Exo 8:15 | NETfull | STEP | But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

Exodus 8:15

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, ^{▼▼ The word רְוָחָה (r^evakhah) means “respite, relief.” BDB 926 relates it to the verb רָוַח (ravakh, “to be wide, spacious”). There would be relief when there was freedom to move about.} he hardened ^{▼▼ וְהַכְבֵּד (v^ehakhbed) is a Hiphil infinitive absolute, functioning as a finite verb. The meaning of the word is “to make heavy,” and so stubborn, sluggish, indifferent. It summarizes his attitude and the outcome, that he refused to keep his promises.} his heart and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted. ^{▼▼ The end of the plague revealed clearly God’s absolute control over Egypt’s life and deities – all at the power of the man who prayed to God. Yahweh had made life unpleasant for the people by sending the plague, but he was also the one who could remove it. The only recourse anyone has in such trouble is to pray to the sovereign Lord God. Everyone should know that there is no one like Yahweh.}