Why Did G-d Harden Pharaoh's Heart?
Question
In Exodus, why did God harden pharaoh’s heart against freeing the Hebrew people so many times? Did that not waste valuable time with more and more slaves being killed or dying? Was the extra work load given to them ever lifted until the exodus? Thanks!
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question.
Many of the classical commentaries deal with this question.
As you correctly note, we see that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart but take a look at the relevant wordings closely:
Blood: Pharaoh’s heart “became hard” (Exodus 7:22)
Frogs: Pharaoh “hardened his own heart” (Exodus 8:15)
Lice: Pharaoh’s heart “was hard” (Exodus 8:19)
Wild Animals: “Pharaoh hardened his own heart” (Exodus 8:32)
Death of the Livestock: Pharaoh’s heart “was hard” (Exodus 9:7)
Boils: “G-d hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12)
Hail: Pharaoh “hardened his own heart” (Exodus 9:34)
Locusts: G-d announces that he has “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 10:1,10:20)
Darkness: God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 10:27)
Death of the firstborn: God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 11:10)
Did Pharaoh choose to refuse to let the Jewish people go or did G-d make him do that?
The Midrash Rabba tells us that Exodus 9:12 is the first time we find that G-d hardened Pharaoh’s heart but that there is precedent of Pharaoh controlling his own heart five times earlier in that Torah portion (as can be seen quoted above). As such, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish teaches , “Since God sent the opportunity for repentance five times to him and he sent no notice, God then said, ‘You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart on your own…. So it was that the heart of Pharaoh did not receive the words of God.’” In other words, Pharaoh sealed his own fate, for himself and his relationship with God.
So why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? One answer is that it was to build up to a spectacular redemption after a slew of plagues that would shock the world and show the world the power of G-d. Another answer is that G-d didn’t want to coerce Pharaoh into let the Jews go. He wanted Pharaoh to admit that he was wrong. But the plagues are so overwhelming and frightening, Pharaoh almost gives in against his will. So God hardens Pharaoh's heart to help him do what he wants to do, which is to go on saying "no."
But again, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart because that’s exactly the path that Pharaoh had chosen for himself.