Pharaoh refers to the monarch of ancient Egypt whose defiance of the demands of Moses framed the drama of the Exodus. Unlike the earlier dynasty under which Joseph served with honor, this ruler viewed the multiplying Hebrew populace as a threat to national security.
Oppression and Confrontation
The royal court imposed brutal forced labor and decreed the drowning of newborn Hebrew boys in the Nile, an edict overcome when Miriam assisted in the child Moses's preservation. Decades later, Moses and Aaron appeared repeatedly before Pharaoh, demanding permission for the people to depart into the wilderness to worship.
The Fall of the Court
Hardening his heart through ten successive plagues, Pharaoh capitulated only after the catastrophe of the first Passover. Attempting a final pursuit with royal war chariots, Pharaoh's army was overthrown at the Red Sea, marking the complete collapse of Egyptian subjugation over Israel.