Possible meanings are 1) they were speaking the proper name of the God of Israel or 2) they believed that Israel worshiped one of many gods, "the god of Israel." See how you translated this in [1 Samuel 5:7](../05/06.md).
Here "hand" is a metonym used to represent God's power to afflict or discipline. AT: "stop punishing you, your gods and your land" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
# Why should you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?
The priests and diviners use a rhetorical question to urge the Philistines to think very seriously about what will happen if they refuse to obey God. This can be translated as a warning. AT: "Do not be stubborn like the Egyptians and Pharaoh were!" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
# harden your hearts
This is an idiom that means to be stubborn or unwilling to obey God. AT: "refuse to obey God" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
# did not the Egyptians send away the people, and they left?
This is another rhetorical question used to remind the Philistines how the Egyptians finally sent the Israelites out of Egypt so that God would stop afflicting the Egyptians. This can be translated as a statement. AT: "remember that the Egyptians sent the Israelites out of Egypt." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
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