Pharaoh's Heart Is Hardened.
Exodus 7:13
Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he would not listen to them, just
as the LORD had said. – Exodus 7:13, NIV
COMMENTARY
God HARDENS Pharaoh’s Heart BECAUSE …
1. God Was Responsible for This Pharaoh Coming To Power. This Accords With Rom. 13:1-3.
ROMANS 13:1, NIV: LET EVERYONE BE SUBJECT TO THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES, FOR THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT THAT WHICH GOD HAS ESTABLISHED. GOD HAS ESTABLISHED THE AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST. (ROMANS 13:1)
In Romans 12, Paul described what it means to be a living-sacrifice Christian. In short, it mainly involves setting ourselves aside to serve the Lord, each other, and even our enemies in love.
Now Paul turns to the issue of how Christians who are saved by God's grace should interact with our present governments. He describes the biblical doctrine of submission to human authorities, something Peter also teaches (1 Peter 2:13–17). Again, those in Christ are called to set themselves aside and trust God to provide what is needed through those in authority, good or evil.
Paul is clear that this applies to every person. He calls for us to be in submission to government authorities, though he does not say that we must obey them in all cases. Paul and the other apostles refused to obey commands from people in authority to stop preaching the gospel, for instance (Acts 5:27–29). They did, however, submit to those in authority in all matters that were not in contradiction to the will of God.
Why should we submit to it? Paul is clear: Every authority in the world was established by God. This would include, of course, good leaders, evil leaders, and everyone in-between. Paul's instruction here is not about blind nationalism or absolute obedience to men. Instead, it is a recognition that human government—in general—is a legitimate authority and that Christians cannot use their faith as an excuse for civil lawlessness. God puts all leaders in place for the specific reasons Paul will describe in the following verses.
We should remember that Paul is writing this letter to Christians in Rome. The government of Rome ruled much of the known world at the time. Emperor Nero led it from AD 54–68. Nero is famous for his cruel and unfair treatment of Christians, among other groups. We must not assume that Paul is writing these words lightly. He was aware of the implications of his teaching.
ROMANS 13:2, NIV: CONSEQUENTLY, WHOEVER REBELS AGAINST THE AUTHORITY IS REBELLING AGAINST WHAT GOD HAS INSTITUTED, AND THOSE WHO DO SO WILL BRING JUDGMENT ON THEMSELVES.
Paul has spelled out the Christian doctrine of submission to human authorities, including government authorities. The bottom line is that those in Christ should understand every authority to have been placed in his or her position by God Himself and for God's purposes. Christ's kingdom may not be of this world (John 18:36), but that does not mean believers have a license to disobey earthly authority for any reason (1 Peter 2:13–17). Only when commanded by the government to disobey God are Christians obligated to disobey the government and accept the consequences (Acts 5:27–29).
Paul now begins to put together the pieces of what that means. In truth, anyone who resists someone in authority is resisting God's work. In general terms, human government is one of the ways God restrains the influence of evil in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Resistance to that system will result in judgment. It is not clear if Paul has in mind judgment from the government or judgment from God. Both are possible.
Paul left little room for Christians to tell themselves that they were free to resist human authorities because their first loyalty was to the kingdom of heaven. Those loyal to Christ are specifically instructed to be submissive to human government. Generally, civil disobedience is only allowed when a Christian is being asked to sin, disobey God, or act ungodly.
ROMANS 13:3, NIV: FOR RULERS HOLD NO TERROR FOR THOSE WHO DO RIGHT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO DO WRONG. DO YOU WANT TO BE FREE FROM FEAR OF THE ONE IN AUTHORITY? THEN DO WHAT IS RIGHT, AND YOU WILL BE COMMENDED.
Paul has described the Christian doctrine of submission to human authorities. Since God establishes every human leader, Christians must not resist God's work by resisting those authorities. These verses give essential context for understanding his recent comments.
Paul begins to describe why God establishes human authorities in the first place. The God-given role of governmental authorities is to keep order. This is true whether those authorities are good people or not. Human government is one of the ways God restrains the influence of evil in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Christians cannot embrace anarchy—rejection of all forms of government—or disobey authority simply because they disagree.
Paul describes how to live without fear of someone in authority: Do good. Authorities are no threat to those who do what is right. They will approve of you. This teaching is undoubtedly sound that those in authority are fair-minded and operate out of a sense of integrity. Of course, our instinct is to recall moments in history where those in authority were most definitely a terror to people doing good, or at least not doing anything wrong, including Paul himself! The fact that Paul experienced an ungodly government should give us pause before we dismiss his command as unrealistic.
Paul's point here is simply the general case. He is not interested—in this passage—in addressing exceptions. Paul's first concern is that Christians are known in their communities as people who do what is good in submission to authority. Believers should not have a reputation as law-breakers living in needless conflict and rebellion against authority.
2. But I have raised you for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the Earth. (Exod. 9:16)
But I have raised you for this very purpose: A most dreadful message Moses is ordered to deliver to him, whether he will hear or refrain. He must tell him that he is marked for ruin: that he now stands as the target at which God would shoot all the arrows of his wrath. For this very purpose, I have raised you — To the throne, at this time; and made thee stand — The shocks of the plagues previously revealed; that I might show you my power — Providence so ordered it, that Moses should have a man of such a fierce and stubborn spirit to deal with, to make it a most signal and memorable instance of the power God has to bring down the proudest of his enemies. It must be observed that the Hebrew word, here rendered raised you, never signifies to raise, or bring a person or thing into being; but to preserve, support, establish, or make to stand, as in the margin of our Bibles, and as may be seen, 1 Kings 15:4; Proverbs 29:4. And accordingly, the Septuagint translation, the Chaldee, Samaritan, Arabic, and Junius and Tremellius, all render this place, “For this cause thou hast hitherto been preserved.” The meaning, therefore, of this passage is not that God brought Pharaoh into being, or made him on purpose, that he might be an example of his severity and vengeance, but that, though Pharaoh had long deserved to be destroyed, God had spared him and made him subsist for a considerable time, to show his power, by the signs and wonders which he wrought in the land of Egypt, and by delivering his people at length, despite all the opposition of Pharaoh, that my name might be proclaimed in all the Earth. — My being, and providence, and manifold perfections; my patience in bearing with thee so long, my justice in punishing thee, my power in conquering thee, my wisdom in overruling thy pride, tyranny, cruelty, to thy destruction and the redemption of my oppressed people, and my faithfulness in accomplishing my promises to them, and my threatenings to thee. The Earth remains in all the Earth — Not only in all places but throughout all ages. This will infallibly be the event.
3. The first mention of hardening is Exod. 4:21, where God tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart.
THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, “WHEN YOU RETURN TO EGYPT, SEE THAT YOU PERFORM ALL THE WONDERS I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE POWER TO DO BEFORE PHARAOH. BUT I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART, SO HE WILL NOT LET THE PEOPLE GO. (EX. 4:21)
all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart, so he will not let the people go. Some render the word “perhaps,” but it does not appear to have this meaning anywhere. Moses meant to express a positive conviction that he would not be listened to. His faith was weak.
They will say, The Lord hath not appeared.—The people would probably have said this if Moses had not had any credentials to produce. It is even possible that they did say it. There had been no appearance of Jehovah to anyone for above four hundred years, and they might well think that the age of miracles was past. Miracles cluster around inevitable crises in God’s dealings with man, ceasing altogether between one crisis and another. They were suspended for more than 500 years between the time of Daniel and the angel's appearance to Zacharias.
4. God is said to harden Pharaoh’s heart nine times (Exod. (4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8).
Pharaoh hardens his heart three times (Exod. 8:15, 32; 9:34). Pharaoh’s heart is described as hard or hardened six times (Exod. (7:13, 14, 22; 8:19; 9:18, 35).
The essential meaning of “hardening” is “to strengthen or to give the courage to do what one wants to do.”
This meaning is confirmed by other uses of the same terminology (hardening of the heart) outside the Pharaoh story. The key texts that have shaped my understanding are:
Deut. 2:30. Here the Lord hardened the spirit and strengthened the heart of Sihon to refuse Israel passage through His land. Even though Israel had a huge standing army (600,000+), which might have made Sihon be glad to let them pass unmolested through his land, God strengthened his heart to try to do what he wanted: destroy Israel. As a result, Israel destroyed Sihon.
Josh. 11:20. The cities of the Transjordan all fought against Joshua because God hardened their hearts to meet Israel in battle so that they would receive no mercy. Implied: They would have received mercy if they had surrendered. God wanted to destroy them, so he strengthened their hearts to do what they wanted to do: fight Israel. God sovereignly determined not to grant them mercy in this situation, though they had received mercy for four hundred years prior to the Exodus (Gen. 15:16)
2 Chron. 13:7 was a clincher for me. You cannot see it as clearly in English as in Hebrew. The NASB reads: “and worthless men gathered about him, scoundrels, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when he was young and timid [soft of heart] and could not hold his own against them.” Rehoboam was “soft of heart” rather than demanding of heart. In his case, it was a bad thing. He was soft and could not stand up for what he wanted. As a result, he was swayed by the scoundrels who gathered around him. God would probably have been better off if God had “hardened” his heart.
Also, in Psalms 27:14 and 31:25, we are encouraged to “be strong and let your hearts take courage.” One of the same key verbs used with Pharaoh also occurs in these verses.
Once I understood what “harden” meant—to strengthen a person’s resolve to do what they want—what appeared to be a conflict between God’s justice and His sovereign action in Pharaoh’s heart dissipated. God was not making Pharaoh do something he did not want or would not have wanted to do. God was essentially helping him stand up for his [wicked] principles so that God could demonstrate His greater power.
When people talk about significant philosophical challenges in the Torah, they often cite a verse in Parshat Vaera. These chapters deal with Moses’ attempt to convince Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites, Pharaoh’s refusal, and the first seven plagues that rain down as part of this back and forth.
Towards the end of the portion, after the Egyptians suffer boils, the text says (Exodus 9:12), “And God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not hear them.” The plagues continue, but suddenly they seem much less fair. There are significant challenges to the concept of free will here: Did Pharaoh choose to refuse Moses’ request to let the Israelites go, or did God make him do that? Would he have responded the same way had not God intervened? Moreover, how on Earth could God continue to punish Pharaoh, given that God Godself caused Pharaoh to refuse to free the Israelites from bondage?
Several classical sources deal with this question, including the Rabbinic commentary Exodus Rabbah, which observes a critical detail: Exodus 9:12 is the first time that the Torah tells us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but we see evidence of Pharaoh impacting his own heart five times earlier in this portion. Twice (Exodus 7:13 and Exodus 22), in response to Moses’ challenges and requests, the Torah tells us that his heart “hardened.” Moreover, three times after that (Exodus 8:11, Exodus 15, and Exodus 28), we are told that Pharaoh “made his heart heavy.”
Five times Pharaoh turned away from Moses’ call and the suffering of the Israelites. Five times he made his own heart less and less supple and soft. As such, Rabbi Simon ben Lakish claims in Exodus Rabbah, a collection of Midrash compiled in the 10th or 11th century (scholars are unsure of the exact date), “Since God sent [the opportunity for repentance and doing the right thing] five times to him and he sent no notice, God then said, ‘You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart on your own…. So it was that the heart of Pharaoh did not receive the words of God.’”
In other words, Pharaoh sealed his fate for himself and his relationship with God.
As the 18th-century Italian philosopher Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto wrote, “Our external actions affect our inner feelings. We have more control over our actions than our emotions, and if we utilize what is in our power, we will eventually acquire what is not as much in our power.”
This is true in both directions. When we choose to turn away from suffering when we engage in the action of walking away from others’ pain, we impact our inner life — our heart is hardened, and we become estranged from the divine and our own holiest self. True, it is scary to look that pain in the eyes and then grapple with the feelings of responsibility it might engender in us. Nevertheless, there is a cost to that turning away.
However, as Luzzatto implies, the situation is never permanent. Even when you have turned away from others and toward your self-interest, you can no longer hear the still small voice whispering in your direction. Even then, the gates to the divine — and ourselves — are always open. As the Talmud (Brachot 32b) teaches in the name of Rabbi Elezar, “From the day on which the Temple was destroyed, the gates of prayer have been closed… However, though the gates of prayer are closed, the gates of weeping are not closed.”
It will change us. We can do the work of goodness in the world. Moreover, when we are finally ready to let our hearts break open, the gates will be there, ready to receive us.
Let us review the five questions and end with the answer to #5.
1. God was responsible for this Pharaoh coming to power. This accords with Rom. 13:1-3.
2. God’s purpose for bringing this Pharaoh to power was to display His power in him and that His name might be proclaimed throughout the whole Earth (Exod. 9:16).
3. The first mention of hardening is Exod. 4:21, where God tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart.
4. God is said to harden Pharaoh’s heart nine times (Exod. (4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8). Pharaoh hardens his heart three times (Exod. 8:15, 32; 9:34). Pharaoh’s heart is described as hard or hardened six times (Exod. (7:13, 14, 22; 8:19; 9:18, 35).
5. What did God do to Pharaoh when He hardened his heart (Romans 9:18)?
THEREFORE GOD HAS MERCY ON WHOM HE WANTS TO HAVE MERCY, AND HE HARDENS WHOM HE WANTS TO HARDEN. (Romans 5:18)
Therefore, in Romans 5:18-19, the argument from Romans 5:12 is continued: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). This verse summed up as to its primary substance; namely, the parallel of Adam and Christ; the illustration of the work of Christ by Adam’s position in respect of his descendants and the effect on them of his sin.
“Just as sin entered the world through one man.” Better, as by one offense, We may supply “the result was,” in each part of the verse; as through one offense the result was, unto all men, to condemnation; so through one righteous act, the result was, unto all men, to the justification of life.—The word rendered here “righteous act” is the same as that rendered “acquittal” in the note on Romans 5:16. Its strict original meaning is a thing righteously done. Its usual actual meaning is an ordinance of justice. But in one N. T. passage, it appears to mean a righteous act or course of acts. (Revelation 19:8, “the righteousnesses of the saints.”) It thus is possible to interpret it in one place here as an ordinance of acquittal, in the other as the great Acts of righteousness (which becomes also, as it were, a statute of righteousness) done by the Redeemer for His brethren. Such a change of reference is not alien to St Paul’s style.—If, however, the interpretation of righteous ordinance should seem more necessary than it seems to us, it would somewhat suit the context. Christ’s obedience is (as suggested above) viewed thus as the embodied ordinance, or institute, of justification. This last, on the whole, is Meyer’s explanation.
[all men … all men] What is the reference of these words in the two cases, respectively? In the first, indeed, all humanity is meant—every man, not in theory only but fact, an incurred sentence of death in Adam. In the second case, many commentators (e.g., Meyer) hold that all humanity is intended: not that all receive justification, but that all are within the scope of Christ’s work. Without entering on the profound question of the Divine Intentions and merely seeking St Paul’s particular thought here, we prefer to take the second “all men” with a limit, as meaning “all who are connected with the Second Adam;” all “His brethren.” Through this whole context, St Paul is dealing with results and facts, not abstract theory. From the dreadful fact of the result of death from the Fall, he reasons to the results of Christ’s work; and the parallel would be most imperfect (and such as precisely to contradict the “much more” of Romans 5:15; Romans 5:17,) if while in the one case condemnation was a fact and act, justification should be only a possibility in the other. If Adam brings death in fact to all concerned, Christ must bring life in fact to all concerned also. Again, a limitation is suggested by the whole reasoning of the Epistle. Especially in Romans 8:30, where the justified are identical with the “foreknown” and “glorified” in the plain sense of the passage.—The use of “all men” with this change of reference is pretty illustrated by 1 Corinthians 15:22-23. For through that whole chapter, the Resurrection of the Church is the sole subject; and 1 Corinthians 15:23 explicitly refers to “them that are Christ’s:” and yet, when the parallel of Adam and Christ is in view, the word “all” is equally used there in both cases.—See for other illustrations, though less exact, John 12:32; Titus 2:11.
The view of Christ as the Head of all Mankind is far less distinct in Scripture than that of Christ as the Head of justified Mankind, the true Church. Bearing this in mind, a difference of reference here will seem more natural than sameness, which can only be explained by admitting profound differences.
