What is the meaning of Exodus 10:17? Now please forgive my sin once more • Pharaoh finally uses the word “sin,” echoing his earlier admission in Exodus 9:27, yet, just like that earlier moment, the confession is shallow and crisis-driven. • The phrase “once more” shows a cycle of hardening, judgment, brief remorse, then renewed resistance (Exodus 8:8, 15; 9:34). • Genuine repentance is more than temporary sorrow; it turns from sin and obeys God (2 Corinthians 7:10; Proverbs 28:13). Pharaoh’s request spotlights the tragic difference between worldly regret and Spirit-wrought repentance. • For believers today, the verse warns against bargaining with God—acknowledging wrongdoing only to escape consequences (Acts 8:24). and appeal to the LORD your God • Pharaoh still distances himself from the covenant God, saying “the LORD your God,” not “my God.” He wants relief without relationship (Exodus 10:3; 9:30). • The need for Moses’ intercession prefigures the mediator role ultimately fulfilled by Christ, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). • Scripture repeatedly shows God’s servants pleading for mercy on behalf of sinners—Abraham for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32), Samuel for Israel (1 Samuel 12:19), and Job for his friends (Job 42:8). • This section encourages intercessory prayer: when people are far from God, His children stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30; James 5:16). that He may remove this death from me • The locust plague (Exodus 10:13-15) devoured every plant, threatening famine—hence Pharaoh calls it “this death.” • Judgment in Exodus escalates from nuisance to devastation, underlining Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death.” Each plague previews ultimate judgment for hardened hearts (Revelation 16:9). • Pharaoh’s focus is the consequence, not the cause. He longs for relief, not righteousness—contrasting with David’s cry, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). • God does lift the plague when Moses prays (Exodus 10:18-19), illustrating both divine patience and the certainty that superficial repentance will not last (Exodus 10:20). summary Exodus 10:17 captures Pharaoh’s emergency-driven confession, his reliance on Moses’ mediation, and his desire for relief rather than a transformed heart. The verse exposes the pattern of temporary remorse that perishes once pressure lifts. It calls today’s reader to sincere repentance, personal faith in the LORD, and compassionate intercession for those still saying, “the LORD your God,” instead of “my God.” |
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