Exodus 3:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

However, since Pharaoh refuses to comply, he and his troops will embark on a journey lasting three days, during which they will become a target for wild animals and birds that will settle upon their remains, cast ashore by the rolling waves. As I previously mentioned regarding the children of your people and their unwillingness to heed your words, so I assert concerning Pharaoh that he too will not pay attention to your message.

Why did God, anticipating Pharaoh's defiance, choose not to punish him initially? What God foresaw, He chose to illustrate: for He declares, I know that Pharaoh king of Egypt will not let you go, except with a strong hand; and He extended His hand, I will smite the Egyptians (Ex. 3: 19-20). Nonetheless, in His goodness and mercy, He does not inflict punishment solely based on His foreknowledge, but instead allows time to reveal the conclusion of events, thus demonstrating the righteousness of His justice to all. Furthermore, it was far more appropriate for Pharaoh’s malice and wickedness to be unveiled, rather than for the notion to arise that God was oppressive. Had He enacted punishment prior to giving a warning, He would have appeared both unmerciful and unjust. In contrast, the forbearance of God is made evident, and Pharaoh’s avarice and brutality are laid bare.

God forewarns Moses that Pharaoh will remain unwilling to free the Hebrew people. "But I know that Pharaoh king of Egypt will not let you go." God Himself bears witness concerning Pharaoh, declaring, "Behold thou seest what I will do unto Pharaoh: with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a high muscle shall he bruise them out of his land" (Ex. 6:1).

Pharaoh's obstinacy, foreseen by God, is integral to the scheme of Divine Providence. This likely served to further unify Israel as a single entity, strengthening the familial bonds that connected the Hebrews in a land that was not their own.