“When shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?”
The full verse · Exodus 8:9 · KJV
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The Scene
Frogs have "covered the land of Egypt" (Exodus 8:6), and Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron, asking them to intreat the LORD and promising, "I will let the people go" (Exodus 8:8).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionMoses agrees to pray, but he hands Pharaoh the honor of choosing the hour. That way, when the frogs leave exactly on time, no one can call it luck. Keil & Delitzsch explain that "To give Jehovah the glory, Moses placed himself below Pharaoh, and left him to fix the time." Gill says Moses did this so that the removal of the frogs "would not be owing to chance or to any natural cause, but to the Lord himself." Matthew Henry adds that it "was designed for Pharaoh's conviction, that, if his eyes were not opened by the plague, they might by the removal of it." Keil & Delitzsch also note that Pharaoh's own request was "a sign that he regarded the God of Israel as the author of the plague."
The Response
What Scripture recordsPharaoh answered, "To morrow." Moses replied, "Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God" (Exodus 8:10). Moses "cried unto the LORD because of the frogs," and "the LORD did according to the word of Moses": the frogs died, were gathered "upon heaps: and the land stank" (Exodus 8:12-14). But "when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said" (Exodus 8:15). Why Pharaoh chose the next day is not stated. Keil & Delitzsch think it was "probably because he hardly thought it possible for so great a work to be performed at once"; Matthew Henry thinks "probably he hoped that they would go away of themselves"; Gill gives both as the usual explanations.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe point of this exchange is stated in Exodus 8:10: "that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God." Pharaoh had begun by saying, "I know not the LORD" (Exodus 5:2). Gill says that in asking for prayer Pharaoh "begins now to know the Lord, whom he knew not before, by the judgments he executed on him." God would press the same lesson again: "that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth" (Exodus 9:14). Matthew Henry writes, "The great design both of judgments and mercies is to convince us that there is none like the Lord our God."
Yet relief did not change Pharaoh. The moment he had "respite," he hardened his heart (Exodus 8:15). Matthew Henry observes that until the heart is renewed by God's grace, "the impressions made by the force of affliction do not abide; the convictions wear off, and the promises that were extorted are forgotten."
The Commentaries
Voices from across the centuriesGenerations of believers have studied this verse. See what they noticed.
Look Closer
Why did Moses let Pharaoh choose the time?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, when You lift a burden from me, how can I make sure I remember what You showed me in it, and not simply go back to how I was?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Pharaoh promised much while the frogs were everywhere and nothing once they were gone. Why do you think promises made under pressure are so easy to forget?
- Moses prayed for the very king who was oppressing his people. What makes it hard to pray for someone who has made life difficult for you or others?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Moses could have demanded that Pharaoh honor him. Instead he let Pharaoh set the time, so that the answer would point clearly to God (Exodus 8:9-10). You can serve the same way: arrange things so that God's work is seen as His, not yours.
Notice too what Moses did with Pharaoh's request. He went out and "cried unto the LORD" for him (Exodus 8:12). Matthew Henry draws from this, "We must pray for our enemies and persecutors." Then watch your own heart when hard times lift. Pharaoh's promise vanished the moment he had "respite" (Exodus 8:15). If you made promises to God in a hard season, keep them when the pressure is gone. This doesn't mean every prayer for relief is insincere; Moses prayed for relief too. The question is what you do once the relief comes.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?”
“Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?”
“As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?”
“How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?”