The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh won’t listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
- KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.
- NKJV But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
- NASB Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
- NLT Now the Lord had told Moses earlier, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, but then I will do even more mighty miracles in the land of Egypt.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God tells Moses that Pharaoh's refusal to listen serves a purpose: that the LORD's wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.
Overview
Here Scripture interprets the plagues theologically. Pharaoh's stubbornness is not a frustration of God's plan but the occasion for displaying ever-greater signs of His power. This verse, with its companion in verse 10, frames the whole confrontation as God magnifying His glory and making His name known, a theme Paul takes up in Romans 9 regarding God's sovereign purposes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Exod 7:3–4But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
- Exod 3:19But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.
- Exod 10:1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
- Rom 9:16–18So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 11:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.