God interrogates rather than declares to expose the gravity of Israel’s repeated rejection and to involve Moses emotionally in the weight of their rebellion. The double question intensifies the indictment by highlighting both the duration and the inexcusability of their unbelief given overwhelming evidence.

Moses responded with immediate intercession, pleading for God’s mercy based on His character and reputation among the nations. He reminded God of His self-revelation as slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and asked Him to pardon Israel’s iniquity according to the greatness of His steadfast love.

God’s double question expresses holy frustration at the inexcusability of Israel’s unbelief. The Hebrew construction ka’ad-anah repeated creates emphatic force, literally asking until when or how much longer, conveying divine patience stretched to its limit. The contrast between despise (ma’as, meaning reject with contempt) and believe (‘aman, meaning trust or have faith) reveals the heart issue; this is not innocent doubt but willful rejection. God frames this as a question to Moses rather than a pronouncement to Israel, inviting His mediator into the emotional weight of the moment and creating space for intercession. The reference to all the signs intensifies the indictment by highlighting the overwhelming evidence Israel has dismissed. The interrogative form also preserves the tension between God’s righteous anger and His patience, a tension only resolved through Moses’ appeal to divine character and ultimately through Christ’s mediating work. The question thus reveals both judgment deserved and mercy available.