Pharaoh sent. — It is evident that the Pharaoh was more impressed by this plague than by any preceding one. This may have been partly because it caused destruction of human life, partly on account of its extraordinary and awful character. It must be borne in mind that the storm was still continuing, and gave no sign of coming to a natural end (Exodus 9:29; Exodus 9:33).
I have sinned this time — i.e., This time I confess that I have sinned in resisting Jehovah; I do not any more maintain that I have acted right.
The Lord is righteous. — Heb., Jehovah is the Just One — a form of speech implying that Jehovah, and He alone, was just.
Wicked. — Heb., the sinners. “I and my people” stand in contrast with God and His people. Previously Pharaoh had denounced the Israelites as idlers and hypocrites (Exodus 5:8; Exodus 5:17); now he admits that it is only he and his people that are to blame. The confession is satisfactory, except in so far as it divides between Pharaoh and the Egyptians the blame which was almost wholly his.