Êxodo 10:7

Let the men go. — Though the heart of Pharaoh remained hard, the plagues had a certain effect on the minds of the Egyptians. First, the magicians were impressed, and said, “This is the finger of God” (Êxodo 8:19). Then a certain number of the people “feared the word of the Lord, and made their servants and their cattle flee into the houses” (Êxodo 9:20). Now the very officers of the Court, those who were in the closest contact with the king, believed that the words of Moses would come true, and counselled the king to yield, and “let the men go.” It has been supposed that they meant “the men only” (Knobel, Cook); but this is pure conjecture. The word used, which is not that of Êxodo 10:11, would cover women and children. The officers of the Court — rich landowners mostly — would dread impending ruin if the wheat and doora crops were destroyed, and would intend to counsel entire submission.