Exodus 9:27

I have sinned. The plague of hail made a stronger impression upon the king than any of the previous judgments. It was the first plague to inflict death upon men, and was the most striking and terrible manifestation of divine power he had yet experienced (v. 24). Pharaoh was therefore more humble than before, and though he had twice called Moses and requested the removal of plagues (ch. 8:8, 28), this was the first time the proud king had admitted the error of his ways. Remarkable as such a confession was, it did not, however, represent sincere repentance, as the limitation “this time” indicates. It was, rather, the effect of terror occasioned more by the fearful lightning and destructive hail than by genuine sorrow for sin.