Exodus 11:3
“Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.”
What does Exodus 11:3 mean?
Even as tensions escalated between Moses and Pharaoh, something remarkable was happening among ordinary Egyptians. They were beginning to see Moses not as a troublemaker, but as someone worth listening to, someone with genuine authority and wisdom. This wasn't Moses winning a popularity contest, but rather God creating space for his plan to unfold by shifting how people perceived him. The favor described here is deeply practical. When Moses later asked the Egyptians for silver, gold, and clothing for the departing Israelites, they gave generously. This wasn't random kindness, but the fruit of the respect and goodwill that had been growing. Sometimes God works not through force alone, but through quietly changing hearts and minds, even among those we'd expect to resist his purposes. It's a gentle reminder that God can create openings in the hardest situations when we least expect them.