Go to Pharaoh
The command "Go" signifies a divine mandate, urging Moses to confront the earthly power of Pharaoh. The Hebrew verb "halak" implies movement with purpose, indicating that Moses is not acting on his own accord but as an emissary of God. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, represents the epitome of worldly authority and opposition to God's will. This confrontation sets the stage for the ensuing plagues, which serve as a demonstration of God's power over the false gods of Egypt.

and tell him
This phrase emphasizes the prophetic role of Moses as God's spokesperson. The Hebrew root "amar" (to say or tell) is used here, indicating the transmission of a divine message. Moses is tasked with delivering God's demands directly to Pharaoh, reinforcing the idea that the liberation of the Israelites is not a human endeavor but a divine imperative.

This is what the LORD says
This declaration introduces the divine message with authority. The repetition of "the LORD" (YHWH) underscores the source of the command, reminding both Moses and Pharaoh of the ultimate authority behind the words. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such declarations were common in royal edicts, lending weight and urgency to the message.

Let My people go
This command is central to the Exodus narrative, encapsulating God's demand for the liberation of the Israelites. The phrase "My people" signifies the special relationship between God and Israel, rooted in the Abrahamic covenant. The Hebrew verb "shalach" (to send away or release) conveys the idea of freedom from bondage, a theme that resonates throughout the biblical narrative as a symbol of spiritual liberation.

so that they may worship Me
The purpose of the Israelites' release is not merely physical freedom but spiritual service. The Hebrew word "avad" (to serve or worship) implies a shift from serving Pharaoh to serving God. This highlights the ultimate goal of the Exodus: to establish a people who are free to worship and serve the true God. Theologically, this underscores the idea that true freedom is found in obedience and worship of God, a principle that resonates throughout Scripture.

THE SECOND PLAGUE.

(1-4) It is generally allowed that the second plague was one of frogs. All the ancient versions agree in the interpretation; and the only rival rendering--"crocodiles"--is too absurd to be argued against. We may take it, therefore, as certain that the second infliction upon Egypt was an innumerable multitude of frogs, which came up out of the river, and infested the cities, the houses, the sleeping apartments, the beds, the ovens, and the kneading troughs. There was no escaping them. They entered the royal palace no less than the peasant's cottage; they penetrated to the inner chambers; they leaped upon the couches and beds; they polluted the baking utensils, and defiled the water and the food. Here, again, the infliction was double. (1) Frogs were sacred animals to the Egyptians, who regarded them as symbols of procreative power, and associated them especially with the goddess Heka (a wife of Kneph, or up), whom they represented as frog-headed. Sacred animals might not be intentionally killed; and even their involuntary slaughter was not unfrequently punished with death. To be plagued with a multitude of reptiles which might not be put to death, yet on which it was scarcely possible not to tread, and which, whenever a door was opened were crushed, was a severe trial to the religious feelings of the people, and tended to bring the religion itself into contempt. (2) The visitation was horrible to the senses--nauseous, disgusting. The frogs were hideous to the eye, grating to the ear, repulsive to the touch. Their constant presence everywhere rendered them a continual torment. If other later plagues were more injurious, the plague of frogs was perhaps of all the most loathsome. We read without surprise in Eustathius (Comment. in Hom. II., p. 35) that the people of Pseonia and Dardania on one occasion, were so plagued by a multitude of frogs, which filled the houses and the streets, infected the water, invaded the cooking utensils, and made all the food uneatable, that after a time, being unable to bear the pest any longer, they "fled from that region altogether."

(1) Let my people go.--The usual demand, which it was determined to reiterate until Pharaoh yielded. (See Exodus 5:1; Exodus 7:16; Exodus 8:20; Exodus 9:1-13; Exodus 10:3.) . . .