God establishes the absolute boundaries of human power when confronted with Divine control. He presents a hypothetical scenario to the Egyptian king, clarifying that the monarch's continued survival is a deliberate choice rather than a sign of Divine weakness or hesitation. The primary approach among commentators is that God's message is conditional. He informs the king that if He had desired, it would have been simple and entirely justified to strike him and his nation immediately.
Most commentators connect this to the plague of pestilence that devastated the livestock. At the exact moment God unleashed the plague upon the animals, He could have easily expanded its reach to strike the human population as well. This would have destroyed the Egyptians alongside their animals in a single, devastating blow, eliminating the need for any further plagues. In this context, the threat is understood as an expansion of the punishment, indicating that God could have struck the people in addition to their livestock [מזרחי, שפתי חכמים]. Offering a different perspective, another approach links this hypothetical destruction to the preceding plague of boils. According to this view, God could have commanded the furnace soot that caused the boils to become a lethal pestilence, but He chose to use it merely as a severe warning and rebuke [ביאור יש״ר].
Even though the threat of destruction applies to both the king and his nation together, it is directed at a singular target. This highlights that the king, as the ultimate leader, is the primary focus and representative of the entire nation [מזרחי]. Furthermore, the concept of being wiped out carries a deeper meaning. In Biblical thought, independent existence is defined by separation and individuality. Therefore, destruction does not mean vanishing into absolute nothingness. Rather, it signifies the loss of independent existence, where a person merges back into the basic elements of nature and the earth, entirely stripped of their ability to resist [רש ר הירש].
If God had indeed unleashed a lethal pestilence upon the people, the king and his army would have been entirely wiped out, leaving no one to oppose the Israelites as they departed Egypt [רלב״ג, שטיינזלץ]. However, the ultimate purpose of the plagues was not simply to punish the Egyptians or to secure a quick liberation. Instead, the goal was to clearly demonstrate Divine providence and the overwhelming magnitude of God's power. Had the king died instantly, the profound theological purpose of establishing the recognition of God's absolute kingship throughout the world would never have been fully realized [העמק דבר, מלבי״ם].