For the third time, Pharaoh turns to Moses’ intercession to be freed from this new plague. The tyrant now asks to be freed from those requesting freedom. Besides this, there’s another new element in this story: Pharaoh’s acknowledgment of his fault and that of his people (27).
On one hand, Moses proclaims that the Lord is the ruler of the world, which could have been upsetting for Pharaoh. However, this does not change his behavior. Instead, he asserts his power once again and refuses to let the Israelites go (35).