John Calvin Commentary Exodus 10:28

"And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die." — Exodus 10:28 (ASV)

And Pharaoh said to him. This outburst of passion, in the midst of such severe calamities, is a proof of the violent assaults by which Satan drives the wicked headlong when they are given over to a reprobate mind. The arrogance of kings is indeed notorious and noted by the ancient poets;¹³⁰ “Animadverte, et dicto pare,” (attend, and obey my word; ) and, again, “Moriere, si te secundo lumine hic offendero,” (if I meet you here again a second day, you shall die.)

Nor can it be doubted that Pharaoh, with his usual lack of self-control, now breaks out into fierce and cruel threats. But had he not been carried away by a spirit of madness, he would not have so boldly opposed himself to God’s servant, whom he had so often known by experience to be endowed with unconquerable power and to be so authorized by God as to have supreme dominion over all the elements. From this, we also gather that he had not been until now restrained from treating Moses with severity either by kindness, moderation, or patience. For when the circumstances of his kingdom were still flourishing, his wrath would have been more excessive; instead, he was held back by some secret restraint.

But Moses shows by his answer how completely he dismissed all this bluster. For he voluntarily defies him and, by declaring that he will come before his face no more, signifies that Pharaoh is not worthy of Moses laboring any longer on his behalf. But we see that the wicked king, carried away by his fury, prophesied contrary to his own intentions, for God brought upon Pharaoh's own head what he threatened against another.

At the same time, it must be remembered that Moses spoke this way not without authority, but by God’s command. For unless he had been certainly taught that the final trial had come, he would have always stood in readiness to perform his part. But it will soon appear from the context that in this statement also he was the true messenger of God.

¹³⁰ Cicero pro C. Rabirio Postumo, c. 11 “Nemo nostrum ignorat, etiam si experti non sumus, consuetudinem regiam. Regum autem haec sunt imperia: Animadverte et dicto pare: et praeter rogitatum si querare: et illae minae, : et illae minae, Si te secundo lumine hic offendero, moriere.” In the .” In the Variorum edition, Elzevir, 1661, there is the following note: — “edition, Elzevir, 1661, there is the following note: — “Animadverte, etc., Explicat isthaec Columna commentariis suis ad etc., Explicat isthaec Columna commentariis suis ad Q. Ennium.”.”