After the devastating plague of hail, the Egyptian king appeared completely broken, openly admitting his own wickedness and acknowledging God's righteousness. Yet, the moment the destruction paused, he reverted to his stubborn refusal to free the Israelites. This sudden reversal left Moses bewildered and deeply disappointed. In response, God reveals the hidden mechanism behind the king's unnatural defiance and outlines the historical and educational purpose of the plagues that are yet to come.
God instructs Moses to confront the king directly inside the royal palace. The primary approach among commentators is that God is directing Moses to issue a warning for the next plague, even if the specific details of that warning are not immediately stated. Entering the palace itself is significant, as Moses must face the king in his ultimate stronghold of pride and security, a sharp contrast to their previous encounters out in the open by the river [רבנו בחיי]. To alleviate any fear Moses might have about stepping into the royal court, God assures Moses that He is accompanying him [פענח רזא, בכור שור].
God explains to Moses that the king's current resilience defies human nature. Ordinarily, anyone surviving the catastrophic hail would have surrendered immediately and released the people. However, God actively intervenes in the king's mind, taking away his ability to easily submit. This intervention serves as a punishment for the early stages of the plagues, during which the king freely chose to harden his own heart [הדר זקנים, רבנו בחיי, צאינה וראינה]. While some suggest that the king still retained his free will but now required immense mental effort to overcome his stubborn nature [נחל קדומים], others note that his earlier repentance was merely superficial and driven by momentary terror. By sustaining the king's resolve, God allows his true, unyielding character to be fully exposed [צרור המור, שפתי כהן].
This divine intervention extends to the royal servants as well. They too were guilty, having ignored previous warnings to seek shelter from the hail. Hardening the servants' hearts prevents them from advising the king to release the Israelites, ensuring that the impending plagues strike the entirety of Egypt rather than just the ruler [אור החיים]. This was especially necessary for the upcoming plague of locusts and the resulting famine. Because the king possessed private storehouses of food, the famine would primarily devastate the servants and the common people. Without their minds being hardened, the servants would have surrendered prematurely and pressured the king to yield [כלי יקר].
These multiplying signs are not merely punitive. They are designed to uproot false beliefs and demonstrate God's absolute mastery over all facets of nature. The final plagues specifically establish God's control over the wind, the heavenly bodies, and life itself, which are areas that had not been fully proven by the earlier disasters [אור החיים]. Beyond the immediate message to Egypt, these events carry a profound historical purpose for the Israelites. God intends to etch a lasting impression into the national memory. The impending locust swarm is uniquely suited for this goal. Unlike other plagues that were rare and fleeting events, locusts can appear even in normal years. The memory of a miraculous, supernatural locust invasion would stand out, prompting future generations of children to ask questions and obligating their parents to recount the story of the Exodus and the greatness of God [כלי יקר, גור אריה].