I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow. The word distinction — pedut in Hebrew — appears only here in the Torah; it is related to the word for redemption. The distinction God makes between Israel and Egypt is a redemptive act, a separation that constitutes salvation. Leviticus 20:26 later uses the language of separation to describe Israel's holiness: I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. The separation from Egypt — beginning geographically at Goshen, climaxing at the Red Sea — is the founding act of Israel's identity as a people set apart. The sign occurring tomorrow echoes the tomorrow Pharaoh chose for the removal of the frogs. God works on human schedules when they demonstrate trust; He announces His own schedule when they demonstrate arrogance.

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