Exodus 8:32 describes Pharaoh going back on his word. After God removed the swarms of flies at Moses’ request, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the Israelites go to worship. The verse shows a pattern of stubbornness that ignores God’s mercy, and it sets up the escalating plagues that follow. Moses is the one who had prayed for the flies to be removed, and Pharaoh is the king of Egypt who refuses to keep his promise to release the people.
Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he didn’t let the people go.
Exodus 8:32 (WEB)
What Exodus 8:32 Means
The verse opens with “Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also.” The word “also” matters. This is not the first time Pharaoh has refused, and the narrator wants you to notice that the refusal has become a habit. Earlier in the chapter Pharaoh asked Moses to pray, promised to let the people go, and then changed his mind once relief came. The verse records that he did it again.
The phrase “hardened his heart” describes a settled refusal to yield. Exodus uses this language several times, sometimes saying Pharaoh hardened his own heart and sometimes saying God hardened it. Read in context, the verse is mainly about Pharaoh’s choice to ignore what he has seen. The last clause, “he didn’t let the people go,” gives the outcome. The verse does not promise that Pharaoh will be softened by future signs. It shows that a heart can resist even when the evidence is plain.
The Context of Exodus 8:32
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and tells the story of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Its first audience was the people of Israel, who needed to understand that the God who rescued them was the same God who had power over Egypt’s gods and rulers. The book is part of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, and it sets the foundation for the covenant at Sinai.
Just before this verse, Moses warns Pharaoh that the flies will leave only if he stops deceiving God’s people. Moses then prays, and the LORD removes the flies completely. Read against that background, verse 32 is a sharp reversal. God did exactly what he was asked, and Pharaoh’s response shows that the problem was never a lack of evidence. The surrounding verses make the verse’s point clearer: mercy received does not guarantee a change of heart.
Key Phrases in Exodus 8:32
Psalm 95:8
Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness…
(WEB)
This verse warns the people not to harden their hearts as they did at Meribah. It connects directly to Exodus 8:32 by showing that the same tendency to resist God appears throughout Israel’s history, and it urges readers to respond differently.
Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today”; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
(WEB)
This verse calls believers to encourage one another daily so that no one is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. It helps readers see that the danger Pharaoh illustrates is one the church is meant to guard against together, not alone.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 8:32
Lord, you have shown me mercy in ways I did not deserve, and still I know how quickly my heart can grow stubborn once the pressure lifts. Pharaoh saw your power and turned back to his own plans, and I do not want to follow his path. Soften whatever is hard in me, and help me keep the promises I have made to you when the relief has passed. Give me honesty to see my patterns and the courage to bring them to you. Amen.
