Exodus 10:29

Pharaoh seemed to understand that he had reached a point of no return. The plagues had shown him the power of the Lord. The only proper response was to submit.

Instead, he chose another path. If he would not submit, then he would try to silence the messenger. So he decided to threaten Moses rather than obey God.

This pattern appears again later in Scripture. During the life and ministry of Jesus, some religious leaders refused to accept what his works clearly showed. Instead of believing, they chose to kill him (see John 11:45–53).

The ninth plague was the plague of darkness (10:21). The chief god of Egypt through the centuries, who appeared under several different names, was the sun. At this time, he was known as Amon-Re. He was supreme over all the other gods and was considered to be the ultimate source of life. The Lord showed that the sun’s light is completely under his control. God could shut it off from Egypt proper, while leaving it to shine in Goshen in the northeast part of the country (10:23; see study note on 9:1–7).