“I Have Sinned”: The Grammar of Urgency and Confession in Exodus 10:16
וַיְמַהֵ֣ר פַּרְעֹ֔ה לִקְרֹ֖א לְמֹשֶׁ֣ה וּלְאַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיֹּ֗אמֶר חָטָ֛אתִי לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם וְלָכֶֽם׃ (Exodus 10:16) And Parʿo hastened to call for Moshe and Aharon, and he said, “I have sinned against YHWH your God and against you.” This verse captures a moment of panic and confession after the plague of locusts. Parʿo (Pharaoh) realizes the severity of YHWH’s…