Exodus 10:25 · Bible study
Exodus 10:25 Commentary: Why Moses Demands Pharaoh Provide Sacrifices
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Moses insists Pharaoh himself must supply the sacrifices for Israel's worship.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Moses demands that Pharaoh himself supply the animals for sacrifice, refusing any compromise that leaves control in the king's hands.
- Key words: attah (you, emphatic), titten (you will give), zevachim and olot (sacrifices and burnt offerings), the pronoun shifts the burden onto Pharaoh.
- Main debate: Whether Moses is asking for Pharaoh's own animals (Cambridge) or simply insisting that the Israelites take their own flocks (Gill). Both agree no livestock stays.
- Theological theme: Total allegiance in worship; God alone has the right to define sacrifice.
- Best use: Preaching on the cost of discipleship, the danger of half-hearted commitment, and God's sovereignty over human rulers.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But Moses replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.
KJV King James Version 1769
And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Moses said, Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto Jehovah our God.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and Moses saith, `Thou also dost give in our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, and we have prepared for Jehovah our God;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Moses said, Thou must give also sacrifices and burnt-offerings into our hands, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Moses said: Thou shalt give us also sacrifices and burnt-offerings, to the Lord our God.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y Moisés respondió: Tú también nos entregarás sacrificios y holocaustos que sacrifiquemos á Jehová nuestro Dios.
E Moisés respondeu: Tu também nos entregarás sacrifícios e holocaustos para que sacrifiquemos ao SENHOR nosso Deus.
Moïse répondit: Tu mettras toi-même entre nos mains de quoi faire les sacrifices et les holocaustes que nous offrirons à l’ Éternel, notre Dieu.
Mose sprach: Du mußt uns auch Opfer und Brandopfer geben, die wir unserm Gott, dem HERRN, tun mögen.
Doch Mozes zeide: Ook zult gij slachtofferen en brandofferen in onze handen geven, die wij den HEERE, onzen God, doen mogen;
E Mosè disse: “Tu ci devi anche concedere di prendere di che fare de’ sacrifizi e degli olocausti, perché possiamo offrire sacrifizi all’Eterno, ch’è l’Iddio nostro.
I odpowiedział Mojżesz: Owszem ty dasz do rąk naszych ofiary i całopalenia, które ofiarować będziemy Panu, Bogu naszemu.
Но Моисей сказал: [нет,] дай также в руки наши жертвы и всесожжения, чтобы принести Господу Богу нашему;
摩西 說：「你 總要 把祭物 和燔祭牲 交 給我們，使我們可以祭祀 耶和華─我們的 神。
But Moses said, You will have to let us take burned offerings to put before the Lord our God.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 10:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Moses's demand in Exodus 10:25 is a striking assertion of God's authority over Pharaoh. The Cambridge Bible notes that the pronoun "you" (אַתָּה) is emphatic: Pharaoh himself, not just the Israelites, must provide the animals for sacrifice. Calvin reads the demand as a deliberate exclusion of all conditions, Moses leaves nothing in the king's control, affirming that God alone has the right to prescribe worship. Gill takes the meaning as including the Israelites' own flocks, but the emphasis falls on Pharaoh's obligation to supply what is needed. The Greek LXX renders "give into our hands," reinforcing that the sacrifices are to be placed in Israel's possession. Across these readings, the core agreement is that Moses refuses any compromise: worship of Yahweh cannot be negotiated, and even Pharaoh must yield his livestock for that purpose.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Moses refuses Pharaoh's compromise and insists that the Israelites must have everything they need to worship Yahweh, including animals for sacrifice.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Who must provide the sacrifices? | Moses insists that sacrifices be made to Yahweh; the livestock cannot remain in Egypt. | Some commentators (e.g., Cambridge Bible) argue Moses demands that Pharaoh contribute his own animals. Others (e.g., Gill) read it as the Israelites taking their own flocks. Both sides affirm that Pharaoh must release all control. |
| Is this a literal demand or rhetorical? | The demand is part of the negotiation and reflects the absolute nature of the Exodus command. | Calvin sees it as a deliberate provocation to humble Pharaoh; others view it as a straightforward liturgical necessity, animals were needed for the upcoming sacrifice. |
| The extent of Egypt's contribution | The verse requires that animals be given into Israel's hands for worship. | The Hebrew phrase 'into our hand' (בְּיָדֵנוּ) could mean either 'for our use' or 'under our control.' Some readings emphasize Pharaoh's active giving; others focus on Israel's possession. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The ninth plague, thick darkness over Egypt for three days, provides the immediate backdrop (Exod 10:21, 23). This was likely a severe khamsin, a dust-laden wind that blots out the sun and can last days. The darkness struck a blow against the Egyptian sun god Ra and paralyzed daily life.
Pharaoh's offer in verse 24 is his fifth compromise: let the people go, but leave the herds and flocks behind. This is no surrender; it is an attempt to keep economic control. The livestock represented wealth, food, and the means for sacrifice. Without them, the Israelites could not actually worship Yahweh as commanded (Exod 3:18; 5:3).
Moses's reply is therefore devastating. He demands not only that the Israelites' own cattle go with them, but that Pharaoh additionaly provide sacrifices and burnt offerings. The language is abrupt and confrontational. As Calvin observes, Moses "severely repudiates all exceptions" and "asserts the indivisible right of God alone." By insisting that Pharaoh must give, not merely permit, the offerings, Moses strips away any pretense of royal generosity. The king is forced to acknowledge that everything he owns belongs to Israel's God. This moment marks a complete reversal: the tyrant is called to fund the worship of the God he has defied.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 10:25. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The LXX reads "δὸς εἰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν" (give into our hands), which aligns with the Masoretic emphasis.
Reception History
Early Jewish interpretation (e.g., Targum Onkelos) retains the literal demand for offerings. In Christian tradition, the verse has been read typologically: Pharaoh's forced provision prefigures how God uses the world's resources to supply His people's worship. Calvin drew from it a principle of non-negotiable obedience, worship must not be trimmed to suit unbelief. Reformation-era commentators often cited it when defending the church's freedom from civil control. In modern homiletics, the verse is a classic text on the cost of discipleship and the danger of bargaining with God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The demand of total allegiance: Pharaoh wants to retain control over the livestock; Moses demands it all. Worship requires giving God everything, not just what is convenient.
- God uses human authority for His purposes: Even a pagan king is called to supply offerings. No power on earth can prevent God's people from serving Him.
- No compromise in worship: Pharaoh’s pattern, give a little, hold back much, is a temptation for every generation. Moses’s refusal teaches us that true worship must be on God’s terms, not ours.
Five-point outline
- Context: the plague of darkness (Exod 10:21, 23)
- Pharaoh’s offer: keep the cattle, let the people go (v.24)
- Moses’s counter-demand: you must give us sacrifices (v.25)
- The principle: not a hoof left behind (v.26)
- The result: Pharaoh’s hardened heart and final rejection (vv.27, 29)
Illustration hooks
- The car at the repair shop: The mechanic says you need new brakes, but you only want to change the oil. Moses refuses to accept a partial fix. True worship cannot be trimmed to what the world thinks is reasonable.
- The fundraiser who won't take a donation: A charity tells a wealthy donor, “We don't just want your money, we need you to sign up and volunteer.” Moses asks Pharaoh not just for permission but for active participation.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really require everything I have, or can I set boundaries?
- When have I tried to compromise with God, like Pharaoh offered to keep the cattle?
- How do I know if my worship is on God's terms or my own?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the climax of the negotiations before the exodus. Pharaoh has been worn down by nine plagues, yet he still tries to control the terms. Moses's demand cuts to the heart of who is truly sovereign.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 10:24, 26. What is Pharaoh offering, and what does Moses refuse?
- Why do you think Moses specifies that Pharaoh must “give” the sacrifices? What difference does that make?
- How does this verse connect to the earlier command in Exodus 3:18 and 5:3 to “sacrifice in the wilderness”?
- In what ways do we sometimes try to “keep our livestock” while still appearing to serve God?
- Calvin says Moses “asserts the indivisible right of God alone.” What does that mean in practical terms for your life?
- How does Pharaoh's hardened heart (v.27) contrast with the demand for worship? What does this tell us about the human tendency to resist surrender?
- What would it look like for you to “give into God's hand” something you have been holding back?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 29:1 | “This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect, |
| Exodus 29:46 | They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God. |
| Exodus 36:1 | “Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom Yahweh has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Yahweh has commanded.” |
| Exodus 36:38 | and the five pillars of it with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold, and their five sockets were of bronze. |
| Leviticus 9:22 | Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. |
| Leviticus 16:9 | Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer him for a sin offering. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that Moses' refusal to leave even a single hoof behind is not a negotiating tactic but a severe, deliberate reproof. By conceding nothing to Pharaoh, Moses asserts that God alone holds absolute authority. Calvin stresses that God does not owe the wicked an explanation of His full purposes.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary draws attention to the emphatic pronoun in Pharaoh’s demand: the king himself must contribute animals for the sacrifices, not merely permit the Israelites to take their own flocks. The word translated “sacrifices” here literally means “slaughterings,” referring to common offerings often distinguished from burnt offerings.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that Moses demands not only freedom for the people but also the livestock needed for worship. Without sacrifices and burnt offerings, the Israelites cannot properly serve the Lord. Pharaoh must supply these, because true worship requires the full provision God commands.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that Moses insists Pharaoh must let the Israelites take their livestock as well as their families. The cattle are not optional: they are needed for the sacrifices and burnt offerings the Lord will require of them. Without the animals, they would have nothing to offer.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch treat the ninth plague's darkness as both a natural event, likely a sudden Chamsin dust storm so thick it could be felt, and a deliberate symbol: the darkness on Egypt and light on Goshen typify God's wrath against the Egyptians and His grace toward Israel. They also note Moses' proverbial refusal to leave "a hoof" behind, insisting the cattle must go because he did not yet know what the Lord would require for sacrifice.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the plague of darkness as more than a natural event; it transforms Egypt's wisdom into a spiritual night that preannounces death. The light in Goshen, by contrast, signifies the dawn of a higher wisdom that leads to freedom. He notes
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that this darkness was total—it not only blocked the sun but extinguished every fire and candle, making it a physical, tangible plague. He connects it to the judgment on the beast's kingdom in Revelation, where darkness falls on his throne.