The translator is a traitor

It is interesting that virtually all non-Jewish versions of Exodus 10:1 translate it incorrectly. The verse begins: God said to Moshe, BO EL PAR’OH. You will usually find this translated as: God said to Moshe, go to Pharaoh…

However, the word BO means ‘come’, not ‘go’. Clearly, the translators feel that it would be awkward to have God saying ‘come to Pharaoh’ because that’s not the normal way of asking someone to go somewhere. To correct this awkwardness, the translators assume they are capturing the true intent of God’s command by rendering the phrase as “go to Pharaoh”.

But God is not simply sending Moshe off and telling him to go. God wants Moshe to understand that He will be there with Moshe – so the Almighty invites Moshe along and says “come (with Me) to Pharaoh”.