The Meaning of Exodus 7:4 Explained

Exodus 7:4

KJV: But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

YLT: and Pharaoh doth not hearken, and I have put My hand on Egypt, and have brought out My hosts, My people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments;

Darby: And Pharaoh will not hearken unto you; and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

ASV: But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But Pharaoh  shall not hearken  unto you, that I may lay  my hand  upon Egypt,  and bring forth  mine armies,  [and] my people  the children  of Israel,  out of the land  of Egypt  by great  judgments. 

What does Exodus 7:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 7:1-13 - Pharaoh Stubborn Against Israel's Release
How often we say in a similar tone, "I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?" Forty years in the wilderness, in absolute solitude, had robbed Moses of the eloquence with which Stephen credits him in earlier life. Like Jeremiah, he felt himself a child and unable to speak.
It is an awful moment when the human will sets itself in antagonism to the divine. If it will not bend, it must break. For once the scion of an imperial race had met his superior. It were better for the potsherd to strive with the potsherds of the earth! But God is not unreasonable. At the outset He endeavored to prove to Pharaoh who and what He was. One of the chief reasons for the plagues, as well as of these miracles, was to establish the fact that the Jehovah of the Hebrews was the great Being who lives behind the whole apparatus of nature. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 7

1  Moses and Aaron are encouraged to go again to Pharaoh
8  Aaron's rod is turned into a serpent
11  The sorcerers do the like; but their rods are swallowed up by Aaron's
13  Pharaoh's heart is hardened
14  God's message to Pharaoh
19  The river is turned into blood; and the consequent distress of the Egyptians

What do the individual words in Exodus 7:4 mean?

But not will heed you Pharaoh so that I may lay - My hand on Egypt and bring My armies My people the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by judgments great
וְלֹֽא־ יִשְׁמַ֤ע אֲלֵכֶם֙ פַּרְעֹ֔ה וְנָתַתִּ֥י אֶת־ יָדִ֖י בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְהוֹצֵאתִ֨י צִבְאֹתַ֜י עַמִּ֤י בְנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בִּשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים

וְלֹֽא־  But  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִשְׁמַ֤ע  will  heed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
פַּרְעֹ֔ה  Pharaoh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה  
Sense: the common title of the king of Egypt.
וְנָתַתִּ֥י  so  that  I  may  lay 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יָדִ֖י  My  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם  on  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וְהוֹצֵאתִ֨י  and  bring 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
צִבְאֹתַ֜י  My  armies 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, first person common singular
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
עַמִּ֤י  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בְנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ  out  of  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִצְרַ֔יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
בִּשְׁפָטִ֖ים  by  judgments 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שֶׁפֶט  
Sense: judgment, act of judgment.
גְּדֹלִֽים  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.