שמות, פרק ח׳, פסוק כ״ד

The plague of wild animals finally backs the Egyptian king into a corner, forcing him to expand his agreement to let the Israelites leave. Yet, even in the moment of his surrender, he desperately tries to maintain his dignity and project absolute control. He engages in a diplomatic game filled with conditions and hidden motives. By heavily emphasizing his personal authority, he attempts to show that the final decision still rests entirely in his hands [קאסוטו]. However, his words are layered with deception. When offering to let them go, he secretly intends to release only Moses and Aaron rather than the entire nation, hoping his evasion will go unnoticed [שפתי כהן].

Ignoring the original request for a three-day journey, the king imposes his own strict boundary, setting a firm limit on how far they can travel. The primary approach among commentators is that he only permits a short journey of one or two days. He bases this restriction on the very argument presented to him earlier, which is the need to offer sacrifices away from the Egyptian public to avoid being stoned. From his perspective, a brief trip just beyond the national borders into the desert is perfectly sufficient for this purpose, making a long journey unnecessary [מלבי״ם, אור החיים]. This distance limit also exposes his core assumption that the people will return after their festival. If they were leaving permanently, the distance they traveled would be of no concern to him [ביאור יש״ר]. Moses does not argue about the travel limit. His primary objective is simply to get the people out of the city, understanding that once they are outside and free, the king's rules will no longer apply [אור החיים].

The negotiation concludes with a plea for prayer, asking God to remove the devastating plague [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Some view this as a request for prayers on the king's own behalf as well [נתינה לגר]. From a logical standpoint, it would have made more sense for him to present this request at the very beginning, asking for the plague to be removed before granting permission to leave [אבן עזרא, טור הארוך]. However, he likely believed that the plague would not actually end until the Israelites physically offered their sacrifices. By forcing them to stay close, he ensures that they can complete their worship and pray for him quickly, leading to a much faster end to his suffering [מלבי״ם].