“And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
Moses answered: as soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord. Moses agrees to pray and announces the result: tomorrow the flies will leave. Then he adds a warning: do not act deceitfully again. It is the first time Moses has used the language of deceit to Pharaoh's face — the Hebrew word ta'el, to deal treacherously, is a covenant term. Moses is reminding Pharaoh that the pattern of asking for relief and then breaking his word is not merely politically unreliable; it is morally treacherous in the covenantal sense. Proverbs 26:24–26 describes the one who conceals hatred with deceptive speech — Pharaoh's pattern of false concession fits exactly.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
0/2000
No notes on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!