Amalek and his magicians – the king's advisors – break the news: these Israelites? They're gone for good.
And that's when things really hit the fan.
According to Legends of the Jews, when Amalek and the magicians brought the information to Pharaoh, that the Israelites had resolved not to return to Egypt, his heart and the heart of his whole people turned against them. It wasn't just Pharaoh who was furious, but the entire Egyptian nation.
Now, think about the mindset of Pharaoh's counselors. They had already convinced him to let the Israelites go in the first place! But now, listen to how they changed their tune. "If we had only been smitten with the plagues, we could have resigned ourselves to our fate."
Okay, that's… something. "Or if, besides being smitten with the plagues, we had been compelled to let the Hebrews depart from the land, that, too, we could have been borne with patience."
So, plagues? Bearable. Losing their workforce? Manageable, somehow. But here’s the kicker, the straw that broke the camel's back.
"But to be smitten with the plagues, to be compelled to let our slaves depart from us, and to sit by and see them go off with our riches, that is more than we can endure." They were enraged.
It wasn't just the loss of their cheap labor anymore. It was the humiliation of being beaten by plagues, and being forced to watch the Israelites walk away with all their wealth. Can you feel the simmering resentment? The feeling of utter helplessness? It’s a potent cocktail of anger and wounded pride.
This passage, so early in the Exodus story, reveals something profound about human nature. It's not always the initial hardship that breaks us, but the cumulative effect of loss, coupled with the perceived injustice of it all. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What's your breaking point? And how do you react when you feel like you've been pushed too far?