The Divine Hardening of Pharaoh

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1 Copyright 2011 by 1 The Divine Hardening of Pharaoh The hardening of Pharaoh s heart in Exodus 7-12 has become a major passage in the theological discussion of free will and predestination, especially since Paul specifically discusses it in Romans 9. The point of this article is not to wrestle with predestination but to talk about, on a literary level, what it meant for Pharaoh s heart to be hardened by himself and by Yahweh in the context of the plagues and the book of Exodus. The Nature of Divine Hardening In the ancient culture the heart was known not only as the center of one s emotions but also the seat of the will. When the scriptures state that Yahweh hardened Pharaoh s heart, the idea is that He is strengthening Pharaoh s will. Pharaoh has already decided to reject Yahweh, and so Yahweh strengthens or reinforces that choice in order to judge Pharaoh and glorify Himself. Divine hardening is never arbitrarily implemented, but it comes in response to rejection of Yahweh s authoritative word or standards. While it is true that God desires all men to repent and be saved (Ezk. 33:11; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9), it is equally true that God reserves the right to judge sin and the sinner whenever He desires It is really the mercy of God that allows the sinner to continue to live. 1 The biblical account pictures Pharaoh from the start as a self-willed, obstinate man who persistently resisted Yahweh. Six times Yahweh issued demands and warnings to Pharaoh, giving him the chance to repent. Each time Pharaoh refused (at times even hardening his own heart), thus he placed himself in a position to be hardened. Although there were times that Pharaoh did harden his own heart, it was Yahweh who first hardened Pharaoh. Yahweh hardened Pharaoh in response to his rejection of His commandments. Thus, the divine hardening was a form of judgment for his choosing to rebel and reject Yahweh. In fact, five times Yahweh reversed a seemingly positive response by Pharaoh. However, these times of yielding by Pharaoh were a result of hast and panic and not a genuine fear of Yahweh. In the end Yahweh kept Pharaoh alive in order to draw the event out so that He might reveal His greatness through humiliating and defeating Pharaoh. Morally, God is fully vindicated in any act by virtue of His very nature. As God of love and mercy, He will permit the sinner to live even though that sinner may resist a life-long revelation of truth. On the other hand, as a God of holiness He has the inalienable right to punish sin and the sinner at any point in his life. 2 1 John J. Davis. Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus, p John J. Davis. Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus, p. 143.

2 Divine Hardening of Pharaoh 2 The Cycles There are five cycles of Yahweh hardening Pharaoh s heart, each of which begins with an ultimatum and ends with divine hardening. 3 In each cycle Yahweh issues an ultimatum to which Pharaoh through his own choice refused Yahweh s demand. Yahweh then responded by hardening Pharaoh s heart and then demonstrating His power and glory through a plague or a series of plagues. After each scenario Yahweh released Pharaoh s will and issued another ultimatum, beginning the next cycle, and allowing Pharaoh to refuse again through his own free will. Four times in Exodus 4-14 Yahweh declares that He would harden the heart of Pharaoh and/or the Egyptians (Ex. 4:21; 7:3; 14:14, 17), and six verses describe Him as having done so (Ex. 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8). Three verses state that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34). Six verses attribute hardness to his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:19; 9:7, 35). Prelude (1:1-4:31) Yahweh announced His intention to deliver His people (Ex. 3:1-18). Exodus 1-2 depict the Egyptians as extremely hostile to Israel. Yahweh anticipated Pharaoh s resistance and announced His judgments on Egypt (Ex. 3:19-22). Yahweh commissioned Moses to deliver His people, yet He told him that Pharaoh would not let the people go until he was forced to do so by a series of mighty deeds. Yahweh had more in mind than just mere deliverance, for His larger purpose is explained later in Ex. 9: Yahweh announced His intention to harden Pharaoh (Ex. 4:21-23). As Moses journeyed toward Egypt, Yahweh announced that He would harden Pharaoh s heart. At first glance this statement seems contradictory to the statement of Ex. 3: This tension will not be relieved until later when Yahweh would reveal that He wanted to display His power to the watching world so that all would know that He was the one true God. Cycle One (5:1-7:24) First ultimatum Yahweh demanded that Pharaoh let Israel go to celebrate a festival to Himself (Ex. 5:1). Pharaoh s arrogant question and affirmation make it clear that he did not view himself as being subject to Yahweh. Refusal Pharaoh answered, Who is Yahweh that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know Yahweh, and I will not release Israel (Ex. 5:2). Divine hardening had not happened yet because Ex. 5:2 makes no mention of Yahweh s involvement, so it is better to view Pharaoh s action as autonomous. Furthermore, Ex. 4:21 clearly states that divine hardening would follow the signs Moses would perform before Pharaoh. Announcements Yahweh announced His intention to deliver His people so that Israel might recognize Him as their ever-present Helper (Ex. 6:6-8). Yahweh announced His intention to harden Pharaoh so that his question would be answered in no uncertain terms and the Egyptian ruler would be forced to acknowledge Yahweh s superiority and sovereignty (Ex. 7:1-5). 3 The cycles of Pharaoh s hardening below are a summary from Chisholm, Robert. Divine Hardening in the Old Testament. in Bibliotheca Sacra, October-December, 1996.

3 Divine Hardening of Pharaoh 3 Divine Hardening Pharaoh should have detected the symbolism of the initial sign, yet he was obstinate and rejected the sign because Yahweh had hardened his heart (Ex. 7:8-13). Though Pharaoh s hardness is written from the standpoint of an observer who saw his obstinate response, Ex. 7:13 informs the reader that Yahweh was behind the hardening, just as Yahweh had predicted. This recalls Yahweh s previous announcement (Ex. 4:21-23). Divine Hardening Yahweh turned the Nile into blood, which had no impact on Pharaoh because Yahweh had hardened his heart (Ex. 7:14-24). Again the statement just as Yahweh had said (Ex. 7:22) informs the reader of the real reason and connects it to the previous hardening of Ex. 7:13. Cycle Two (7:25-8:19) Second ultimatum seven days later Yahweh demanded that Pharaoh release His people and warned that refusal would bring another plague (Ex. 8:2-4). The if statement shows that Pharaoh could have avoided this plague by submitting. This also suggests that Pharaoh had the ability and free will to make such a decision. Refusal Pharaoh s failure to respond prompted the second plague of the frogs (Ex. 8:5-7). The omission has a rhetorical function, as if the author were saying, I won t even bother reporting the actual delivery of the message and Pharaoh s response. You know he did not even listen. There is no mention made at this point of Yahweh s hardening activity, so it seems that Pharaoh was acting autonomously as in Ex. 5:2. Yielding and Divine Hardening the second plague caused Pharaoh to yield (Ex. 8:8-14), but when the plague was removed he reneged on his promise because Yahweh had hardened his heart (Ex. 8:15). The verb form (Hiphil) is used in the sense of to make unyielding or unresponsive. This is the verb form employed when Pharaoh hardened his heart after relenting (as in Ex. 8:32 and 9:34). From the observer s point of view, Pharaoh was not just obstinate; rather he clearly changed from an apparently willing posture to an obstinate one. Yet Ex. 8:15 informs the reader of the real reason. Divine Hardening the third plague of gnats came with no warning as a response to Pharaoh s previous response (Ex. 8:1-4). This had no impact on Pharaoh for Yahweh had hardened his heart, just as Yahweh had predicted. (Ex. 8:19). There was no visible shift in Pharaoh s attitude in this case for this hardening was a continuation from Ex. 8:15 (accounting for the intransitive construction in Ex. 8:19). Cycle Three (8:20-9:12) Third ultimatum Yahweh demanded that Pharaoh release His people and warned that refusal would bring another plague (Ex. 8:20-23). Once again the if statement suggests that Pharaoh could choose of his own free will. Refusal Pharaoh s refusal to respond prompted the fourth plague of the flies (Ex. 8:24). No mention is made of divine hardening here, implying that Pharaoh was once again acting autonomously and so predictably that the author could telescope the story. Yielding and Self-hardening the fourth plague caused Pharaoh to yield (Ex. 8:25-29), but when the plague was removed, he hardened his own heart and reneges on his promise (Ex. 8:30-32). Again the verb form (Hiphil) is used to show the visible shift in Pharaoh s attitude and that he

4 Divine Hardening of Pharaoh 4 had hardened his own heart. Once again the absence of any mention of Yahweh s involvement demonstrates that Pharaoh is acting autonomously here. Ultimatum four Yahweh demanded that Pharaoh release His people and warns that refusal will bring another plague (Ex. 9:1-5). Again the if statement suggests that Pharaoh was able to choose of his own free will. Refusal Pharaoh s failure to respond prompted the fifth plague of disease (Ex. 9:6). Self-hardening the fifth plague had no impact on Pharaoh because his heart was hardened (Ex. 9:7). Once more the absence of any mention of divine hardening shows Pharaoh s autonomy at this point, but that was about to change. The hardening noted in Ex. 8:32 may continue through this pericope, but it is a self-hardening at this point, not divine. Divine Hardening this prompted the sixth plague of the boils, which had no impact on Pharaoh because Yahweh hardened his heart (Ex. 9:8-12). With the coming of this plague Yahweh did not give Pharaoh an ultimatum. This sets the tone for the second panel of plagues (Ex. 9:6-10), which depicts Yahweh as taking a far more active role in Pharaoh s hardening. 4 Cycle Four (9:13-35) Ultimatum Five Yahweh demanded that Pharaoh release His people and warned that refusal would bring another plague (Ex. 9:13-21). An if clause is omitted in Ex. 9:14, but a condition is implied. The absence of the conditional element stresses the urgency with which Pharaoh should respond. Yahweh boasted that He could have wiped Pharaoh and the Egyptians from the earth by now (Ex. 9:15). Instead He prolonged His judgments so that He might reveal His power and name throughout the earth. Refusal Pharaoh s failure to respond prompted the seventh plague of hail (Ex. 9:22-26). Despite all that Yahweh had said, Pharaoh continued to resist the awesome power of Yahweh and stand against Him. Yielding and Divine Hardening the seventh plague caused Pharaoh to yield (Ex. 9:27-28), yet Moses knew that Pharaoh and the Egyptians did not yet fear Yahweh God. (Ex. 9:30). This hardening came from Yahweh, as indicated by the statement as Yahweh had spoken through Moses (Ex. 9:35). (The Hiphil is used again, for the hardening came after he relented.) Cycle Five (10:1-14:31) Sixth ultimatum Yahweh announced to Moses that He had hardened the hearts of Pharaoh and his officials so that Israel might know that He is Yahweh through the revelation of His miraculous deeds (Ex. 10:1-2). This statement alludes to the divine hardening in Ex. 9:34-35, but it also points to what would soon transpire. Yahweh demanded that Pharaoh release His people and warned that refusal would bring another plague (Ex. 10:4-6). Notice the if shows that Pharaoh had a genuine ability to make a choice; however, this would be his last chance. Refusal Pharaoh initially yielded, but then refused (Ex. 10:7-11), prompting the eighth plague of locusts (Ex. 10:12-15). Yielding and Divine Hardening the eighth plague caused Pharaoh to yield (Ex. 10:16-17), but when the plague was removed, he reneged on his promise because Yahweh had hardened his 4 For the first time in the narrative, Yahweh is the subject of a preterit form of the verb harden (in the Piel stem).

5 Divine Hardening of Pharaoh 5 heart (Ex. 10:18-20). The style deviates from earlier references to divine hardening. For the second time in the narrative, Yahweh appears as the subject of a preterit form of harden (see Ex. 9:12). However, the additional comment as Yahweh had said, is omitted. The prediction of Ex. 4:21 is clearly being fulfilled now and no reminder is needed. Yielding and Divine Hardening without warning Yahweh brought the ninth plague of darkness (Ex. 10:21-23). Pharaoh initially yielded (Ex. 10:24), but then he reneged on his promise because Yahweh had hardened his heart (Ex. 10:25-29). Yielding and Divine Hardening Yahweh announced and brought the tenth plague. Pharaoh yielded and released the people, but then Yahweh hardened him and the Egyptians again, leading them to destruction (Ex ).