Predestination

When G-d made His covenant with Abraham, He decreed: “Your children will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. But the nation that enslaves them, I will punish.”

How could G-d punish the Egyptians for something He decreed upon them to do?

The commentaries explain that no individual Egyptian was compelled by G-d to hurt the Jews. But how could they be punished when, ultimately, someone had to do it? And what about Pharaoh himself? He had no choice in the matter!

In discussing the laws of prophecy, Maimonides explains that a true prophet must prove himself by accurately foretelling the future. But if he predicts that something bad will occur and it does not, he is not deemed a false prophet, because it is possible that in the meantime the people repented and nullified the decree.

Even if the Egyptians knew that G-d intended for them to enslave the Jews, they each still had the free choice to choose good, and G-d’s decree could have been rescinded.