The elders of Israel endeavored to sustain the sinking faith of their brethren by repeating the promises made to their fathers, and the prophetic words of Joseph before his death, foretelling their deliverance from Egypt. Some would listen and believe. Others, looking at the circumstances that surrounded them, refused to hope. The Egyptians, being informed of what was reported among their bondmen, derided their expectations and scornfully denied the power of their God. They pointed to their situation as a nation of slaves, and tauntingly said, "If your God is just and merciful, and possesses power above that of the Egyptian gods, why does He not make you a free people?" They called attention to their own condition. They worshiped deities 260 termed by the Israelites false gods, yet they were a rich and powerful nation. They declared that their gods had blessed them with prosperity, and had given them the Israelites as servants, and they gloried in their power to oppress and destroy the worshipers of Jehovah. Pharaoh himself boasted that the God of the Hebrews could not deliver them from his hand.

Israels ældste søgte at styrke deres brødres vaklende tro ved at gentage løfterne til fædrene og Josefs profetiske ord lige før hans død, hvor han forudsagde deres udfrielse fra Ægypten. Nogle lyttede og troede, andre så på de forhold, de levede under, og ville ikke fatte håb. Da ægypterne fik at vide, hvad der blev talt om blandt deres slaver, spottede de dem for deres forventning og fornægtede hånligt deres Guds magt. De henviste til deres slavetilstand og sagde spottende: "Hvis jeres Gud er retfærdig og barmhjertig og har større magt end ægypternes guder, hvorfor gør han jer så ikke til et frit folk?" De pegede på deres egne kår. De tilbad guder, som israelitterne kaldte falske, men de var en rig og mægtig nation. De erklærede, at deres guder havde velsignet dem med velstand og givet dem israelitterne som slaver, og de roste sig af, at de havde magt til at undertrykke og udrydde dem, der tilbad Gud. Farao pralede selv af, at hebræernes Gud ikke kunne udfri dem af hans hånd.