“Then G-d said to Moses: GO to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart…” (Exodus 10:1).

This is almost universally the way this verse is translated. However, the actual Hebrew is “Bo el Par’oh” which literally means ‘COME to Pharaoh and not ‘go’ to Pharaoh.

The translators probably felt that if G-d is sending Moses to Pharaoh, the verse would have to be saying “go” rather than “come”. So, in order to provide a ‘smoother’ reading, they ‘clean up’ the translation by finessing the difficulty of the text. The problem is that by “solving” this difficulty, they rob it of its richness.

While the expression “come to Pharaoh” sounds awkward, it implies that G-d is saying to Moses: I’m not just sending you to Pharaoh. I’m going to be there with you. So, please, come (with Me) to Pharaoh”.

Von Rabbiner Michael Skobac

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