Pharaoh the Spared Firstborn and the Hail Like No Other

"But for this purpose, and so on" (Exodus 9:16). He was left over from all the firstborn. And so it says, "from the firstborn of Pharaoh" (Exodus 11:5) - does Scripture come to teach that Pharaoh himself was a firstborn, or only that his son was a firstborn? When it says "who sits on his throne," his son is already stated; so what does "from the firstborn of Pharaoh" teach? It comes to teach you that Pharaoh was a firstborn and was left over from all the firstborn. And Baal Zephon was left over from all the objects of fear [idols], in order to seduce the heart of the Egyptians; of it Scripture says, "He misleads the nations and destroys them" (Job 12:23). "How did the hail come down?" (Exodus 9:18). Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Judah the Levite: one of them says it came down like a snail [in a spiral] and cut down the trees, as it is said, "He killed their vines with hail" (Psalms 78:47). The other said it came down like a hammer-blow [chanamal], as it is said, "and their sycamores with chanamal" (Psalms 78:47). "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will rain down hail" (Exodus 9:18). He scratched a single scratch on the wall, saying to him: tomorrow, when the sun reaches here, I will bring down hail upon you. "Such as has not been" (Exodus 9:18): its like had not been, but it is destined to be. When is it prepared? For Sennacherib, says Rabbi Simon. Rabbi Hananiah says: for the plague of Gog and Magog, as it is said, "a flooding rain and stones of hail" (Ezekiel 38:22). "Send, gather in your livestock" (Exodus 9:19). Our Rabbis said: in all the plagues Pharaoh did not say "the LORD is righteous" except in the plague of hail alone. Why? Because when a man seeks to fight his fellow and overcome him, he comes upon him suddenly and kills him; but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Pharaoh, "Now send, gather in your livestock." At that hour he said, "The LORD is righteous" (Exodus 9:27).