And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

EXODUS 10:1KJV
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Exodus 10:1 (KJV)

What does Exodus 10:1 mean?

Exodus 10:1 presents the next meeting with Pharaoh as part of the LORD’s purpose to display his signs. The LORD tells Moses that Pharaoh and his officials have been made resistant, yet Moses is to approach Pharaoh again.

The “heart” here refers to more than feelings. It points to the inner resolve behind a person’s decisions. After Pharaoh’s response to the previous plague, Moses is sent back into a court whose resistance includes not only its ruler but also his servants.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 10:1

  • “hardened” — כָּבֵד (kaved): This word can carry the sense of making something heavy. Here, the picture of a heavy heart conveys a settled resistance rather than a momentary hesitation.
  • “heart” — לֵב (lev): This word can refer to a person’s inner life, including thought and will. In this verse, it helps explain why the LORD speaks of Pharaoh’s heart in connection with his response to Moses.
  • “signs” — אוֹת (ot): A sign is something that points beyond itself. The word presents the coming acts as meaningful displays, not merely unusual events.

Why Exodus 10:1 matters

  • Pharaoh’s servants are included in the resistance. The verse names “the heart of his servants” alongside Pharaoh’s, drawing attention to the officials around the king.
  • The signs are presented as deliberate displays. The words “that I might shew” connect the hardening with the LORD’s stated purpose of placing signs before Pharaoh.
  • The wider passage gives an audience beyond Pharaoh a reason to remember. Exodus 10:2 speaks of telling children and grandchildren what happened in Egypt.

Where else these words appear

“signs” Hebrew H226 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
  • Deuteronomy 4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
  • Psalms 65:8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

“shew” Hebrew H7896 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
  • Job 14:13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
  • Psalms 88:8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

“hardened” Hebrew H3513 · used in 109 verses

  • Genesis 13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
  • 2 Samuel 10:3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?
  • Proverbs 12:9 He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.