But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "raised you up" doesn't mean God created Pharaoh for destruction, but rather that He preserved him alive, specifically to witness and experience God's overwhelming power firsthand. This preservation, despite Pharaoh's wickedness, was for the ultimate purpose of revealing God's glory and might to the entire world, making it a powerful demonstration of divine patience and ultimate justice.
But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pharaoh has just endured the plague of boils, and the situation in Egypt is escalating. God, through Moses, is sending increasingly severe plagues, yet Pharaoh's heart remains hardened. This statement from God to Moses reveals that Pharaoh's continued defiance and the escalating judgments are not random, but part of a divine plan to showcase God's power. The purpose is not to create Pharaoh for destruction, but to use his stubborn resistance to make God's might known throughout the entire world.
Pharaoh was a tyrant, a brutal oppressor. Why would God preserve such a figure instead of destroying him?
The text here reveals a profound truth about God’s sovereignty, even over His enemies. The Hebrew word often translated 'raised you up' can also mean 'made you stand' or 'preserved you.' This isn't saying God ordained Pharaoh's evil from eternity, but rather that He allowed Pharaoh to continue to exist, despite his deserving destruction. God’s purpose in this preservation was not for Pharaoh’s sake, but for His own glory.
A Deliberate Delay
God deliberately held back His full power against Pharaoh, not because Pharaoh was worthy, but so that His own power and might would be overwhelmingly displayed through the ensuing plagues and the eventual deliverance of Israel. Pharaoh was allowed to continue his defiance to become a stark, undeniable testament to God’s absolute authority and power. It’s a sobering thought: God’s purposes can even use the rebellion of defiant rulers to showcase His glory to the entire world.
Pharaoh's story didn't just impact Egypt and Israel. It was meant for 'all the earth.' How does this ancient event echo through time?
The ultimate goal stated in this verse is not simply to defeat Pharaoh or free Israel, but to proclaim God’s name. What does that mean?
More Than Just a Name
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'His name' in the Bible signifies His character, His reputation, His being. By contrasting His power with Pharaoh’s arrogance and through the mighty acts of deliverance, God was making Himself known. He revealed His justice in punishing Pharaoh’s cruelty, His patience in enduring his defiance, His faithfulness in keeping His promises to Abraham’s descendants, and His overwhelming power in bringing about their freedom.
This proclamation wasn't limited to the people living at that time. The narrative of the Exodus, with God’s mighty acts displayed through Pharaoh’s stubbornness, was intended to be a story told and retold, echoing through history to establish God’s reputation for power and faithfulness across all generations and lands.
Understand the original words
he'emadtika · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, this refers to the divine sovereignty of God in orchestrating human events, including the placement of leaders, to accomplish His ultimate redemptive purposes. It signifies that God is in control of history and uses even the defiance of the wicked to manifest His glory.
kochi · Hebrew Noun
The inherent capability, authority, and divine force of God. It refers to His ability to act decisively in creation and history to exert His will, often manifested in miraculous intervention.
shemi · Hebrew Noun
This represents the entirety of God's character, reputation, authority, and presence. To make His name known is to reveal His nature and sovereignty to the nations.
This verse isn't about God creating Pharaoh for evil, but about God preserving Pharaoh's life through a series of devastating plagues, specifically to showcase His supreme power and ensure His name is known across the entire earth.
c. 1550–1250 BC
Israelites in Egyptian Bondage
The Israelites, descendants of Jacob, have grown into a large population in the land of Goshen, but a new dynasty of Pharaohs views them with suspicion and reduces them to harsh servitude. Their suffering sets the stage for God's intervention.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God commissions Moses to confront Pharaoh, demanding the release of the Israelites. The ensuing conflict involves ten devastating plagues and culminates in the miraculous departure of millions of Israelites from Egypt.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
The Plague of Hail
Pharaoh's continued refusal to let the Israelites go triggers the seventh plague: a devastating hail mixed with fire, destroying everything left in the fields. This plague directly precedes the message in Exodus 9:16.
c. 1446 BC
Pharaoh's Stubbornness
Despite the catastrophic plagues, Pharaoh repeatedly hardens his heart, refusing to release the Israelites. This persistent defiance is the backdrop against which God declares His purpose for Pharaoh.
c. 1446 BC
The Great Proclamation
Following the Exodus, God's mighty acts become known throughout the surrounding nations, fulfilling His stated purpose to reveal His power and name to all the earth.
This passage directly quotes Exodus 9:16, highlighting how God 'raised up' Pharaoh not for evil, but to display His power and make His name known throughout the earth.
Psalm 76:10This psalm speaks to how human rage will ultimately be used by God to His glory, echoing the theme that even Pharaoh's defiance served to demonstrate God's supreme power.
Isaiah 10:5-19This passage describes God using the king of Assyria as an instrument of His wrath, similar to how Pharaoh was used to display God's power and judge his own arrogance.
Revelation 11:15This verse describes the proclamation that the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, reflecting the ultimate fulfillment of God's name being proclaimed universally, a process initiated by events like the Exodus.
clarkeExodus 9:16: "And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth."
But truly, on this very account, have I caused thee to subsist - (העמדחיך heemadticha), that I might cause thee to see my power, (הראתך את כחי harotheca eth cochi), and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth, (or, בכל הארץ becol haarets, in all this land). See Ainsworth and Houbigant. Thus God gave this impious king to…
bensonExodus 9:16: "And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth."
Exodus 9:16 . For this cause have I raised thee up — A most dreadful message Moses is here ordered to deliver to him, whether he will hear, or whether he will forbear. He must tell him that he is marked for ruin: that he now stands as the butt at which God would shoot all the arrows of his wrath. For this cause I raised thee up — To the t…
The phrase "raised you up" doesn't mean God created Pharaoh for destruction, but rather that He preserved him alive, specifically to witness and experience God's overwhelming power firsthand. This preservation, despite Pharaoh's wickedness, was for the ultimate purpose of revealing God's glory and might to the entire world, making it a powerful demonstration of divine patience and ultimate justice.
Pharaoh has just endured the plague of boils, and the situation in Egypt is escalating. God, through Moses, is sending increasingly severe plagues, yet Pharaoh's heart remains hardened. This statement from God to Moses reveals that Pharaoh's continued defiance and the escalating judgments are not random, but part of a divine plan to showcase God's power. The purpose is not to create Pharaoh for destruction, but to use his stubborn resistance to make God's might known throughout the entire world.
Pharaoh has just endured the plague of boils, and the situation in Egypt is escalating. God, through Moses, is sending increasingly severe plagues, yet Pharaoh's heart remains hardened. This statement from God to Moses reveals that Pharaoh's continued defiance and the escalating judgments are not random, but part of a divine plan to showcase God's power. The purpose is not to create Pharaoh for destruction, but to use his stubborn resistance to make God's might known throughout the entire world.
"But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." — The phrase "raised you up" doesn't mean God created Pharaoh for destruction, but rather that He preserved him alive, specifically to witness and experience God's overwhelming power firsthand. Thi…
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Last reviewed October 2026