Digging Deeper: The Greater Meaning of Exodus 7:3

“As for me, I will allow Pharʹaoh’s heart to become obstinate, and I will multiply my signs and my miracles in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:3)

Jehovah spoke these words to Moses before the Ten Plagues began, when Pharaoh was refusing to let Israel go. The main point is that Jehovah did not only free his people, he did it in a way they could see with their own eyes, so they would know him and never forget him. The day’s text shows that Moses, near the end of his life at age 120, called Israel together to remind them of everything they had seen, because remembering what Jehovah has done gives us courage for what lies ahead.

1“Signs”: Proof That Points to Jehovah (אוֹת, ‘oth)

The Hebrew word אוֹת (‘oth) means a sign, a mark, or a proof. A sign points beyond itself to something else. Each plague was more than a disaster; it was evidence pointing straight to Jehovah. He even told Moses the reason: “The Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah when I stretch out my hand against Egypt.” (Exodus 7:5)

The signs taught Israel the same lesson. After the Red Sea, “the people began to fear Jehovah and to put faith in Jehovah and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14:31) Jehovah gave signs so that people would come to know him.

• Jehovah’s works in our own life are also signs that point to him, if we stop and notice them.

2“Miracles”: Wonders That Showed His Power (מוֹפֵת, mopheth)

The word for “miracles” is מוֹפֵת (mopheth). It means a wonder, something so amazing that it makes people stop and take notice. In the Bible it is often paired with ‘oth, as in Exodus 7:3. Together, the two words describe acts that both amazed people and proved who was behind them.

Moses later asked Israel: “Has God ever attempted to take for himself a nation out of the midst of another nation along with judgments, with signs, with miracles . . . as Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?” (Deuteronomy 4:34) Then he gave the reason: “So you will know that Jehovah is the true God; there is no other besides him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)

• No problem we face is bigger than the God who parted the Red Sea.

3“Remember”: Keeping His Acts Alive in Our Hearts (זָכַר, zakhar)

In his final talks, Moses kept telling Israel to remember. The Hebrew word זָכַר (zakhar) means to remember or call to mind, and in the Bible it usually means more than just recalling facts; it means letting the memory shape how we act. Moses said: “Remember the long road that Jehovah your God made you walk these 40 years in the wilderness.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

He also warned them: “Watch yourself closely, so that you may not forget the things that your eyes have seen . . . You must also make them known to your sons and to your grandsons.” (Deuteronomy 4:9) Israel had seen Jehovah’s care every day, even clothing that “did not wear out.” (Deuteronomy 8:4) Moses wanted those memories to give them courage to enter the Promised Land.

• Remembering how Jehovah has helped us in the past strengthens us to trust him for the future.