Exodus 10:11 kjv
Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
Exodus 10:11 nkjv
Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
Exodus 10:11 niv
No! Have only the men go and worship the LORD, since that's what you have been asking for." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence.
Exodus 10:11 esv
No! Go, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you are asking." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
Exodus 10:11 nlt
Never! Only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you requested." And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.
Exodus 10 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 7:14 | "...Pharaoh's heart is hardened..." | Pharaoh's ongoing stubbornness. |
| Exod 8:1 | "Let My people go, that they may serve Me." | God's demand for all people. |
| Exod 10:9 | "We must go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters..." | Moses' original, uncompromising demand. |
| Exod 10:24 | Pharaoh attempts another compromise: "only your flocks and herds stay." | Pharaoh's continued attempts at limiting. |
| Exod 12:31 | "...Go, serve the LORD, as you have said..." | Pharaoh finally relents, sending everyone. |
| Deut 6:5 | "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul..." | God requires complete devotion, not partial. |
| Deut 10:12 | "...to walk in all His ways and to love Him..." | Full devotion demanded. |
| 1 Sam 15:22-23 | "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings... as in obeying...?" | Partial obedience is rebellion. |
| Prov 14:12 | "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." | Pharaoh's misguided compromise. |
| Isa 29:13 | "...their reverence for me is only human tradition learned by rote." | Worship with only men would be incomplete. |
| Matt 4:10 | "...Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." | No divided loyalties, total worship required. |
| Matt 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters..." | Impossibility of partial service to God. |
| Matt 19:21 | "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess... then come, follow me." | Call to total commitment; no partial surrender. |
| Matt 22:37 | "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul..." | God demands totality, no partial service. |
| Luke 4:8 | "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." | Reiterates total worship of God alone. |
| John 8:44 | "...He is a liar and the father of lies." | Pharaoh's manipulation and twisted words. |
| Acts 4:19-20 | "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God..." | God's authority over human rulers. |
| Acts 5:29 | "We must obey God rather than men." | Obedience to God overrides human decrees. |
| Rom 9:17-18 | "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power..." | God's sovereign plan for Pharaoh's hardening. |
| Rom 12:1-2 | "...present your bodies as a living sacrifice... not be conformed to this world..." | Call for complete dedication and separation. |
| 2 Cor 6:14 | "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers..." | Separation from worldly compromise. |
| Gal 5:1 | "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free..." | True freedom is from all bondage. |
| Col 2:8 | "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy..." | Warning against worldly schemes and deceit. |
| Heb 12:14 | "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." | Requires a consecrated life. |
| 1 Pet 5:8 | "...your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion..." | Pharaoh's tactic mirrors the adversary's schemes. |
Exodus 10 verses
Exodus 10 11 Meaning
Exodus 10:11 describes Pharaoh's cunning concession to Moses and Aaron. He permits only the adult men of Israel to depart and "serve the LORD," asserting that this limited request aligns with what they have been "asking." This offer is a calculated strategy to retain Israel's families and livestock as hostages, thereby ensuring the men's return. It highlights Pharaoh's persistent defiance of God's absolute demand for the complete liberation of all His people and their possessions for unhindered worship. This partial allowance represents a direct manipulation, masquerading as generosity, and serves to test Moses' and God's resolve, reflecting the world's common tactic of offering limited "freedom" in defiance of true divine command.
Exodus 10 11 Context
Exodus 10:11 falls in the midst of the escalating plagues against Egypt. The eighth plague, locusts, has just devastated the remaining crops and vegetation (Exod 10:1-7). Pharaoh's advisors, witnessing the utter ruin, urged him to let the Israelites go, saying, "Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?" (Exod 10:7). Under this immense pressure and facing widespread destruction, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron back for further negotiation. He knew he had to offer a concession but refused to surrender completely. This verse is Pharaoh's attempted counter-offer to God's non-negotiable demand that all Israel depart. It reflects his deep-seated desire to retain power, control the Israelites' return, and maintain Egypt's economic stability by holding families and livestock hostage, revealing his hardened heart despite the catastrophic judgments.
Exodus 10 11 Word analysis
- Go now: (לְכוּ-נָא - lekū-nā) A imperative, but delivered as a reluctant, conditional permission by Pharaoh. The adverb "now" conveys a sense of immediate, though limited, relief from the pressure he's experiencing. It implies an attempt to regain control of the situation.
- you men: (הַגְּבָרִים - ha-gĕbārîm) This is the critical restrictive term. Gebārîm specifically refers to adult males, warriors, or able-bodied men, in contrast to a more general term for "people" (like 'anashim or 'am). Pharaoh is intentionally excluding women, children, and livestock. This demonstrates his strategy to cripple Israel's ability to truly emigrate, preventing family units from establishing new lives and retaining their dependents and wealth as collateral for the men's guaranteed return to slavery. It attempts to dismantle the integrity of the family unit, which is central to Israelite society and God's covenant with them.
- and serve the LORD: (וְעִבְדוּ אֶת-יְהוָה - wĕ'ivdū et-YHWH) Pharaoh begrudgingly acknowledges the stated purpose. The verb 'avad means to serve, work, or worship. By limiting who can serve, Pharaoh implies that their worship is negotiable and falls under his jurisdiction, directly challenging YHWH's universal sovereignty and the freedom of His worshippers. This is not true worship as demanded by God, which encompasses the whole person, family, and possessions.
- for that is what you have been asking: (כִּי הִיא הַבְּקֵשָׁה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם מְבַקְשִׁים - kî hî ha-bĕqēshāh 'asher 'attem mĕbaqqĕshîm) Pharaoh manipulates the truth here. While Moses had asked to "serve the LORD," he always stipulated that all of Israel—young, old, men, women, flocks, and herds—must go (Exod 10:9). Pharaoh twisting the request is an attempt to frame his partial, calculated concession as a fulfillment of their demand, portraying himself as benevolent while undermining their full freedom. It's a psychological tactic to imply satisfaction for the Israelites and moral superiority for himself.
Exodus 10 11 Bonus section
The "men only" proposal in Exodus 10:11 is a classic tactic of the adversary to weaken faith and prevent full commitment. It represents the worldly system's attempts to grant a limited "religious freedom" that separates genuine spiritual practice from family life, finances, or societal engagement, thereby neutering the impact of faith. Pharaoh's demand to leave women, children, and livestock behind ensured Egypt would retain future generations of slaves and essential economic assets. This reflects how spiritual compromise often targets future generations and material resources, attempting to constrain the worshiper's capacity for full devotion, support for the kingdom, and lasting impact on the world. The narrative underscores that God's plan for His people is holistic freedom—spiritual, familial, and economic—for Him to be fully honored.
Exodus 10 11 Commentary
Exodus 10:11 epitomizes Pharaoh's continued hardening of heart through manipulative bargaining. After the devastating plague of locusts, Pharaoh, under immense pressure, makes a calculated concession, allowing only the Israelite men to leave for worship. This selective release directly opposes God's unyielding demand for all His people—including women, children, and livestock—to depart freely and fully. Pharaoh's offer reveals his strategy: he wants to break the solidarity of the Israelite community, ensure their eventual return by holding their families and wealth hostage, and assert his authority even over divine worship.
This is a theological confrontation: Pharaoh attempts to dictate terms to YHWH, portraying Himself as the ultimate authority, thus denying YHWH's sovereignty. His "concession" is not true freedom but a conditional bondage. This illustrates a universal principle that God demands absolute obedience and complete surrender, not partial compliance or negotiated worship. Just as Israel could not serve the Lord truly with a divided house, believers today are called to wholehearted devotion without holding back any part of their lives or possessions. This refusal to accept compromise mirrors God's unchanging nature and His demand for unreserved faith.