Exodus 10:7 Meaning: When Officials Saw the Snare
Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?
And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?
And the servants of Pharaoh say unto him, `Until when doth this one become a snare to us? send the men away, and they serve Jehovah their God; knowest thou not yet that Egypt hath perished?'
And Pharaoh's bondmen said to him, How long shall this man be a snare to us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God: dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined?
Meaning in one sentence
Pharaoh's own advisors call Moses a snare and plead for Israel's release. Their intervention reveals how pride brings ruin on everyone.
Context
By the tenth chapter of Exodus, Egypt has weathered plague after plague. The Nile turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, and hail have all come and gone. Now Moses announces locusts, a swarm unlike anything Egypt has ever seen. For the first time, Pharaoh's own courtiers step forward. These are the men who have stood by him through every disaster, offering no protest. But the threat of locusts breaks their silence. They have suffered too. The hail ruined their flax and barley; the boils left their own skin raw. They see that the king's stubbornness is not just his own problem. The whole country is crumbling, and they finally say so out loud.
Key Words
The word translated snare comes from the Hebrew moqesh (H4170). It means a trap used to catch birds or animals, often a stick with bait that springs shut. In the Old Testament, a snare is never neutral. It lures you in and then destroys you. Pharaoh's servants are not saying Moses is merely annoying. They are saying that holding on to him and his people will spring a trap that finishes them off.
The verb for destroyed is avad (H0006). It means to perish, to vanish, to be lost. The same word is used for a sheep that strays and is gone. Egypt is not yet a smoking ruin, but the servants see the truth: the nation is already lost if this continues. They are pleading to stop the bleeding before nothing is left.
And then there is know (yada, H3045). Pharaoh is asked, Do you not yet know? This is not about facts in a book. Biblical knowing is personal, something you admit and act on. Pharaoh refuses to know what his own eyes have shown him. The servants are asking him to finally see what everyone else already can.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions read this moment as a turning point, but they differ on the motives of Pharaoh's servants. Matthew Henry, echoing a common Reformed view, sees them as men who had flattered Pharaoh before but are now forced by terror to speak sense. They care about the country, not about God. Calvin writes that they were not truly repentant, only overcome by the weight of calamity. Gill, representing a Baptist perspective, suggests they genuinely had the good of Egypt at heart and spoke out of concern for the land. The Cambridge Bible notes this is the first time the officials intervene before a plague actually strikes, showing they finally believe the threat. All agree that their words carry a painful irony: men who once helped Pharaoh resist are now the ones admitting defeat, while the king himself still will not bend.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading takes the servants' words as a sign of faith. Readers sometimes think the officials are calling for repentance toward God. In fact, they never mention serving Yahweh themselves. They simply tell Pharaoh to let the people go serve their own God. The servants are not converted. They are desperate. They have seen enough ruin to know the king's stubbornness is killing everyone, and they want it to stop. That is not faith. It is survival.
Living This Out
There is a moment in most conflicts when the people around you see what you refuse to. A spouse says, "This is destroying our family." A coworker says, "Your stubbornness is hurting the team." A friend says, "You are the one making this worse." These are not betrayals. They are gifts, hard as they feel. Pharaoh's servants spoke because they loved Egypt, or at least wanted it to survive. This week, consider the person who has told you something you did not want to hear. Ask yourself if they might be right. Then ask God for the humility to hear what you have been refusing to know.
Main takeaway: Stubborn pride does not only destroy the one who holds on, it crushes everyone around them.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Pharaoh's helpers saw that his stubbornness was hurting everyone in Egypt. They told him to let God's people go. Sometimes we need help to see when we are doing wrong.
For ages 9, 12
Pharaoh's own advisors finally spoke up. They had watched the plagues destroy their land because Pharaoh would not listen. They risked his anger to tell him the truth. That is hard to do. When someone you love is hurting themselves and others by holding on to something they should let go, you might be the one who has to speak. It is not easy, but it can stop more damage. And if someone speaks that hard truth to you, try to listen.
Questions People Ask
Who are Pharaoh's servants in Exodus 10:7?
They are his court officials, advisors, and high-ranking Egyptians. The Hebrew word avdei can mean servants, ministers, or subjects. These are the men who have stood by Pharaoh through earlier plagues, but now they break their silence.
Why does the verse call Moses a 'snare'?
A snare (moqesh) is a trap that lures an animal and then destroys it. The servants mean that Moses himself has become the cause of Egypt's ruin. As long as Pharaoh holds on to the Israelites, Moses brings one plague after another. He is like bait that springs disaster.
Is Egypt literally destroyed at this point?
Not completely, but the servants speak as if it is. The Hebrew verb avad means to perish or be lost. The hail ruined the crops, the boils struck people and animals, and the land was devastated. They mean that Egypt is as good as gone if Pharaoh keeps resisting.
Why do the servants wait until the locusts to speak up?
Earlier plagues may have seemed manageable, but the locusts threatened to finish what the hail left behind. The servants finally believed the threat was real. Fear of total ruin pushed them to confront the king, even at the risk of his anger.
What does 'knowest thou not yet' mean?
The word yada (to know) here means to recognize and admit something. Pharaoh had seen nine plagues and still refused to acknowledge the truth. His servants were asking him to stop denying what was obvious: Egypt could not survive much more of his stubbornness.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study