This verse subtly reveals God’s intention isn't just to punish Pharaoh, but to use the multiplying of signs and wonders to make His power undeniable, ensuring both Egyptians and Israelites would truly know Him. It’s a divine setup where Pharaoh’s stubbornness becomes the canvas for an even grander display of God's authority.
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God tells Moses He will harden Pharaoh's heart, not to prevent Pharaoh from sinning, but to allow Him to display His power through many signs and wonders. These miracles, intended as credentials and judgments, aim to demonstrate God's sovereignty to both Egyptians and Israelites, ensuring His name is known. This divine hardening is presented not as God causing Pharaoh's sin, but as allowing Pharaoh's own stubbornness to persist for a greater purpose.
The Bible says God 'hardens Pharaoh's heart,' which sounds like Pharaoh had no choice. How does that work with our own decisions?
This verse, and the surrounding passages, touch on one of the deepest mysteries of faith: God's sovereignty and human responsibility.
God's Active Role
When the text says God will 'harden Pharaoh's heart,' it's not just a passive permission. Commentaries suggest God's action here can mean strengthening Pharaoh's resolve in his opposition to God's will, or even a form of divine judgment that blinds him further.
Pharaoh's Own Will
However, this doesn't erase Pharaoh's own culpability. The narrative in Exodus shows Pharaoh repeatedly making choices to refuse God's commands, even before God declares He will harden his heart. He is described as hardening his own heart, making his own choices to defy the Most High.
The Purpose Behind It
God's ultimate goal in this isn't to create a puppet but to display His power. By multiplying signs and wonders, God intended for both Egyptians and Israelites to know Him. Pharaoh's stubbornness, while his own sin, becomes a canvas for God's magnificent power to be revealed.
Moses and Aaron are about to unleash powerful miracles. But what were these 'signs and wonders' for, and why so many?
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Exodus 7:3 promises a multiplication of 'signs and wonders.' These weren't just flashy magic tricks; they had specific purposes.
Proving God's Authority
The 'signs' (Hebrew: 'othoth) were miracles meant to serve as credentials, authenticating Moses and Aaron as God's messengers. They were undeniable proofs of divine power and mission, designed to convince Pharaoh and the Egyptians that this was no ordinary plea.
Demonstrating God's Power
The 'wonders' (Hebrew: môphôth) were a broader category of miracles, often associated with divine intervention and judgment. Their multiplication served to escalate the pressure on Pharaoh and demonstrate the superiority of the God of Israel over the gods of Egypt.
A Progressive Revelation
God intended a series of these events, not just one decisive act. This progression allowed for Pharaoh's repeated refusal, escalating judgment, and a more thorough revelation of God's might to all of Egypt, fulfilling His promise that 'they shall know that I am the LORD' (Exodus 7:5).
Understand the original words
qashah · Hebrew Verb
To make stubborn, resolute, or unresponsive; it often involves God confirming a person’s existing rebellious trajectory to fulfill His sovereign purposes in judgment or redemption.
mopheth · Hebrew Noun
Extraordinary events or miracles that serve as supernatural evidence of divine power, intended to authenticate a message or messenger and reveal the character of God.
yad · Hebrew Noun
A powerful demonstration of divine intervention, authority, or presence, often used to effect deliverance or execute justice upon those who oppose God.
shephatym · Hebrew Noun
A decisive legal or retributive act by God against wickedness, demonstrating His holiness and justice by vindicating the oppressed and punishing the oppressor.
This verse sits at the cusp of the dramatic confrontation between God and Pharaoh. The promise of 'signs and wonders' and the hardening of Pharaoh's heart sets the stage for the plagues, which were not just displays of power but divine judgments meant to demonstrate Jehovah's supremacy over the Egyptian gods and secure the Israelites' freedom.
c. 1550-1295 BC
New Kingdom Period
The period in Egyptian history when the Israelites were enslaved. This era saw a strong, centralized Egyptian state, capable of large-scale construction and military campaigns.
Date uncertain, possibly 15th or 13th century BC
Moses Receives His Commission
God appears to Moses at the burning bush, commissioning him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and giving him signs to prove his authority.
Date uncertain, possibly 15th or 13th century BC
First Confrontation with Pharaoh
Moses and Aaron deliver God's demand to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh dismisses them and increases the burden on the enslaved people.
Date uncertain, possibly 15th or 13th century BC— this verse
God Promises More Signs and Wonders
God forewarns Moses that He will multiply signs and wonders in Egypt and that Pharaoh's heart will be hardened, leading to judgment on Egypt.
Date uncertain, possibly 15th or 13th century BC
The Ten Plagues Begin
A series of devastating plagues are unleashed upon Egypt, demonstrating God's power and Pharaoh's stubborn resistance.
Date uncertain, possibly 15th or 13th century BC
The Exodus
After the tenth plague, Pharaoh finally relents, and the Israelites depart from Egypt, marking their liberation.
This passage is directly referenced in the commentary, establishing God's initial declaration of hardening Pharaoh's heart and setting the stage for the multiplication of signs and wonders.
Romans 9:17-18This New Testament passage echoes the concept of God hardening hearts for His purposes, specifically Pharaoh's, in order to display His power and mercy.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12This verse describes God sending a powerful delusion on those who reject the truth, which resonates with the idea of God hardening hearts as a form of judgment and consequence for willful resistance.
Joshua 11:20This passage shows God hardening the hearts of the Canaanites to meet them in battle, illustrating a pattern where God allows or causes hardened hearts to fulfill His larger redemptive plan.
clarkeExodus 7:3: "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt."
I will harden Pharaoh's heart - I will permit his stubbornness and obstinacy still to remain, that I may have the greater opportunity to multiply my wonders in the land, that the Egyptians may know that I only am Jehovah, the self-existent God. See Clarke's note on Exodus 4:21 .
ellicottExodus 7:3: "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt."
(3) I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. —See the comment on Exodus 4:21 . My signs and my wonders.—“Signs” (‘othoth) were miracles done as credentials, to prove a mission (Exodus 4:8-9; Exodus 4:30). “Wonders” (môphôth) were miracles generally; niphle’oth, also translated” wonders” (Exodus 3:20), were miracles, wrought in the way of punishment. These last are called also shôphëtiin, “judgments…
This verse subtly reveals God’s intention isn't just to punish Pharaoh, but to use the multiplying of signs and wonders to make His power undeniable, ensuring both Egyptians and Israelites would truly know Him. It’s a divine setup where Pharaoh’s stubbornness becomes the canvas for an even grander display of God's authority.
God tells Moses He will harden Pharaoh's heart, not to prevent Pharaoh from sinning, but to allow Him to display His power through many signs and wonders. These miracles, intended as credentials and judgments, aim to demonstrate God's sovereignty to both Egyptians and Israelites, ensuring His name is known. This divine hardening is presented not as God causing Pharaoh's sin, but as allowing Pharaoh's own stubbornness to persist for a greater purpose.
God tells Moses He will harden Pharaoh's heart, not to prevent Pharaoh from sinning, but to allow Him to display His power through many signs and wonders. These miracles, intended as credentials and judgments, aim to demonstrate God's sovereignty to both Egyptians and Israelites, ensuring His name is known. This divine hardening is presented not as God causing Pharaoh's sin, but as allowing Pharaoh's own stubbornness to persist for a greater purpose.
"But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of E…" — This verse subtly reveals God’s intention isn't just to punish Pharaoh, but to use the multiplying of signs and wonders to make His power undeniable, ensuring both Egyptians and Israelites would tr…
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Last reviewed October 2026
