharaoh harden his own heart, or did God harden it? The Hebrew allows both readings, and the Exodus narrative uses both formulations at different points (sometimes Pharaoh hardens himself; sometimes God hardens him). The ambiguity is itself theologically significant.
The phrase "as the LORD had said" confirms that the hardening was predicted—it's part of the plan, not a deviation from it. God told Moses before the plagues began that Pharaoh would not listen (4:21, 7:3-4). The hardening doesn't surprise God. It serves His purpose: the prolonged resistance allows more plagues, and more plagues produce a more comprehensive revelation of God's power.
The hardening-of-Pharaoh question touches the deepest waters of theology: divine sovereignty and human responsibility. The narrative holds both in tension: Pharaoh chose not to listen (his responsibility), and God ensured the choice would persist (His sovereignty). The hardening is both human and divine—a decision Pharaoh makes that God confirms, or a disposition God creates that Pharaoh embraces. The Bible doesn't resolve the tension. It preserves it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the hardening of Pharaoh's heart feel like divine injustice or divine sovereignty? Why?
- 2.If Pharaoh hardens himself and God confirms the hardening, how do human choice and divine sovereignty interact in your understanding?
- 3.The prolonged resistance served God's purposes. When has someone's refusal to change actually advanced God's plan?
- 4.Can you hold both truths—human responsibility and divine sovereignty—without resolving the tension? What does that require?
Devotional
Pharaoh's heart hardened. The first plague has come and gone—the Nile turned to blood—and the most powerful man in the world refuses to bend. "As the LORD had said." The resistance was predicted. The hardening was foreseen. The refusal is part of the plan.
The question of who hardens Pharaoh's heart runs through the entire Exodus and remains one of the Bible's deepest tensions: sometimes Pharaoh hardens himself. Sometimes God hardens him. Both are said. Both are true. The narrative refuses to resolve the tension into a neat answer. Human stubbornness and divine sovereignty coexist in the same heart, operating simultaneously.
The "as the LORD had said" means the hardening isn't a surprise or a failure. God predicted it. The prolonged resistance serves divine purposes: more plagues display more power, and more power produces a more complete revelation of who God is—to Israel and to Egypt. Pharaoh's stubbornness isn't derailing the plan. It's extending it. Every refused plague is another chapter in God's self-introduction to the watching world.
The tension between divine sovereignty and human choice isn't resolved by choosing one and discarding the other. Pharaoh genuinely chose to resist. God genuinely used the resistance. Both are real. Both operate at the same time. If that makes you uncomfortable—good. The discomfort is the point. The mystery of how human will and divine sovereignty interact isn't solvable by human minds. It's holdable by faith. Hold both. That's what the text does.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he hardened Pharaoh's heart,.... Or, "notwithstanding the heart of Pharaoh was hardened" (a); though he saw the rods…
And he hardened - Or Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. See Exo 4:21.
And he hardened Pharaoh's heart - ויחזק לב פרעה vaiyechezak leb Paroh, "And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened," the…
The first time that Moses made his application to Pharaoh, he produced his instructions only; now he is directed to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture