Reference: Plagues, The ten
Smith
Plagues, The ten,
The occasion on which the plagues were sent is described in Exod 3-12.
1. The plague of blood.When Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh, a miracle was required of them. Then Aaron's rod became "a serpent (Authorized Version), or rather "a crocodile." Its being changed into an animal reverenced by all the Egyptians, or by some of them, would have been an especial warning to Pharaoh, The Egyptian magicians called by the king produced what seemed to be the same wonder, yet Aaron's rod swallowed up the others.
This passage, taken alone would appear to indicate that the magicians succeeded in working wonders, but, if it is compared with the others which relate their opposition on the occasions of the first three plagues, a contrary inference seems more reasonable for the very first time that Moses wrought his miracle without giving previous notice, the magicians "did so with their enchantments," but failed. A comparison with other passages strengthens us in the inference that the magicians succeeded merely by juggling. After this warning to Pharaoh, Aaron, at the word of Moses, waved his rod over the Nile, and the river was turned into blood, with all its canals and reservoirs, and every vessel of water drawn from them; the fish died, and the river stank. The Egyptians could not drink of it, and digged around it for water. This plague was doubly humiliating to the religion of the country, as the Nile was held sacred, as well as some kinds of its fish, not to speak of the crocodiles, which probably were destroyed.
Those who have endeavored to explain this plague by natural causes have referred to the changes of color to which the Nile is subject, the appearance of the Red Sea, and the so called rain and dew of blood of the middle ages; the last two occasioned by small fungi of very rapid growth. But such theories do not explain why the wonder happened at a time of year when the Nile is most clear nor why it killed the fish and made the water unfit to he drunk.
2. The plague of frogs. --When seven days had passed after the first plague, the river and all the open waters of Egypt brought forth countless frogs, which not only covered the land but filled the houses, even in their driest parts and vessels, for the ovens and kneading-troughs are specified. This must have been an especially trying judgment to the Egyptians, as frogs were included among the sacred animals.
3. The plague of lice. --The dry land was now smitten by the rod, and very dust seemed turned into minute noxious insects, so thickly did they swarm on man and beast, or rather "in" them. The scrupulous cleanliness of the Egyptians would add intolerably to the bodily distress of this plague, by which also they again incurred religious defilement. As to the species of the vermin, there seems no reason to disturb the authorized translation of the word. The magicians, who had imitated by their enchantments the two previous miracles, were now foiled. They struck the ground, as Aaron did, and repeated their own incantations. but it was without effect.
4. The plague of flies. --After the river and the land, the air was smitten, being filled with winged insects, which swarmed in the houses and devoured the land, but Goshen was exempted from the plague. The word translated "swarms of flies" most probably denotes the great Egyptian beetle, Scarabaeus sacer, which is constantly represented in their sculptures. Besides the annoying and destructive habits of its tribe, it was an object of worship, and thus the Egyptians were again scourged by their own superstitions.
5. The plague of the murrain of beasts. --Still coming closer and closer to the Egyptians, God sent a disease upon the cattle, which were not only their property but their deities. At the precise time of which Moses forewarned Pharaoh, all the cattle of the Egyptians were smitten with a murrain and died, but not one of the cattle of the Israelites suffered.
6. The plague of boils --From the cattle the hand of God was extended to the persons of the Egyptians. Moses and Aaron were commanded to take ashes of the furnace, and to "sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh." It was to become "small dust" throughout Egypt, and "be a boil breaking forth [with] blains upon man and upon beast."
This accordingly came to pass. The plague seems to have been the leprosy, a fearful kind of elephantiasis which was long remembered as "the botch of Egypt."
De 28:27,35
7. The plague of hail. --The account of the seventh plague is preceded by a warning which Moses was commanded to deliver to Pharaoh, respecting the terrible nature of the plagues that were to ensue if he remained obstinate. Man and beast were smitten, and the herbs and every tree broken, save in the land of Goshen. The ruin caused by the hail was evidently far greater than that effected by any of the earlier plagues. Hail is now extremely rare, but not unknown, in Egypt, and it is interesting that the narrative seems to imply that if sometimes falls there.
8. The plague of locusts. --The severity of this plague can be well understood by those who have been in Egypt in a part of the country where a flight of locusts has alighted. In this case the plague was greater than an ordinary visitation, since it extended over a far wider space, rather than because it was more intense; for it is impossible to imagine any more complete destruction than that always caused by a swarm of locusts.
9. The plague of darkness. --"There was a darkness in all the land of Egypt three days;" while "all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." It has been illustrated by reference to the samoom and the hot wind of the Khamaseen. The former is a sand-storm which occurs in the desert, seldom lasting more than a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, but for the time often causing the darkness of twilight, and affecting man and beast. The hot wind of the Khamaseen usually blows for three days and nights, and carries so much sand with it that it produces the appearance of a yellow fog. It thus resembles the samoom, though far less powerful and less distressing in its effects. It is not known to cause actual darkness. The plague may have been an extremely severe sandstorm, miraculous in its violence and duration, for the length of three days does not make it natural since the severe storms are always very brief.
10. The death of the first-born. --Before the tenth plague Moses went to warn Pharaoh: "Thus saith the Lord, about midnight will I 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 sitteth upon his throne even to the first-born of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts."
The clearly miraculous nature of this plague, its falling upon man and in its beast; and the singling out of the firstborn, puts it wholly beyond comparison with any natural pestilence, even the severest recorded in history, whether of the peculiar Egyptian plague or of other like epidemics. The history of the ten plagues strictly ends with the death of the first-born. The gradual increase in severity of the plagues is perhaps the best key to their meaning. They seem to have been sent as warnings to the oppressor, to afford him a means of seeing God's will and an opportunity of repenting before Egypt was ruined. The lesson that Pharaoh's career teaches us seems to be that there are men whom the meet signal judgments do not affect so as to cause any lasting repentance. The following characteristics of the plagues may be specially noticed: (1) Their relation to natural phenomena. Each of the inflictions has a demonstrable connection with Egyptian customs and phenomena; each is directly aimed at some Egyptian superstition all are marvellous, not for the most part as reversing, but as developing, forces inherent in nature, and directing them to a special end. --Canon Cook. (2) Their order. They are divided first into nine and one the last one standing clearly apart from all the others.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, but I shall lay my hand upon Egypt and bring forth my hosts, and my people, the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. read more. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke unto Pharaoh. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, If Pharaoh shall answer you, saying, Show a miracle, then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod and cast it before Pharaoh, that it shall become a dragon. So Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his slaves, and it became a dragon. Then Pharaoh also called wise men and sorcerers; now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their fire worship. For each one cast down his rod, and they became dragons; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
and say unto him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews has sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; and, behold, until now thou hast not desired to hear. Thus hath the LORD said, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD; behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. read more. And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink the water of the river. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their rivers, upon their streams, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and lifting up the rod, he smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his slaves; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became corrupted, so that the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart hardened itself, and he did not hearken unto them, as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and returned to his house, and even with all this he did not take this to heart. And in all Egypt they dug wells 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 the LORD had smitten the river.
Then the LORD spoke unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh and say unto him, The LORD hath said thus, 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 bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thy house and into thy bedchamber and upon thy bed and into the houses of thy slaves and upon thy people and into thine ovens and into thy kneadingtroughs; and the frogs shall come up upon thee and upon thy people and upon all thy slaves. And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, 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 frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did the same with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them, Intreat the LORD that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go that they may sacrifice unto the LORD. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Tell me: when shall I intreat for thee and for thy slaves and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain only in the river? And he said, Tomorrow. And Moses replied, Be it according to thy word, that thou may know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. And the frogs shall depart from thee and from thy houses and from thy slaves and from thy people; they shall remain only in the river. Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs of the houses, of the villages, and of the fields died. And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land was corrupted. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart and did not hearken unto them as the LORD had said. Then the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod and smite the dust of the land, 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 smote 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 the same with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. And there were lice upon man and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he did not hearken unto them as the LORD had said. And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh; behold, he goes forth to the water and say unto him, The LORD hath said thus, Let my people go that they may serve me. For if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee and upon thy slaves and upon thy people and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of all kinds of flies and also the ground upon which they are. And I will separate in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no kind of flies shall be there to the end that thou may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put redemption between my people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign be. And the LORD did so: that there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his slaves' houses and into all the land of Egypt; and the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land of Egypt. And Moses replied, It is not convenient to do so; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. Behold, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he has said unto us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; pray for me. And Moses answered, Behold, as I go out from thy presence, I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his slaves, and from his people tomorrow; if Pharaoh will not deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD. Then Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his slaves, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh even hardened his heart this time and did not let the people go.
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go and wilt hold them still, read more. behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy livestock which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the cows, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous pestilence. And the LORD shall separate between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt so that nothing shall die of all that is of the sons of Israel. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. And the next day the LORD did that thing, and of all the livestock of Egypt many died, but of the livestock of the sons of Israel not one died. Then Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh hardened, and he did not let the people go. And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Let each of you take handfuls of soot from the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Let each of you take handfuls of soot from the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become dust upon all the land of Egypt, which shall cause boils breaking forth with blisters upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
And it shall become dust upon all the land of Egypt, which shall cause boils breaking forth with blisters upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took the soot of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and boils breaking forth with blisters came upon man and upon beast
And they took the soot of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and boils breaking forth with blisters came upon man and upon beast until the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
until the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did hearken unto them as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did hearken unto them as the LORD had spoken unto Moses. Then the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may serve me.
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may serve me. For otherwise this time I will send all my plagues upon thine heart and upon thy slaves and upon thy people that thou may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
For otherwise this time I will send all my plagues upon thine heart and upon thy slaves and upon thy people that thou may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.
For now I will stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. For in truth I have placed thee to declare my power in thee, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
For in truth I have placed thee to declare my power in thee, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. Thou even so dost exalt thyself against my people that thou wilt not let them go.
Thou even so dost exalt thyself against my people that thou wilt 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 thereof even until now.
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 thereof even until now. Send therefore now and gather thy livestock and all that thou hast in the field; for 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.
Send therefore now and gather thy livestock and all that thou hast in the field; for 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 the LORD among the slaves of Pharaoh made his slaves and his livestock flee into the houses;
He that feared the word of the LORD among the slaves of Pharaoh made his slaves and his livestock flee into the houses; and he that did not regard the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field.
and he that did not regard the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon the men and upon the beasts and upon all the grass of the field throughout the land of Egypt.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon the men and upon the beasts and upon all the grass of the field throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the LORD raised his voice and it hailed, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the LORD raised his voice and it hailed, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So 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 inhabited.
So 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 inhabited. And that hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both men and beasts; and the hail smote all the grass of the field and broke all the trees of the field.
And that hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both men and beasts; and the hail smote all the grass of the field and broke all the trees of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.
Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail. Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them, I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them, I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD that the thunderings of God and the hail might cease; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay here no longer.
Intreat the LORD that the thunderings of God and the hail might cease; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay here no longer. And Moses replied unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will extend my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou may know how that the earth is the LORD's.
And Moses replied unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will extend my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou may know how that the earth is the LORD's. But I know thee and thy slaves from before ye began to fear the presence of the LORD God.
But I know thee and thy slaves from before ye began to fear the presence of the LORD God. The flax, therefore, and the barley were smitten, for the barley was headed out, and the flax was in stalk.
The flax, therefore, and the barley were smitten, for the barley was headed out, and the flax was in stalk. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten; for they were late.
But the wheat and the rye were not smitten; for they were late. And Moses went out from the presence of Pharaoh and out of the city and extended his hands unto the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
And Moses went out from the presence of Pharaoh and out of the city and extended his hands unto the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he persevered in his sin and hardened his heart, he and his slaves.
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he persevered in his sin and hardened his heart, he and his slaves. And the heart of Pharaoh hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his slaves that I might show these my signs among them and that thou may tell in the ears of thy sons and of thy son's sons the things I did in Egypt and my signs which I gave among them and that ye may know that I am the LORD. read more. Then Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh and said unto him, Thus hath the LORD God of the Hebrews said, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring the locusts into thy borders, and they shall cover the face of the earth that one will not be able to see the earth, and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remains unto you from the hail and shall eat every tree which produces fruit for you out of the field: And they shall fill thy houses and the houses of all thy slaves and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself and went out from Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh's slaves said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go that they may serve the LORD their God; knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are those that shall go? And Moses replied, We must go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and with our cows we must go; for we have a solemn feast unto the LORD. And he said unto them, Even if the LORD be with you, how can I let you go with your little ones; look at the malice which is before your face. It shall not be so: go now ye that are men and serve the LORD; for that is what ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. Then the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt to bring the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt and eat all the grass of the land and all that the hail has left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and landed in all the borders of Egypt. Very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall there be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate all the grass 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 grass of the field, through all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only. And he went out from Pharaoh and intreated the LORD. And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the sons of Israel go. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 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. They did not see one another, neither did any rise from his place for three days; but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. Then Pharaoh called unto Moses and said, Go, serve the LORD; only let your sheep and your cows remain; let your little ones also go with you. And Moses replied, Thou also must give us sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. Our cattle shall also go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind; for we must take thereof to serve the LORD our God; and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said unto him, Go from me, take heed to thyself to see my face no more; for in the day that thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses replied, Thou hast spoken well, I will not see thy face again.
And Moses said, The LORD hath said thus, About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sits upon his throne even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill and all the firstborn of beasts.
The LORD will smite thee with the boil of Egypt and with the hemorrhoids and with the scab and with the itch, of which thou canst not be healed.
The LORD shall smite thee in the knees and in the legs with an evil boil that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.