GOD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART
One of the most challenging topics to wrestle with is God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the Exodus story. What does it really mean when Scripture says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Does this imply that the wicked king was no longer guilty for his actions? These are just some of the many questions a curious believer might ask. To be honest, I also struggled with this issue for quite some time. So how should we understand this difficult subject?
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แธฅฤzaq – “to be or grow firm, strong, strengthen”
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qฤลกรข – “to be hard, severe, fierce”
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kฤbฤd/kฤbฤd – “to be heavy, weighty, or burdensome”
Hard Heart: Stubborn and Strong-Willed
Interestingly, the phrase “hard heart” is not always negative. In some contexts, it can carry a positive sense of determination or courage. Thus, when Scripture says Pharaoh hardened his heart, it means he became firm or strong-willed in his decision not to release Israel. It’s similar to the Filipino expression “matibay ang loob” (courageous, strong-hearted).
However, in Exodus, the meaning is clearly negative. Pharaoh’s “firmness” is actually stubborn resistance against God. His “hard heart” shows defiance, arrogance, and rebellion—more like our expression “matigas ang ulo” (hard-headed). In short, Pharaoh’s hard heart shows that he was both resolute in his defiance and stubborn in his sin.
Hard Heart: Heavy Heart
Another valid perspective connects the expression with Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife. According to their mythology, the heart of the dead was weighed on a scale against a feather—the symbol of truth and justice. If the heart was lighter than the feather, the person was righteous and rewarded. If heavier, the person was guilty and condemned.
This sheds light on why the biblical author sometimes uses kฤbฤd/kฤbฤd (“heavy”) in describing Pharaoh’s heart. To say that his heart became “heavy” is to say that he was growing increasingly guilty when measured against what is right (J. H. Walton, OT scholar). In other words, Pharaoh’s condition was not neutral—he was becoming worse and worse.
A Word of Caution
While this connection with Egyptian afterlife beliefs is insightful, we must be careful not to “over-interpret.” For instance, some argue that when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it meant that God had already determined his eternal condemnation. One historical theology professor even suggested it meant: “God is so sovereign that He decreed the so-called god of Egypt would be condemned in the afterlife” (J. L. Duncan).
But this goes beyond the text. In Exodus, Pharaoh’s hard heart is directly tied to the unfolding events of the plagues and his repeated refusal to obey God—not to a pronouncement about his eternal destiny.
1. God’s Foreknowledge Does Not Mean He Causes Sin
Even before God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He already knew the king would not let Israel go (Ex. 3:19). For nearly 400 years, the Egyptians had enslaved the Israelites. It was only natural for Pharaoh to refuse to release them. But God’s foreknowledge does not mean He dictated Pharaoh’s choices or forced him into sin.
2. Pharaoh Hardened His Own Heart First
When we look closely at the Exodus narrative, the pattern becomes clear.
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Three times the text directly says “Pharaoh hardened his heart” (8:15; 8:32; 9:34).
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Six times it says “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (9:12; 10:1; 10:20; 10:27; 11:10; 14:8).
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Six times it simply says “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened” without naming the cause (7:13, 7:14, 7:22, 8:19, 9:7, 9:35).
Some argue that the “no mention” passages should automatically be read as God being the cause (a “divine passive”). But this claim is weak. Dr. Tim Mackie, a scholar of Semitic languages, explains that the verbs are stative, describing Pharaoh’s condition rather than identifying who caused it. To assume God was the cause in those verses goes beyond the text.
Instead, context helps. For example, after saying Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 9:34), the author immediately adds, “Pharaoh’s heart was hard” (v. 35). The likely pattern is that when the author does not mention the cause, it implies Pharaoh himself was responsible. This means Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his own heart before God is ever said to have hardened it (9:12, after the sixth plague). As Jewish Torah scholar Nahum Sarna notes: “In the first five plagues Pharaoh’s obduracy is self-willed. It is only thereafter that it is attributed to divine causality.”
3. God Does Not Cause Anyone to Sin
Some suggest that when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He altered his inner condition so that he no longer had the freedom to choose. This view would imply that God compelled Pharaoh to sin, which is unbiblical. Pharaoh’s stubbornness was an act of pride (Ex. 10:3), a sin against the Lord (vv. 16–17). Yet Scripture is clear: God hates pride (Prov. 16:5; Jas. 4:6) and never tempts anyone to sin (Jas. 1:13). Whatever “hardening” means, it cannot mean God made Pharaoh sin.
4. God’s Providence at Work
So how should we understand God’s role? A better explanation is that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart through providence. As philosopher William Lane Craig puts it: “God places someone in a set of circumstances with the knowledge that the person would freely decide to bring about an effect.”
In other words, God orchestrates events in such a way that a person freely chooses what God already knows they will do. God did not change Pharaoh’s heart or override his will. Pharaoh was already proud, arrogant, and stubborn long before Moses came. The plagues only revealed what was already true of his heart.
After the fifth plague, however, God finally entered the process directly (Ex. 9:12). By sending further plagues, He placed Pharaoh in circumstances where he continued to do what he had always wanted: resist God. In effect, God “gave him over” to his own hardened will. Yet God used Pharaoh’s rebellion to reveal His power and glory (Ex. 10:1; 14:4, 17). God can use human evil to accomplish His purpose without causing the evil itself.
5. Paul’s Reflection on God’s Hardening
Some argue that Pharaoh’s hardening proves God was the ultimate cause of his evil, citing Romans 9:17–18. Paul quotes God’s word to Pharaoh to show that God has mercy on whom He wills and hardens whom He wills. A few clarifications are important:
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Paul was not offering a detailed commentary on Pharaoh’s condition of will. His readers already knew the story. If anyone want to know God's dealing with the Pharaoh's heart, they needed to revisit Exodus itself.
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Paul’s quotation comes from Exodus 9:16, in the context of the sixth plague—the first time Scripture says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (9:12). This shows Pharaoh had already hardened his own heart several times before.
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Paul emphasized God’s justice (Rom. 9:14). Pharaoh remained fully responsible for his rebellion. Like the people in Romans 1, he “suppressed the truth” (v. 18), “did not honor God” (v. 21), and rejected His glory (v. 23). God simply let him follow his chosen path (v. 24).
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Even amid judgment, God showed mercy. In Exodus 9, before sending the hail, God warned the Egyptians to bring their livestock and slaves to safety (v. 19). This reveals that God’s hardening does not cancel His mercy.
Whatever the ultimate meaning of Romans 9:17–18, it does not contradict Exodus. Pharaoh freely hardened his heart, and God, in His sovereignty, used Pharaoh’s choices to display His glory.
CONCLUSION
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