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 Jehovah said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. He refuses to let the people go. You go to Pharaoh in the morning. Lo, he goes out to the water. And you shall stand by the river's brink until he comes. And you shall take in your hand the rod which was turned to a snake. read more. And you shall say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, Let My people go so that they may serve Me in the wilderness. And, behold, until now you would not hear. Thus says Jehovah, In this you shall know that I am Jehovah. Behold! I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish in the river shall die, and the river shall stink. And the Egyptians shall hate to drink of the water of the river. And Jehovah spoke to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their canals, and upon their pools, and upon every reservoir of their waters, that they may become blood. And blood shall be throughout all the land of Egypt, both in wooden and in stone vessels. And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah commanded. And he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters in the river were turned to blood. And the fish in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river. And there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their secret arts. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as Jehovah had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house; And he did not set his heart to this also. And all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were completed after Jehovah had stricken the river.
And Jehovah spoke to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and say to him: Thus says Jehovah, Let my people go so that they may serve Me. And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike all your borders with frogs. read more. And the river shall bring forth frogs plentifully, which shall go up and come into your house, and into your bedroom, and upon your bed, and into the house of your servants, and upon your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. And the frogs shall come upon you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants. And Jehovah spoke to Moses, Say to Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, 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 so with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Pray to Jehovah that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people. And I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to Jehovah. And Moses said to Pharaoh, Glory over me! When shall I pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, so that they may remain in the river only? And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, It shall be according to your word, so that you may know that there is none like Jehovah our God. And the frogs shall depart from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried to Jehovah because of the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them in heaps and heaps. And the land stank. But Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he hardened his heart, and did not listen to them, even as Jehovah had said. And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron: Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth. And it became lice in man and in beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice upon man and upon beast. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as Jehovah had said.
And if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you, and on your servants, and on your people, and into your house. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they are. And in that day I will cut off the land of Goshen, in which My people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that you may know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth. read more. And I will put a dividing line between My people and your people. This miracle shall be tomorrow. And Jehovah did so. And teeming swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was destroyed because of the swarms.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, Thus says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go so that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and will hold them still, read more. behold, the hand of Jehovah is upon your cattle in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep, a very grievous plague. And Jehovah shall separate 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 Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow Jehovah shall do this thing in the land. And Jehovah did that thing on the next day, 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 one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. And Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, Take to yourselves handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in 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 the sky, 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 boil was upon the priests and upon all the Egyptians. And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, even as Jehovah had spoken to Moses. And Jehovah said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, So says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. For I am going to send at this time all My plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants, and upon your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
For I am going to send at this time all My plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants, and upon your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may strike you and your people with plagues, and you shall be cut off from the earth. read more. And for this I have made you stand, to make you see My power, to declare My name in all the land. Do you still exalt yourself against My people, that you 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 foundation of it even until now! And now send out, gather your cattle, and all that you have in the field. Upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared the Word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle to flee into the houses. And he that did not regard the Word of Jehovah left his servants and his cattle in the field. And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch forth your hand toward heaven, so 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 heavens. And Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and the fire came down to the ground. And Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt. And there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast. And the hail struck 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. Jehovah is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Pray to Jehovah, for it is enough. Let there be no mighty thunderings and hail. And I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer. And Moses said to him, as soon as I go out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands to Jehovah. The thunder shall stop, and the hail will not be any more, so that you may know that the earth is Jehovah's. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear Jehovah God. And the flax and the barley were stricken, for the barley was in the head, and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the rye were not stricken, for they had not grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands to Jehovah. And the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your 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, all that the hail has left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all the night. 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 coasts of Egypt, very numerous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth 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 did not remain any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness. 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 one another, nor did any 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, You go serve Jehovah. Only let your flocks and your herds be left. Let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, You must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. Our cattle also shall go with us. There shall not be a hoof left behind. For we must take from them to serve Jehovah our God. And we do not know with what we must serve Jehovah until we come there. But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said to him, Go away from me! Take heed to yourself; see my face no more. For in the day you see my face you shall die. And Moses said, You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.
And Moses said, Thus says Jehovah: 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 that sits upon his throne, even to the first-born of the slave-girl that is behind the mill; also the first-born of beasts.
And it happened at midnight Jehovah struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive that was in the prison; also all the first-born of cattle. 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 plague in the skin of the flesh. And if the hair in the plague has turned white, and the plague in sight is deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy. And the priest shall look on him and shall pronounce him unclean.
And the priest shall look on him the seventh day. And behold, if the plague in his sight is stayed; the plague has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days more.
then the priest shall see the plague. And behold, if it is in sight deeper than the skin, and a yellow thin hair is in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a dry scab, a leprosy on the head or beard.
And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah struck the people with a very great plague.
even those men that brought up the evil report upon the land died by the plague before Jehovah.
And Moses said to Aaron, Take a fire-pan, and put fire in it from the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly to the congregation and make an atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from Jehovah. The plague has begun. And Aaron did as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the congregation. And behold! The plague had begun among the people. And he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. read more. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed. And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand, seven hundred, besides the ones who died about the matter of Korah.
Jehovah will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with the itch, of which you cannot be healed.
Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave forth His voice; hailstones and coals of fire.
He sent different kinds of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He spoke, and there came fly swarms and gnats in all their borders. He gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in their land. read more. He struck their vines also and their fig trees, and broke the trees of their borders.
And instantly the fountain of her blood dried up. And she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
And in the same hour He cured many of infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits. And He gave sight to many who were blind.
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 cut off the land of Goshen, in which My people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that you may know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth.
But against any of the sons of Israel not even a dog shall move his tongue, against man or beast, so that you may know that Jehovah puts a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am Jehovah.
Who is like You, O Jehovah, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods; for in the thing in which they were proved against them.
For the Egyptians buried all their first-born whom Jehovah had stricken among them. Jehovah also executed judgments upon their gods.
nor for the plague that walks in darkness, of the destruction laying waste at noonday.
For I am Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you.