Exodus 10:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

To clarify, Moses had not entered the king's palace since the appointed time and would not present himself before Pharaoh again, for he was resolute in his determination and lacked the authority to alter it. The Holy Spirit attests to this in Exodus 11:3, stating that Moses held great favor in Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's attendants and all the people. Therefore, the evil king along with his advisors and the populace could not harm Moses, despite their best efforts to deride him. Conversely, Moses, endowed with divine authority, did not concern himself with their contempt and refrained from troubling them further with his presence. His patience in this regard was upheld by confidence in God, whose unmatched power eventually forced the relentless enemy to release the Hebrew people, culminating in the event recounted in Exodus 12:31. This passage shows that Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron at night and compelled them to leave through messengers, rather than doing so personally, which is illustrated in Exodus 11:8, where Moses tells Pharaoh, "All your children shall come to me and worship me, saying, Depart."

Scholars universally acknowledge that the initial three verses of the subsequent chapter serve as a reminder that the section on deliverance commences here, and the subsequent statements made by Moses in chapter 11 represent the final warnings directed at Pharaoh prior to the Exodus. It appears that chapter 11 marks the beginning of the scroll which contains the narrative of the Exodus itself, detailing the departure from Egypt, while the earlier chapters, concluding with the phrase, ‘I shall see thy face no more,’ were recorded on a distinct scroll titled ‘the plagues of Egypt.’ This perspective is further supported by the interruption in the account of the plagues, the establishment of the Passover, and the continuation of the narrative regarding the death of the firstborn and the departure from Egypt.