The language of ivrit ( עברית ) Exodus 9, Post #7
Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.
Exodus 9:27-35
We saw Moshe (Moses) stretching his arms to the sky last week in order to signal El Shadai (The Almighty) to begin the plague of hail mixed with fire. Then we read about the absolute destruction of the trees, plants, animals and anyone else that was out in the hail. Today, we finish this chapter as Far'oh (Pharaoh) changes his tune!
"I have sinned." says Far'oh. YHVH is in the right and I am wrong." he tells Moshe. As before, Far'oh promises to let the people go and states that there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. Moshe does not seem convinced though his repentant stance seems genuine. He tells the ruler that he is not convinced that Far'oh and his servants fear YHVH yet, but he will still go out and raise his arms and ask God to stop the hail. The passage then lists parenthetical damages to crops, followed by Moshe gets the hail to stop.
Note that the name of God is dropped seven times in this passage and his title as "God" two more times, all in a little more than a paragraph. Saying, "the Lord" does not cut it or even come close to honoring the Creator of All Things. That kind of treatment would be confusing at best if one were writing about Putin, Tromp, Elon or King Charles. Nobody would do that in a news story about any of them, just saying...
Back on topic, Far'oh does the adage "fool me once" move yet again, doing what God had predicted he would do. He hardened (made strong) his heart yet again and refuses to let the people go. This ruler seems to be a gluten for punishment. What does he expect tomorrow to bring for him and his people?
Today's reading
English
Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, "This time I have sinned; YHVH is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with YHVH, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer." Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to YHVH. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is YHVH's. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear YHVH God." (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to YHVH, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as YHVH had spoken through Moses.
Hebrew
Next week, we start chapter 10 with more plagues...
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