Exodus 7:8-10:29 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
The first nine plagues have a common connection with God using the forces of nature to lay bare the land, so that near the end of these plagues the servants of Pharaoh plead with him to let Israel go, saying, “Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed?” (10:7). The last plague, the death of the first born, is also set off from the rest emphatically by the cyclical nature of the first nine. The first nine plagues are grouped in three groups of three (see the slide).
Many have attempted to make a connection between specific gods in Egypt’s pantheon and the plagues. However, while there may have been such a polemic, the Exodus seems to direct its attack against all the gods of Egypt (note 12:2). The emphasis of the scripture too is more focused on the destructive nature of the plagues upon the land and ultimately upon the Egyptians themselves.
One of the problems in the modern literature on Exodus is the failure to deal with the miraculous as such. This is particularly true in the scholarly literature on the Bible. Those who do not see a miraculous working by God should at least be honest enough to admit that the text does.
Even a defender of the Bible from modern destructive criticism such as Cassuto is sometime weak on this point. He writes, “The plagues are also not actual deviations from the laws of nature, but brought about by the use of natural phenomena at the opportune moment and on unusually large scale, until it becomes clearly evident that they have special significance.” This is scholarly double talk for “miraculous.”
The careful reader of scripture will not be afraid to let the text speak, “I will strike the water…and it shall be turned to blood” says Yahveh (7:17). Moshe Greenberg writes:
The plagues are all described as divine wonders; pains are taken to distinguish them from the products of magic on the one hand, and, on the other, from natural calamities. The magicians’ failure to duplicate the plagues establishes their origin in a higher realm. Their onset precisely after an announcement by Moses, and often at a signal by Aaron or by Moses, links them to the God whose agents these men are. Their removal to order by Moses usually effective by a predetermined date, demonstrates the control of the events by the God to whom Moses appeals. Natural calamities do not set in and are not removed so predictably, nor is the accumulation of such a series of disasters normal—not to speak of the unheard-of severity of the hail, the locusts, and the terrifying selectivity of the first-born death. Add to this the separation made between Israel and Egypt in almost all of the injurious plagues and little will have been left undone to convince even the stoniest heart that “the earth is the Lord’s.”
The Rod of God, 7:8-13
At his next audience with Moses, Pharaoh requires of him a sign. The Lord had given Moses his rod as his sign of authenticity. Moses and Aaron are not simple instigators of civil unrest; they are men with a mission from the Lord.
As Moses’ rod becomes a serpent, the magicians of Egypt are able by tricks to simulate God’s miracle. The Bible does credit these tricksters with any power to simulate God’s sign, as is seen by God’s rod swallowing up all of their rods.
Moses and Aaron do not have to do works of magic, but merely rely on God for the wonder. God not only provides the sign but stymies the Egyptians attempt to counterfeit the miracle.
Even at the presentation of Moses and Aaron’s credentials, Pharaoh does not believe them. His heart is hardened as the Lord had said (7:13). (See the slide on the terms for the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.)
The phrase, “Even as Yahveh had said,” becomes significant for it brings to light that the obstinacy of Pharaoh should not be a surprise since the Lord had informed Moses that God has determined it for preordained result. God brings this upon Pharaoh so as to glorify himself (cf. 14:4).
The First Plague: The Spoiling of the Nile, 7:14-25
Here begins the three cycles of three. At the first of each cycle, Yahveh instructs Moses what he is to do and say to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahveh” (7:17; 8:16; 9:13).
By turning the Nile into blood, Yahveh attacks the one thing that Egypt revered socially, agriculturally, and religiously. It is a contest, and Yahveh strikes the River for seven days (7:25).
Throughout Exodus 3-15 the scripture reveals one of the purposes of Yahveh’s activity in Egypt—to make the Egyptians know that Yahveh, the God of the Hebrews, is the sovereign creator and judge. He raises kings, and he abases nations. This is the significance of the Bible stating again, “By this you will know that I am Yahveh.”
The Second Plague: The Chorus of Frogs, 8:1-15
There appears to be elements of humor, mostly satirical, in a few of the plague accounts. In this one the frogs are so numerous they infiltrate the bed chambers and the kitchens of the Egyptians. As if there were already not enough, the magicians of Pharaoh add to the numbers, but they are unable to take any away.
D. R. Benson’s collection of biblical limericks has an apt one for this passage of scripture. It reads:
Hebrew freedom did Pharaoh inhibit,
And mercy declined to exhibit,
Till throughout his nation
A chorus batrachian
Repeated, ad nauseam, “Ribit.”
This time the frogs evoke a response from Pharaoh, and he sends for Moses to entreat God to remove them. Pharaoh appears ready to concede in humbleness, but it is a short lived repentance. Pharaoh even seems to use the language of Moses here (8:8). However, he does not learn the lesson that there is no one like the Lord our God (8:10) and when he sees the relief, he refuses to let Israel go. Meanwhile, the God who made the Nile stink, does the same to the land (8:14; cf. 7:18, 24).
The Third Plague: Gnats, 8:16-19
Exactly what was produced by this plague is not clearly known to us. The insect, as numerous as the dust, was a nuisance to both man and beast.
Two important things happen in the course of this plague. First, the text says, “and the magicians did so with their magic tricks.” However, the outcome is different from what we anticipate, for the Bible then says “they could not” (8:18). Second, as a result of their failure, the magicians acknowledge that it is the work of God; but it is only a partial admission, for they say, “It is the finger of God”—not the hand, merely the finger (8:19). They are not yet willing to admit that it is the work of Yahveh, the God of Israel, for they are mystified.
The Fourth Plague: Swarms, 8:20-32
Here begins the second cycle of three plagues: the swarms, pestilence on livestock, and boils; and so we again have Moses meeting Pharaoh at the water’s edge and the pre-announcement of the coming plague.
The swarm of insects filled the Egyptians’ houses andcovered the ground. We now have an emphasis in the scripture on Yahveh striking the land of Egypt while sparing the land of Goshen where Israel was dwelling (8:21-24). Verse 19 explains a great deal of what God intended by the plagues. Not only does God make his Sovereignty and Lordship known and felt to the Egyptians, but he makes abundantly clear to them that Israel is his people, and that he will redeem it, for “I will put a redemption between my people and between your people” (8:23).
For a second time Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron to call off the plague. However, Pharaoh’s obstinate heart only seeks self-ease. Here, he simply entreats Moses to intercede for him (8:28). Moses does entreat the Lord to remove the swarms, but not immediately as though bowing to Pharaoh’s request. He says, “I shall make supplication to the Lord … tomorrow.” He also adds a stipulation that Pharaoh not “deal deceitfully” again (8:29).
Even as the bringing of the swarms was miraculous as to their extreme coverage of the land, so too was the Lord’s removal of them, for “there was not one left” (8:31). Nevertheless, Pharaoh’s repentance is short-lived again (8:32).
The Fifth Plague: Pestilence on Livestock, 9:1-7
The fifth plague of the pestilence on livestock again focuses on the distinction Yahveh makes between the Egyptians and the children of Israel, “But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel” (9:4, see also vv. 6-7). This recalls the distinction made in the previous plague and also anticipates the greater distinction Yahveh draws between his people and the Egyptians in the death of the firstborn (11:7). This theme is significant in the scheme of God’s salvation of Israel, for it points to the basic purpose of salvation, God calling for himself a people and redeeming them for his own, note especially 15:13-18.
The Sixth Plague: Boils, 9:8-12
Cassuto mentions that kiln-fired bricks are known to have been used in the time of Rameses II, and suggests that the taking of soot from the kiln where Israel could have at least made some bricks connects the labor of the Israelites in an appropriate way to the punishment of the plague. Cassuto says, “Hence it was in accord with poetic justice that the soot, which had been created, as it were, by the sweat of the enslaved people should inflict punishment on the bodies of the enslavers.”
The soot is cast into the air and becomes boils on the man and beast. Theses boils would break into sores all over, almost similar to modern small pox. The magicians, who first seemingly duplicated Moses’ sign of the serpents, and later stood mystified at God’s work in the third plague, now cannot stand at all! First they are stumped by God’s working, and now they are incapacitated by the plague with the rest of the Egyptians.
The Seventh Plague: Severe Hail, 9:13-35
The last cycle of three plagues strikes the land of Egypt severely. Hail and locusts both destroy the Egyptians’ crops, and darkness severely restricts normal life.
The plague of hail is full of theology. God’s forbearance of sin is seen by his restraining his hand (9:15-16). God permits the Egyptians to continue in their unbelief (cf. Acts 14:16). Notice, God forbears with the Egyptians in this plague by 1) warning them (9:19), and 2) sparing part of the crops (9:31-32).
However, divine retribution is also seen in his dealing with Pharaoh, who quickly confesses his sin, but God’s control over the heart of Pharaoh ensures his lapse is certain (9:34). Pharaoh’s hardness of heart is a hardened resistance that goes beyond reason (cf. 10:7).
God may forbear with sin for season in order to bring about a vindication with great judgment. Here too, the plagues build in intensity and severity until the death of the firstborn and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the sea. Yet, the Lord graciously provides some way out for Egyptians who believe his word (9:20-21). Again the distinction between Israel and the Egyptians is seen by the absence of hail in the land of Goshen (9:26).
The Eighth Plague: Locusts, 10:1-20
Locusts were a feared, devastating flying insect related to the grasshopper family. Infestations are still frequent from time to time throughout northern Africa, the Saudi Arabian peninsula and into India. Migration swarms may contain several billon locusts, cover 400 square miles, and leave a barren, denuded landscape in their wake.
As Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh again, this time there is a rebuke of Pharaoh’s rebellion, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me’” (10:3). At the announcement of the plague of locusts, Pharaoh’s servants are quick to offer their council (10:7), and Pharaoh does not ignore it, at least at first. He enters into negotiation with Moses (10:8). Moses, however, is unwavering, and Pharaoh ends the audience with bitter irony (10:10). Moffatt captures the sarcasm of Pharaoh and its irony in his rendering of the verse: “May the Eternal be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go!” Cassuto likewise notes, “In the continuation of the narrative, we notice an ironic retort to his irony; in the end, he will let them and their children go, and so the Lord will actually be with them.”
Pharaoh can tell at the start of the plague that it means trouble, so he calls for Moses and Aaron in haste and confesses his sin (10:16). As before, the Lord answers Moses’ prayer and all the locusts are removed into the sea. However, the response is as before, “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go” (10:20).
The Ninth Plague: Darkness, 10:21-29
My father used to quiz me as a child with the bedtime question, “Where was Moses when the lights went out?” The faultless, logical answer was of course, “In the dark!” Theologically speaking, however, I was instructed wrongly. Again, one of the great points of the plagues is that God makes a distinction between his people, whom he is about to redeem, and the Egyptians, for “all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings” (10:23).
Darkness is a significant metaphor throughout the Bible for sin and judgment. One thinks of the cross particularly (see Matt 27), and John and Paul use the contrasting terms of “Light” and “Darkness” often. It is significant that darkness precedes the final plague where judgment is executed, and the only deliverance is among the people of God where redemption by blood is provided.
Pharaoh appears willing at first to negotiate again and make concessions, but Moses remains firm and raises the ire of Pharaoh. As Pharaoh clings to his sovereignty and makes a death decree upon Moses (10:28), Moses corrects the mistaken potentate (10:29). The account comes to an abrupt end, not even mentioning the removal of the plague, anticipating the climax of the plague narrative.
© 2008, Scott Branyan