Pharaoh’s Hard Heart
Pharaoh’s Hard Heart Why did Pharaoh’s heart become hard? Many assume God simply overrode Pharaoh’s will to make him resist, but that’s not how the biblical story unfolds. Instead, Scripture presents a process in which Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his own heart before God ever took action. Pharaoh was not a passive figure in his rebellion—he actively resisted God’s word time after time. Only after this persistent defiance did God judicially respond by strengthening him in the very path he had chosen. Though God foretold He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, the narrative shows that this hardening was not arbitrarily predetermined. Rather, it was a consequence of Pharaoh’s own persistent choices—and it reveals how divine judgment can sometimes take the form of letting someone have their way. Word Study: Hebrew Terms for “Hardening” Before exploring how Pharaoh’s heart became hard, it’s crucial to examine the original Hebrew terms used throughout the biblical text. These words carry ...