But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Pharaoh twisted like a serpent, pretending submission only while fear gripped him, then returning to his old obstinacy once relief came. This is the mark of a perverse heart: not willing obedience, but temporary deference wrung by necessity. God knew this wickedness lay hidden in him and exposed it by withdrawing the plague, giving the tyrant room to show his true nature.
AI summary
God chose contemptible frogs to strike down a haughty king, magnifying His power over all creation and humbling Pharaoh's pride. What a mortification for a monarch to be forced to his knees by creatures a child can master, yet whose numbers made all his chariots and horsemen helpless.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 8:1-15
Aaron did not smite all the dust in every corner of Egypt, but struck one place where dust lay thick; that single blow served for the whole land. These were no common lice, but new and extraordinary creatures, fashioned for this judgment alone, suited to afflict both man and beast alike.
AI summary