A.S. Yahuda, Language of the Pentateuch in its Relation to Egyptian [1933], Vol. 1, [1933], 69 The two most frequent expressions used to characterize the stubbornness and obstinacy of Pharaoh are: ויכבד לב פרעה 'and Pharaoh's heart was heavy' Ex. 9,7. also 7, 14. and in the causative ויכבד פרעה את־לבו 8, 27. 9, 34 etc. or ויחזק לב פרעה 'and the heart of Pharaoh became strong' 7, 13, 22. 8, 15. 9, 35 and in the causative ויהוק יהוה את לב פרעה 'and God made the heart of Pharaoh strong' 9, 12. 10, 20, 27, also 3, 21 etc. In both cases we have an exactly literal coincidence with the Egyptian, for כבד = Egyptian dnś 'to be heavy (in weight)' which in conjunction with ib = heart likewise means 'to be of fixed heart, fixed mind, to be resolved', e.g. Siut, i. 81 'I, the ruler of love, heavy of heart (dnś ib), I conceal the thought of the body (hrp śhr h.t)', i.e. obstinately, with firm determination, I do not reveal my feelings. In other cases dnś = 'to be heavy' is used without ib in the same sense; thus Bauer, i. 209 (= Vogels, p. 160) gives dnś śhr h.t) = 'heavy in regard to the thoughts of the body' meaning 'to be firm, resolved', in contrast to isy-ib 'light in regard to the heard' i.e. wanton, frivolous, vacillating. 'Heavy of heart', thus means to be stubborn, insistent; and 'to make the heart heavy' means 'to show forbearance, patience, endurance'. That is precisely what the passages cited convey: Pharaoh did not despair, he was patient, steadfast, resolved, and obstinate.
Vertaling Bijbel, Kanttekeningen SV, [], Toen zeide de HEERE tot Mozes: Farao's hart [17]is zwaar; hij weigert het volk te laten trekken. 17. Zodat het zich niet kan opheffen tot gehoorzaamheid.
, [], Thursday, January 22, 2004 Va`era #2: Why was Pharoah in de Nile?
In Shemot 7:14-15, Moshe is told to go to the Nile, for Pharoah is there. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, כָּבֵד לֵב פַּרְעֹה; מֵאֵן, לְשַׁלַּח הָעָם.
לֵךְ
אֶל-פַּרְעֹה בַּבֹּקֶר, הִנֵּה יֹצֵא הַמַּיְמָה, וְנִצַּבְתָּ
לִקְרָאתוֹ, עַל-שְׂפַת הַיְאֹר; וְהַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר-נֶהְפַּךְ לְנָחָשׁ,
תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ. "And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. Get
thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and
thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which
was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand." Rashi
cited Shemot Rabba that the reason Pharoah went to the water was to go
to the bathroom. Pharoah claimed to be a god, who did not need to go to
the bathroom, and he would awake early to go to the Nile and there he
would go to the bathroom. I saw the derivation in Tg Yonatan. In a later pasuk, 7:23, at the end of the encounter: וַיִּפֶן פַּרְעֹה, וַיָּבֹא אֶל-בֵּיתוֹ; וְלֹא-שָׁת לִבּוֹ, גַּם-לָזֹאת. "And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart." Tg
Yonatan translates וַיִּפֶן פַּרְעֹה as "Pharoah took care of his
needs," that is he went to the bathroom. He does not connect this to an
attempt to appear as a deity. However, one could possibly make the
derivation that he took care of his needs here and only then returned
to his house, implying that he did not take care of his needs in his
house.
Even so, Tg Yonatan gives a different reason for Pharoah
going to the Nile by the first pasuk I cited. He claims it was to do
ksamim (magics) upon it. This is actually somewhat supported by the
narrative. for after Moshe and Aharon turn the Nile into blood, the
magicians do likewise, at which point Pharoah hardens his heart and
does not listen to Moshe and Aharon. What are the magicians doing
there? It makes sense if he went with them to do magic on the Nile, but
less so if he is trying to quietly relieve himself so that no one will
know.