Exodus 7:3 kjv
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 7:3 nkjv
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 7:3 niv
But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt,
Exodus 7:3 esv
But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
Exodus 7:3 nlt
But I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 7 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 4:21 | And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh... but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.” | God's foretelling of Pharaoh's hardened heart. |
| Ex 9:12 | But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart; and he did not listen to them... | God's direct action in hardening Pharaoh's heart. |
| Ex 10:1 | Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine among them...” | God's purpose for hardening: display signs. |
| Ex 14:4 | Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army... | God's purpose: gaining glory over Pharaoh. |
| Ex 14:17 | As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians... that I may gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army... | God hardens Egyptians' hearts for glory. |
| Deut 2:30 | But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate... | God hardening hearts in other contexts (Sihon). |
| Josh 11:20 | For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts to come against Israel in battle, in order that he might utterly destroy them... | God hardening hearts for judgment. |
| 1 Sam 6:6 | Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? | Warning against hardening one's own heart. |
| Prov 28:14 | How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. | Danger of self-hardening. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim... | Prophetic declaration of hardening unto judgment. |
| John 12:40 | “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they will not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I would heal them.” | New Testament echo of divine hardening (quotation from Isaiah). |
| Rom 9:15 | For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” | God's sovereign choice in salvation and hardening. |
| Rom 9:18 | So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. | Direct New Testament teaching on God's sovereignty to harden. |
| Rom 9:22 | What if God, desiring to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? | God uses hardened individuals to display power. |
| Heb 3:7-8 | Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me...” | Warning against hardening one's own heart. |
| Ex 3:20 | So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. | God's plan for signs before Pharaoh's release. |
| Deut 4:34 | Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders, and by war... just as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? | God demonstrating power through signs to a nation. |
| Ps 78:43 | When He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan... | Remembering God's mighty signs in Egypt. |
| Ps 105:27 | They performed His signs among them and wonders in the land of Ham. | Echoes of God's signs and wonders in Egypt. |
| Joel 2:30-31 | I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood... | God displaying wonders in final judgment. |
| Acts 2:22 | Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst... | Miracles and wonders as divine attestation in NT. |
| Ex 6:7 | Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. | God's ultimate purpose: for Israel to know Him. |
Exodus 7 verses
Exodus 7 3 Meaning
Exodus 7:3 declares God's deliberate intention to harden Pharaoh's heart, not allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt easily. This divine act serves to provide the context for God to display an abundance of miraculous signs and wonders in the land. The purpose is multifaceted: to demonstrate God's unparalleled power over Pharaoh, Egypt, and its gods; to glorify His name among all nations; and ultimately, to secure the release of His people through overwhelming judgment. This hardening is portrayed as a specific, pre-ordained action by God, enabling the unfolding of His redemptive plan through the ten plagues.
Exodus 7 3 Context
Exodus 7:3 is nestled within God's instructions to Moses and Aaron for their confrontation with Pharaoh. The preceding verses (Ex 7:1-2) establish Moses and Aaron as God's divine representatives, acting with His authority to speak His commands to Pharaoh. God already informed Moses in Ex 4:21 that He would harden Pharaoh's heart. This specific verse (Ex 7:3) reaffirms this intention and explicitly links the hardening of Pharaoh's heart to the purpose of multiplying God's signs and wonders. It's a clear declaration that God's plan is not to immediately compel Pharaoh, but to prolong the confrontation, thereby demonstrating His absolute sovereignty and power. The broader historical context is the deeply entrenched oppression of the Israelites in Egypt for centuries, under the rule of Pharaoh, who was considered a god. The coming plagues, initiated after this statement, directly challenged the supposed power of Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, revealing the Lord as the one true God.
Exodus 7 3 Word analysis
- But I will: This emphasizes God's active, deliberate, and sovereign involvement. It is a direct divine declaration, asserting absolute control over the situation and over Pharaoh's will.
- harden: The Hebrew word often used here, qashah (קָשָׁה), means to be hard, severe, stiff, or stubborn. Other times, especially as the plagues progress, chazaq (חָזַק), meaning to strengthen, make firm, or grow hard, is used. This implies both a moral stubbornness and a divinely imparted obstinacy. God takes Pharaoh's existing resistant nature and strengthens it, making him less amenable to yielding. This is a judicial hardening, preparing him for the full display of God's power.
- Pharaoh's heart: The "heart" (lev, לֵב) in biblical Hebrew refers to the center of a person's being, including intellect, will, emotions, and moral character. To harden Pharaoh's heart means God affected his innermost resolve, making him increasingly defiant against God's command.
- and multiply: The Hebrew rabah (רָבָה) means to increase, make great, or become numerous. This signifies an escalation, not just a few wonders, but many and mighty demonstrations of divine power, intensified over time.
- My signs: 'Ot (אוֹת) refers to a sign or token. These are deeds or events that convey meaning, point to a divine reality, or authenticate a message. They serve as divine attestations to God's presence, authority, and ultimate plan.
- and My wonders: Mophet (מוֹפֵת) refers to a wonder, portent, or miracle. These are extraordinary events that inspire awe, indicating a divine work beyond natural explanation. They serve to create a profound impact on observers.
- in the land of Egypt: This specific geographic mention highlights the visible and undeniable nature of God's work. The plagues were not private events but public spectacles, designed to be witnessed by Egyptians and Israelites alike, demonstrating God's dominion over the entire nation and its realm.
Words-group analysis:
- "But I will harden Pharaoh's heart": This phrase asserts God's pre-determined sovereign action, removing any doubt about who is in ultimate control of the unfolding events. It highlights that God is not merely reacting to Pharaoh's stubbornness but proactively setting the stage for His greater purposes.
- "and multiply My signs and My wonders": This emphasizes the sheer quantity and powerful nature of the divine acts that are to follow. It connects the hardening directly to the display of God's glory and power, suggesting a deliberate plan where Pharaoh's resistance enables a fuller revelation of God. The terms "signs" and "wonders" are often paired, with "signs" indicating the revelatory meaning and "wonders" emphasizing their awe-inspiring and miraculous nature.
Exodus 7 3 Bonus section
The repeated emphasis on God hardening Pharaoh's heart, or Pharaoh hardening his own heart, throughout the plague narratives is significant. Initially, Pharaoh hardens his own heart (e.g., Ex 8:15, 8:32). As the plagues progress, the text shifts to stating that God hardened Pharaoh's heart (e.g., Ex 9:12, 10:20). This progression reveals that while human beings possess free will and can resist God, there comes a point where God Himself intervenes to harden a heart further, often as a judicial act. This allows His divine judgment to be fully displayed and His name to be glorified across the earth (Ex 9:16). This hardening serves a redemptive purpose for Israel and an evidential purpose for all who would know the Lord, establishing His power and proving His sovereignty over all creation, including the most powerful ruler on earth.
Exodus 7 3 Commentary
Exodus 7:3 provides a crucial theological framework for understanding the Exodus narrative, especially the plagues. It reveals that God's intention was not simply to liberate Israel by force, but to accomplish this in a way that maximizes the revelation of His unique power and glory, not only to Israel but also to Egypt and surrounding nations. Pharaoh's hardened heart, a combination of his inherent defiance and God's judicial strengthening of that defiance, serves as the divine instrument for this greater purpose. This does not absolve Pharaoh of his moral responsibility, as earlier passages show him hardening his own heart, but highlights God's sovereignty even over human will. The multiplication of signs and wonders discredits Egyptian gods, breaks Pharaoh's proud spirit, educates Israel about their God, and showcases the Lord as the true, almighty God who exercises dominion over all creation. It teaches that even the resistance of the wicked can be integrated into God's ultimate plan for good and glory.