What is the meaning of Exodus 9:17? Still Pharaoh’s obstinacy has survived plague after plague. Earlier judgments—blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils—should have softened his heart, yet he remains unmoved. • Exodus 8:32 records the same pattern: “But Pharaoh hardened his heart even this time and did not let the people go”. • Exodus 9:14 shows God’s patience nearing its limit: “I will send all My plagues against you… so you may know there is no one like Me in all the earth”. Each fresh “still” exposes a new layer of defiance, underscoring human stubbornness in the face of unmistakable divine action (Romans 2:4-5). you lord it over The phrase paints Pharaoh as a self-exalting ruler who abuses God-given authority. • In Exodus 5:2 Pharaoh sneered, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice?”, revealing a heart drunk on power. • Jesus warns in Matthew 20:25 that “the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them”, condemning the very posture Pharaoh displays. • True leadership serves; proud domination invites judgment (1 Peter 5:3). Pharaoh’s arrogance pits him squarely against the King of kings. My people God claims Israel as His own treasured possession. • “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt” (Exodus 3:7). • He promises, “I will take you as My people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:7). • This covenant language echoes throughout Scripture: “You are a people holy to the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 7:6) and reaches its climax in believers being called “a people for His own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). Pharaoh’s assault is therefore not merely political; it is an attack on God’s family. and do not allow them to go The immediate offense: Pharaoh blocks Israel’s worship pilgrimage. • Moses has repeated the simple command: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me” (Exodus 8:1, 9:1). • Refusal tramples religious liberty and provokes heavier judgment: hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. • God desires freedom for His people—not aimless freedom, but freedom to serve and know Him, a theme echoed in Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”. summary Exodus 9:17 spotlights the clash between Pharaoh’s hardened pride and God’s covenant love. Though the Egyptian king still arrogantly dominates, God reiterates that Israel is “My people,” destined for worshipful freedom. Persistent rebellion invites escalating judgment, yet the verse also reveals a faithful God who defends and delivers His own exactly as He promised. |
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