Reference: Plague
American
See PESTILENCE.
Easton
a "stroke" of affliction, or disease. Sent as a divine chastisement (Nu 11:33; 14:37; 16:46-49; 2Sa 24:21). Painful afflictions or diseases, (Le 13:3,5,30; 1Ki 8:37), or severe calamity (Mr 5:29; Lu 7:21), or the judgment of God, so called (Ex 9:14). Plagues of Egypt were ten in number.
(1.) The river Nile was turned into blood, and the fish died, and the river stank, so that the Egyptians loathed to drink of the river (Ex 7:14-25).
(2.) The plague of frogs (Ex 8:1-15).
(3.) The plague of lice (Heb kinnim, properly gnats or mosquitoes; comp. Ps 78:45; 105:31), "out of the dust of the land" (Ex 8:16-19).
(4.) The plague of flies (Heb arob, rendered by the LXX. dog-fly), Ex 8:21-24.
(5.) The murrain (Ex 9:1-7), or epidemic pestilence which carried off vast numbers of cattle in the field. Warning was given of its coming.
(6.) The sixth plague, of "boils and blains," like the third, was sent without warning (Ex 9:8-12). It is called (De 28:27) "the botch of Egypt," A.V.; but in R.V., "the boil of Egypt." "The magicians could not stand before Moses" because of it.
(7.) The plague of hail, with fire and thunder (Ex 9:13-33). Warning was given of its coming. (Comp. Ps 18:13; 105:32-33).
(8.) The plague of locusts, which covered the whole face of the earth, so that the land was darkened with them (Ex 10:12-15). The Hebrew name of this insect, arbeh, points to the "multitudinous" character of this visitation. Warning was given before this plague came.
(9.) After a short interval the plague of darkness succeeded that of the locusts; and it came without any special warning (Ex 10:21-29). The darkness covered "all the land of Egypt" to such an extent that "they saw not one another." It did not, however, extend to the land of Goshen.
(10.) The last and most fearful of these plagues was the death of the first-born of man and of beast (Ex 11:4-5; 12:29-30). The exact time of the visitation was announced, "about midnight", which would add to the horror of the infliction. Its extent also is specified, from the first-born of the king to the first-born of the humblest slave, and all the first-born of beasts. But from this plague the Hebrews were completely exempted. The Lord "put a difference" between them and the Egyptians. (See Passover.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And LORD said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. Get thee to Pharaoh in the morning, lo, he goes out to the water, and thou shall stand by the river's edge to meet him, and the rod which was turned to a serpent thou shall take in thy hand. read more. And thou shall say to him, LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. And, behold, until now thou have not hearkened. Thus says LORD, In this thou shall know that I am LORD. Behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul, and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river. And LORD said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood, and And Moses and Aaron did so, as LORD commanded. And he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants, and all the waters that were in the river were turned And the fish that were in the river died, and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river. And the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as LORD had spoken. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled, after LORD had smitten the river.
And LORD spoke to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus says LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs. read more. And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-trough And the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. And LORD said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did in like manner with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat LORD, that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people, and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to LORD. And Moses said to Pharaoh, Have this honor over me: When shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only? And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word, that thou may know that there is none like LORD our God. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people, they shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried to LORD concerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh. And LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart, and did not hearken to them, as LORD had spoken. And LORD said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so. And Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth. And there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. And there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as LORD had spoken.
Else, if thou will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon they servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also th And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end thou may know that I am LORD in the midst of the earth. read more. And I will put a division between my people and thy people. This sign shall be by tomorrow. And LORD did so, and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses. And in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
Then LORD said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus says LORD, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and will still hold them, read more. behold, the hand of LORD is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks--a very grievous pestilence. And LORD shall make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel. And LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow LORD shall do this thing in the land. And LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died, but of the cattle of the sons of Israel not one died. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go. And LORD said to Moses and to Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with sores upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven, and it became a boil breaking forth with sores upon man and upon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. And LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not hearken to them, as LORD had spoken to Moses. And LORD said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus says LORD, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, that thou may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
For this time I will send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, that thou may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I have put forth my hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou have been cut off from the earth. read more. But indeed for this cause I have raised thee up, to display in thee my power, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. As yet thou exalt thyself against my people, that thou will not let them go? Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou have in the field, [for] every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He who feared the word of LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses. And he who did not regard the word of LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field. And LORD said to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth, and LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And throughout all the land of Egypt the hail smote all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time. LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Entreat LORD, for there has been enough of [these] mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said to him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands to LORD. The thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail, that thou may know that the earth is LORD's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear LORD God. And the flax and the barley were smitten, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were not grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands to LORD, and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
And LORD said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night, and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. read more. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt, very grievous were they, before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole ground, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. And there remained not any green thing, either tree nor herb
And LORD said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days, read more. they did not see each other, neither did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. And Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, Go ye, serve LORD, only let your flocks and your herds stay. Let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice to LORD our God. Our cattle shall also go with us, there shall not a hoof be left behind, for must we take of it to serve LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve LORD, until we come there. But LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said to him, Get thee from me. Take heed to thyself, see my face no more, for in the day thou see my face thou shall die. And Moses said, Thou have spoken well. I will see thy face again no more.
And Moses said, Thus says LORD, About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits upon his throne, even to the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill, and all the first-born of cattle.
And it came to pass at midnight, that LORD smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of cattl And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
And the priest shall look on the disease in the skin of the flesh, and if the hair in the disease be turned white, and the appearance of the disease is deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a leprous disease. And the priest shal
And the priest shall look on him the seventh day, and, behold, if in his eyes the disease is arrested, and the disease is not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days more.
then the priest shall look on the disease. And, behold, if the appearance of it is deeper than the skin, and there is yellow thin hair in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a scall. It is a leprous disease of th
While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of LORD was kindled against the people, and LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before LORD.
And Moses said to Aaron, Take thy censer, and put fire in it from off the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from LORD. The plague has be And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly. And, behold, the plague had begun among the people. And he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. read more. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah.
LORD will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which thou cannot be healed.
LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and lice in all their borders. He gave them hail for rain, [and] flaming fire in their land. read more. He also smote their vines and their fig trees, and broke the trees of their borders.
And straightaway the flow of her blood was dried up, and she knew in the body that she was healed of her scourge.
And in the same hour he healed many from diseases and plagues and evil spirits. And he granted sight to many blind men.
Fausets
deber, "destruction." Any sudden, severe, and dangerous disease. Maweth," death," i.e. deadly disease; so "the black death" of the middle ages. Nega', "a stroke" from God, as leprosy (Leviticus 13). Mageephah, qeteb, "pestilence" (Ps 91:6), "that walketh in darkness," i.e. mysterious, sudden, severe, especially in the night, in the absence of the light and heat of the sun. Rosheph, "flame," i.e. burning fever; compare Hab 3:5 margin (See EGYPT and EXODUS on the ten plagues.)
A close connection exists between the ordinary physical visitations of Egypt and those whereby Pharaoh was constrained to let Israel go. It attests the sacred author's accurate acquaintance with the phenomena of the land which was the scene of his history. "The supernatural presents in Scripture generally no violent opposition to the natural, but rather unites in a friendly alliance with it" (Hengstenberg). A special reason why in this case the natural background of the miracles should appear was in order to show that Jehovah was God of Egypt as much as of Israel, and rules "in the midst of the earth" (Ex 8:22)
By exhibiting Jehovah through Moses at will bringing on with unusual intensity, and withdrawing in answer to intercession at once and completely, the well known Egyptian periodical scourges which their superstition attributed to false gods, Jehovah was proved more effectively to be supreme than He could have been by inflicting some new and strange visitation. The plagues were upon Egypt's idols, the Nile water, the air, the frog, the cow, the beetle, etc., as Jehovah saith (Ex 12:12), "against all the gods of Egypt will I execute judgment" (Ex 18:11; 15:11; Nu 33:4). Ten is significant of completeness, the full flood of God's wrath upon the God-opposed world power. The magicians initiate no plague; in producing the same plague by their enchantments (which seem real, as demoniacal powers have exerted themselves in each crisis of the kingdom of God) as Moses by God's word, they only increase the visitation upon themselves. The plagues as they progress prove:
(1) Jehovah's infinite power over Egypt's deified powers of nature. The first stroke affects the very source of the nation's life, the Nile; then the soil (the dust producing the plague); then the irrigating canals breeding flies.
(2) The difference marked between Israel and Egypt; the cattle, the crops, the furnaces (wherein Israel was worn with bondage) represent all the industrial resources of the nation. The stroke on the firstborn was the crowning one, altogether supernatural, whereas the others were intensifications of existing scourges. The firstborn, usually selected for worship, is now the object of the stroke. The difference marked all along from the third plague was most marked in that on the firstborn (Ex 11:7). The plague was national, the firstborn representing Egypt: Isa 43:3, "I gave Egypt for thy ransom."
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end thou may know that I am LORD in the midst of the earth.
But against any of the sons of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast, that ye may know how that LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.
For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am LORD.
Who is like thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Now I know that LORD is greater than all gods, yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.
while the Egyptians were burying all their first-born whom LORD had smitten among them; upon their gods also LORD executed judgments.
for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
For I am LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead.
Before him went the pestilence. And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.