Exodus 9:34 · Bible study
Exodus 9:34 Commentary: Hardening After the Storm
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Pharaoh's heart harden after the hail ceases? A study on sin, relief, and judgment in Exodus 9:34.
Research Summary
- Meaning: After the plague of hail stopped, Pharaoh returned to sin and hardened his own heart, proving his earlier confession was shallow.
- Key words: "Hail" (barad, judgment), "ceased" (hadal, to stop), "sinned" (chata', to miss the mark), "hardened" (kaved, made heavy/heart).
- Main debate: Whether Pharaoh's hardening is solely his own act or also under God's sovereign plan, this verse emphasizes his own responsibility.
- Overarching theme: The nature of sin as cumulative; temporary relief without heart change leads to deeper rebellion (Ecclesiastes 8:11).
- Best use: A warning against presuming on God's patience and a call to examine the durability of our repentance.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials.
WEB World English Bible 2000
When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
KJV King James Version 1769
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and Pharaoh seeth that the rain hath ceased, and the hail and the voices, and he continueth to sin, and hardeneth his heart, he and his servants;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, and he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he, and his bondmen.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And Pharao seeing that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, increased his sin:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y viendo Faraón que la lluvia había cesado y el granizo y los truenos, perseveró en pecar, y agravó su corazón, él y sus siervos.
E vendo Faraó que a chuva havia cessado e o granizo e os trovões, perseverou em pecar, e agravou seu coração, ele e seus servos.
Pharaon, voyant que la pluie, la grêle et les tonnerres avaient cessé, continua de pécher, et il endurcit son cœur, lui et ses serviteurs.
Da aber Pharao sah, daß der Regen und Donner und Hagel aufhörte, versündigte er sich weiter und verhärtete sein Herz, er und seine Knechte.
Toen Farao zag, dat de regen en hagel, en de donder ophielden, zo verzondigde hij zich verder, en hij verzwaarde zijn hart, hij en zijn knechten.
E quando Faraone vide che la pioggia, la grandine e i tuoni eran cessati, continuò a peccare, e si ostinò in cuor suo: lui e i suoi servitori.
A widząc Farao, że przestał deszcz, i grad, i gromy, przyczynił grzechu, a obciążył serce swe, sam i słudzy jego.
И увидел фараон, что перестал дождь и град и гром, и продолжал грешить, и отягчил сердце свое сам и рабы его.
法老 見 雨 和雹 與雷 止住，就越發 犯罪；他 和他的臣僕 都硬著 心。
But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the ice-storm and the thunders were ended, he went on sinning, and made his heart hard, he and his servants.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 9:34
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse captures a critical turning point in the Exodus narrative. Pharaoh had just confessed "I have sinned" (Exodus 9:27) and asked Moses to pray for the plague to stop. But when the rain, hail, and thunder ceased, Pharaoh did not follow through. Matthew Henry notes that instead of giving glory to God, Pharaoh "sinned yet more." Calvin highlights the pattern: security arms the reprobate against God; the moment punishment lifts, presumption returns. Adam Clarke points to the Hebrew verb forms (pihel and hiphil) and suggests the text can be read as God allowing Pharaoh's heart to harden rather than directly causing it. The Cambridge Bible notes the use of the word "hardened" (made heavy) which is the regular term for Pharaoh's stubbornness. Gill observes that the clear sky after the storm should have moved Pharaoh to gratitude and release, but he did the opposite. Keil and Delitzsch summarize that even this plague did not change his mind. The inclusion of "he and his servants" shows that Pharaoh's sin had become the sin of his court, a collective rebellion against God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Both sides agree that Pharaoh sinned again and hardened his heart after the plague ceased, and that this action carried consequences for him and his servants.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Pharaoh's own hardening | This verse shows Pharaoh actively hardening his own heart after the plague ends. | Some traditions, like Reformed, see this as part of God's sovereign hardening (Exodus 4:21, Romans 9:17-18). Others emphasize Pharaoh's free will and moral responsibility, citing Clarke's grammatical argument that the Hebrew could imply permission rather than direct causation. |
| The role of the servants | The text includes Pharaoh's servants in the hardening, indicating a collective resistance. | Interpreters differ on whether this means the servants were co-guilty of the same rebellion or were simply following their king's example. Some see it as judgment on the entire Egyptian court. |
| Nature of Pharaoh's confession | Pharaoh's earlier confession of sin (Exodus 9:27) did not lead to lasting change. | Some view the confession as genuine but shallow (Matthew Henry), while others see it as merely tactical, a ploy to stop the plague (Calvin). The text itself does not resolve this. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The plague of hail (Exodus 9:13-35) was the seventh of ten plagues. In Egypt, hail and thunder are rare. The Cambridge Bible quotes travelers who report such storms in the winter months, and Sayce describes a violent storm in 1895 that devastated 3,000 acres of cultivated land. This plague would have been especially terrifying, an unnatural event for a land where the sky was usually clear.
The agricultural notes in verses 31-32 place the event around January or February. The flax and barley were just ripening, so they were destroyed. The wheat and spelt had not yet grown, so they survived. This detail makes the plague both devastating and measured. Pharaoh and his officials could see that the judgment was targeted.
Pharaoh sees that the rain and hail and thunder "had ceased." The Hebrew verb for "ceased" (חָדַל, hadal) means to stop completely. The sight of the calm, the clear sky, the quiet, triggered his hardening. In Egyptian theology, Pharaoh was a divine figure, the son of Ra, responsible for maintaining order (ma'at). To submit to the God of the Hebrews would be to deny his own divinity. So when the immediate threat passed, he reverted to his default posture of defiance. The "hardening" (וַיַּכְבֵּד, vayyakhbed, from kaved, "to be heavy") pictures a heart made heavy, sluggish, unresponsive. The verb is in the hiphil (causative) stem, though here the subject is Pharaoh himself, he made his own heart heavy.
The phrase "he and his servants" indicates that Pharaoh's officials joined him in rebellion. This is not just a personal failing; it is a system of resistance. The court as a whole refuses to bow to the God of Israel.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 9:34. The verse reads consistently across the Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions. The only variation in English translations is stylistic: "sinned yet more" (WEB, KJV) vs "sinned again" (BSB, YLT). Both accurately represent the Hebrew phrase וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹא, "and he added to sin."
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse is read as a demonstration of the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and the danger of habitual sin. Early church fathers like Augustine used Pharaoh as a case study in the bondage of the will, arguing that human beings cannot rescue themselves from sin's spiraling power. Medieval commentators, including Rashi and Thomas Aquinas, saw the verse as a warning that temporary relief from judgment can embolden the unrepentant. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther pointed to Pharaoh as an example of reprobation, a man given over to his own stubbornness in accordance with God's decree. In modern evangelical preaching, the verse is often used to caution against false conversion and to call for genuine fruit of repentance. Across traditions, the image of a heart made heavy by repeated resistance remains a sobering reminder of the cost of pride.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Relief does not equal repentance. Pharaoh begged for prayer, even confessed sin, but when the storm stopped, he went back to his old ways. Many people cry out to God in crisis only to forget Him when the crisis passes.
- Seeing without believing leads to deeper hardness. Pharaoh saw the evidence: the hail stopped exactly when Moses prayed. Yet he did not fear Yahweh (Exodus 9:30). Each miracle he witnessed made him more accountable, not more humble.
- Sin spreads through leadership. The text adds "he and his servants." Pharaoh's resistance infected his court. Leaders who harden themselves against God drag others with them.
Five-point outline
- The pattern of shallow repentance. Pharaoh's confession in verse 27 was genuine in the moment but not deep. As soon as the pressure lifted, he reverted.
- The danger of temporary amendment. The cessation of judgment is an act of mercy. Pharaoh mistook mercy for permission.
- The self-hardening process. The Hebrew verb "hardened" is active, Pharaoh made his heart heavy. This is something he did, not something that simply happened to him.
- The role of the senses. He "saw" that the storm had ceased. Sight without faith leads to presumption.
- Corporate culpability. The servants joined Pharaoh. Sin rarely stays private.
Illustration hooks
- The emergency room promise. A person in the hospital swears to change their life. As soon as they recover, they return to the same habits. Relief is a test of the heart, not just a gift.
- The school bully. A child faces discipline and promises to behave. The moment the teacher turns away, the bullying resumes. The pattern is not fear of consequences but absence of genuine change.
- The broken car. A driver prays for the car to start. It does. But instead of thanking God, they drive off without a second thought, assuming it was just luck.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow people to harden their hearts even after they've seen His power?
- How can I tell if my repentance is real or just a response to the pain of consequences?
- What do I do when I see someone I love hardening their heart, how do I pray and act?
Leading a Discussion
This passage invites us to examine the difference between crisis repentance and true heart change. Pharaoh's confession in verse 27 was real enough to stop the plague, but it did not last. The moment the storm cleared, he returned to rebellion. In the quiet after God's mercy, what do we do? This passage pushes us to consider the nature of our own obedience.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 9:27-35. What words does Pharaoh use to confess his sin? How does his confession sound compared to a genuine confession like David's in Psalm 51?
- Why do you think the text says Pharaoh "saw" that the plague had ceased? What is the connection between seeing and hardening in this verse?
- The word for "hardened" in Hebrew is "made heavy." What does that image of a heavy heart tell you about the process of becoming stubborn against God?
- Why does the writer add "he and his servants"? What does that say about the influence of leadership on a community's spiritual condition?
- Have you ever experienced a time when God answered a prayer or removed a difficulty and you found yourself forgetting Him soon after? What did that reveal about your heart?
- How can we cultivate genuine repentance that lasts beyond the moment of crisis?
- In what ways might God be asking you to release control over an area of your life (your "Israel") that 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 4:21 | Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. |
| Exodus 7:14 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. |
| Exodus 8:15 | But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. |
| II Chronicles 28:22 | In the time of his distress, he trespassed yet more against Yahweh, this same King Ahaz. |
| II Chronicles 33:23 | He didn’t humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more. |
| II Chronicles 36:13 | He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel. |
| Ecclesiastes 8:11 | Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. |
| Romans 2:4 | Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke cites a scholarly argument that the Hebrew verbs describing God's role in hardening Pharaoh's heart actually indicate permission, not direct action. The miracles and plagues were far more suited to soften than harden, so the sense is that God allowed Pharaoh's heart to become hardened.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Pharaoh's brief relief from the plague only makes him bolder. The wicked mistake a temporary truce for permanent safety, hardening themselves again as soon as pressure lifts. Moses' advance prediction of this stubbornness magnifies the king's guilt.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that two different Hebrew words describe Pharaoh’s stubbornness here: one meaning “heavy” from source J, another meaning “strong” from source E, with the compilation reflecting both. He also observes that thunder and hail, though rare in Egypt, do occur during winter months, aligning with the January setting indicated by the cattle being in the fields.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that Pharaoh's repentance was not genuine: as soon as the plague lifted, he immediately returned to sin and hardened his heart all over again, and his servants did the same. Relief from judgment without a changed heart only made his rebellion worse.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that Pharaoh's sin grew worse precisely because God granted relief. After the thunder, hail, and rain stopped at Moses' prayer, Pharaoh should have been grateful and let Israel go, but instead he hardened his heart further, turning mercy into an occasion for deeper rebellion.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that the plague itself failed to alter Pharaoh's resolve. The hardening of heart occurred after Moses' intercession brought relief, when Pharaoh and his servants returned to sinning. This highlights their deliberate rejection of God's warning once the pressure lifted.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes that Pharaoh's confession was forced by terror, not true repentance. As soon as the hail stopped, he sinned again and hardened his heart, showing that a temporary fear of judgment does not produce lasting change when the heart remains set against God.