Keluaran 9:35

9:35 So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ¹  and he did not release the Israelites, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

Keluaran 12:20

12:20 You will not eat anything made with yeast; in all the places where you live you must eat bread made without yeast.’”

[9:35]  ¹ tn The verb about Pharaoh’s heart in v. 35 is וַיֶּחֱזַק (vayyekhezaq), a Qal preterite: “and it was hardened” or “strengthened to resist.” This forms the summary statement of this stage in the drama. The verb used in v. 34 to report Pharaoh’s response was וַיַּכְבֵּד (vayyakhbed), a Hiphil preterite: “and he hardened [his heart]” or made it stubborn. The use of two descriptions of Pharaoh’s heart in close succession, along with mention of his servants’ heart condition, underscores the growing extent of the problem.