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Exodus Chapter
Nine
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 9
This chapter relates the
plague of murrain upon the cattle, and which yet was not upon the cattle of the
Israelites, Exodus 9:1 and the
plague of boils and blains on man and beast, Exodus 9:8 and
Pharaoh's heart being hardened, Moses is sent to him with a message from the
Lord, threatening him that all his plagues should come upon him, and
particularly the pestilence, if he would not let Israel go; and signifying,
that to show his power in him, and declare his name throughout the earth, had
he raised him up, and a kind of amazement is expressed at his obstinacy and
pride, Exodus 9:12, and he
is told that a terrible storm of hail should fall upon the land, and destroy
all in the field; wherefore those that regarded the word of the Lord got their
cattle within doors, but those that did not took no care of them, Exodus 9:18 and
upon Moses's stretching out his hand, when ordered by the Lord, the storm
began, and destroyed every thing in the field throughout the land, excepting
the land of Goshen, Exodus 9:22 upon
which Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, acknowledged his sin, and the justice
of God, begged they would entreat for him, which Moses did; but when the storm
was over, Pharaoh's heart was still more hardened, and he refused to let the
people go, Exodus 9:27.
Exodus 9:1 Then the Lord said to Moses,
“Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the
Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Go in unto
Pharaoh, and thou hast spoken unto him, Thus said Jehovah, God of the Hebrews,
Send My people away, and they serve me,
Then the Lord
said unto Moses,.... The same day the plague of the flies was removed:
go in unto
Pharaoh boldly, without any fear of him or his court:
and tell him,
thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: speak in the name of
Jehovah, the God whom the Hebrews worship, and who owns them for his people,
and has a special love for them, and takes a special care of them, and is not
ashamed to be called their God, as poor and as oppressed as they be:
let my people
go, that they may serve me; this demand had been often made, and,
though so reasonable, was refused.
Exodus 9:2 2 For
if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them,
YLT 2for, if thou art refusing to send away, and
art still keeping hold upon them,
For if thou
refuse to let them go,.... Continue to refuse, as he had done:
and wilt hold
them still; in the land, and under his dominion and oppression.
Exodus 9:3 3 behold,
the hand of the Lord
will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the
camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence.
YLT 3lo, the hand of Jehovah is on thy cattle
which [are] in the field, on horses, on asses, on camels, on herd, and on flock
-- a pestilence very grievous.
Behold, the
hand of the Lord,.... Which was stronger than his, with which he held the
Israelites:
is upon thy
cattle which is in the field: this takes in all in general, of which the
particulars follow, though limited to such as were in the field, and so did not
take in what were at home in their out houses and stables:
upon the horses: of which
there was great plenty in Egypt, as appears from various places of Scripture:
upon the asses; used for
carrying burdens from place to place:
and upon the
camels; used the like purposes, and to ride upon, and particularly to
travel with through desert places for commerce, being able to proceed on
without water for a considerable time:
upon the oxen,
and upon the sheep; oxen were for labour to plough with, and sheep for their wool,
and all of them to trade with: there shall be
a very grievous
murrain: or "pestilence"F25דבר
"pestis", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator;
"pestilentia", Drusius; so Tigurine version. , a very noisome one,
and which would carry off great numbers; the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan
render it a "death", as the Jews commonly call a pestilence, whether
on man or beast, because it generally sweeps away large numbers.
Exodus 9:4 4 And
the Lord
will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of
Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of
Israel.”’”
YLT 4`And Jehovah hath separated between the
cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there doth not die a thing of all
the sons of Israel's;
And the Lord shall
sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt,.... Make such
a difference and distinction between them, that the murrain should not be on
the one, when it was on the other, and which was a very marvellous thing; and
especially in the land of Goshen, where the Egyptians had much cattle, and
Pharaoh himself, see Genesis 47:6 and
yet, though the cattle of Israel breathed in the same air, drank of the same
water, and fed in the same pastures, they had not the murrain as the cattle of
Egypt had; and the word here used signifies a marvellous separation, as has
been observed on Exodus 7:22,
and there shall
nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel; not an horse,
nor an ass, nor an ox, nor a sheep.
Exodus 9:5 5 Then
the Lord
appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this
thing in the land.”
YLT 5and Jehovah setteth an appointed time,
saying, To-morrow doth Jehovah do this thing in the land.'
And the Lord
appointed a set time,.... For the coming of this plague, that it might plainly appear
it came from him, and was not owing to any natural cause:
saying,
tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land; thus giving
him time and space, as he had often done before, to consider the matter well, repent
of his obstinacy, and dismiss the people of Israel, and so prevent the plague
coming upon the cattle, as threatened.
Exodus 9:6 6 So
the Lord
did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the
livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
YLT 6And Jehovah doth this thing on the morrow,
and all the cattle of Egypt die, and of the cattle of the sons of Israel not
one hath died;
And the Lord
did that thing on the morrow,.... Brought a murrain, or a pestilential
disease on the cattle. This, according to Bishop Usher, was on the second day
of the seventh month, which afterwards became the first month, the month Abib,
which answers to part of March and part of April, and seems to be about the
seventeenth of March:
and all the
cattle of Egypt died; not all absolutely, for we read of some afterwards, Exodus 9:9 but all
that were in the field, Exodus 9:3 and it
may be not strictly all of them, but the greatest part of them, as Aben Ezra
interprets it; some, and a great many of all sorts, in which limited sense the
word "all" is frequently used in Scripture:
but of the
cattle of the children of Israel died not one; at least of the murrain,
or by the hand of God, and perhaps not otherwise, which was very wonderful,
since such a disorder is usually catching and spreading.
Exodus 9:7 7 Then
Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was
dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.
YLT 7and Pharaoh sendeth, and lo, not even one of
the cattle of Israel hath died, and the heart of Pharaoh is hard, and he hath
not sent the people away.
And Pharaoh sent,....
Messengers to the land of Goshen, to see whether the murrain was upon the
cattle of Israel or not, and whether any of them died or not. The Targum of
Jonathan is,"he sent to Pelusium to see"
and inquire
about this matter; that is, to Raamses, for so that paraphrase calls Raamses in Exodus 1:11 a city
built by the Israelites, and where many of them might dwell. This Pharaoh did,
not merely out of curiosity, but to know whether the divine prediction was
accomplished, and that he might have wherewith to confront it, could he find
the murrain was upon any of the cattle of Israel, or any died of it; and if
they did not, his view might be to convert them to his own use, and make up his
loss, and the loss of his people, in a good measure in this way, and perhaps
this may be the reason why he so little regarded this plague:
and, behold,
there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead; which was
very wonderful, and therefore a "behold", a note of admiration, is
prefixed to it, yet it made no impression on Pharaoh:
and the heart
of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go; though this
plague was so heavy upon him and his people, and the loss they sustained so
great: in the other plagues of the water, the frogs, lice, and flies, though
very troublesome and terrible, yet the loss was not very great; but here much
damage was done to their property, yet this did not make his heart relent, or
cause him to yield to let Israel go.
Exodus 9:8 8 So
the Lord
said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace,
and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
YLT 8And Jehovah saith unto Moses and unto Aaron,
`Take to you the fulness of your hands [of] soot of a furnace, and Moses hath
sprinkled it towards the heavens, before the eyes of Pharaoh,
And the Lord
said unto Moses and unto Aaron,.... This very probably was the day
following, on the third day of the month Abib, about the eighteenth of March,
that orders were given to bring on the following plague:
take to you
handfuls of ashes of the furnace; either in which the
bricks were burnt, or rather in which food was boiled, since it can scarcely he
thought there should be brickkiln furnaces so near Pharaoh's court; though
perhaps some reference may be had to them, and to the labour of the children
Israel at them, and as a just retaliation for their oppression of them in that
way. These ashes were such as were blown off the coals, and though fresh, yet
not so hot but that they could take and hold them in their hands:
and let Moses
sprinkle it towards the heaven, in the sight of Pharaoh; this was to
be done before Pharaoh, that he might be an eyewitness of the miracle, he
himself seeing with his own eyes that nothing else were cast up into the air
but a few light ashes; and this was to be done towards heaven, to show that the
plague or judgment came down from heaven, from the God of heaven, whose wrath
was now revealed from thence; and Moses he was to do this; he alone, as PhiloF26De
Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 622. thinks, or rather both he and Aaron, since they were
both spoken to, and both filled their hands with ashes; it is most likely that
both cast them up into the air, though Moses, being the principal person, is
only mentioned.
Exodus 9:9 9 And
it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that
break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”
YLT 9and it hath become small dust over all the
land of Egypt, and it hath become on man and on cattle a boil breaking forth
[with] blains, in all the land of Egypt.'
And it shall
become small dust in all the land of Egypt,.... Which ashes, thrown
up into the air, should be so multiplied and spread as to be over all the land
of Egypt, and come down like showers of snow or sleet everywhere, only of a hot
and scalding nature; or these handfuls of ashes were to be cast up into the
air, and come down in the above manner, about Pharaoh's court, as a sign and
token of what would be the case all over the kingdom:
and shall be a
boil breaking forth with blains; that is, these ashes
becoming a small dust, and falling down like the dew, snow, or sleet, yet hot
and burning, should produce sore boils, burning ulcers, hot carbuncles, rising
up in pustules, blisters, and buboes, which last word is pretty near in sound
with the Hebrew word here used:
upon man, and
upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt; so that, as the last
plague affected their property, substance, and riches, which in those times
greatly lay in cattle, this, besides that, would affect their persons, and give
them exceeding great pain, though it might not issue in death.
Exodus 9:10 10 Then
they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them
toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and
beast.
YLT 10And they take the soot of the furnace, and
stand before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkleth it towards the heavens, and it is a
boil [with] blains, breaking forth, on man and on beast;
And they took
ashes of the furnace,.... Which was near at hand, perhaps in Pharaoh's kitchen:
and stood
before Pharaoh; not in his palace, or in any covered room, but in some place
open to the heaven, a courtyard or garden adjoining to the palace: and Moses
sprinkled it up towards heaven; cast it up in the air; this being again
ascribed to Moses, seems to confirm the notion of those who think he only did it;
but, for the reasons before given, both may be thought to be concerned:
and it became a
boil breaking forth with blains, upon man, and upon beast; these failing
down in the manner before described, on whomsoever they lighted, whether man or
beast, produced sore boils and inflammations, and raised blisters and blotches;
and hence arose those lying scandalous stories of the Israelites being a scabby
people, and of their being driven out of Egypt on that account, affirmed by
Manetho, Lysimachus, Diodorus Siculus, Tacitus, Justin, and others; See Gill on
Exodus 4:6 with
this plague the first vial poured forth on mystical Egypt, or antichrist, has
some agreement, Revelation 16:2.
Exodus 9:11 11 And the magicians could
not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the
magicians and on all the Egyptians.
YLT 11and the scribes have not been able to stand
before Moses, because of the boil, for the boil hath been on the scribes, and
on all the Egyptians.
And the
magicians could not stand before Moses, because of the boils,.... Which
were on them as on others, and which with all their art and skill they could
not keep off; and which were so sore upon them, and painful to them, that they
were obliged to withdraw, and could not stand their ground, confronting Moses,
contesting and litigating with him; for it seems, though they had not acted,
nor attempted to act in imitation of Moses and Aaron, since the plague of the
lice, yet they still continued about Pharaoh, lessening as much as in them lay
the miracles wrought by them, and suggesting that they had done the most and
the worst they could, and so contributing to harden the heart of Pharaoh
against the people of Israel; wherefore they were righteously punished with boils
for so doing, and for their contempt of the messengers and miracles of God, and
for their imposition upon men, and their deception of them:
for the boil
was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians; but not upon
Moses and Aaron, nor upon any of the Israelites, and was afterwards called
peculiarly the botch of Egypt, Deuteronomy 28:27.
Exodus 9:12 12 But
the Lord
hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to
Moses.
YLT 12And Jehovah strengtheneth the heart of
Pharaoh, and he hath not hearkened unto them, as Jehovah hath spoken unto
Moses.
And the Lord
hardened the heart of Pharaoh,.... He having often, and so long hardened
his own heart, God gave him up to judicial hardness of heart, to his own
corruptions, the temptations of Satan, and the lying magicians about him, to
make an ill use of everything that offered to him, and put a wrong construction
on all that befell him, so that whatever was said to him, or inflicted on him,
made no impression to any purpose:
and he
hearkened not unto them; to Moses and Aaron, and to the Lord by them:
as the Lord had
spoken to Moses; both that he would harden his heart, and he should not hearken
to them; all this was no other than what the Lord had said should be, Exodus 4:21.
Exodus 9:13 13 Then
the Lord
said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to
him, ‘Thus says the Lord
God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me,
YLT 13And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Rise early in
the morning, and station thyself before Pharaoh, and thou hast said unto him,
Thus said Jehovah, God of the Hebrews, Send My people away, and they serve Me,
And the Lord
said unto Moses, rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh,.... Who it
seems used to rise early in the morning, and so was a fit time to meet with
him, and converse with him; it might be one of the mornings in which he used to
go to the water early, though not mentioned, unless that was every morning:
and say unto
him, thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may
serve me; thus had he line upon line, and precept upon precept, so that he
was the more inexcusable, see Exodus 9:1.
Exodus 9:14 14 for
at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your
servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like
Me in all the earth.
YLT 14for, at this time I am sending all My plagues
unto thy heart, and on thy servants, and on thy people, so that thou knowest
that there is none like Me in all the earth,
For I will at
this time send all my plagues upon thine heart,.... Not meaning
particularly the plague of the hail, which next follows, so called, because it
consisted of various things, as hail, rain, lightning, and thunder, as Aben
Ezra, and who observes, that Pharaoh was more terrified with this plague than
with any other; but rather all the plagues yet to come, for by them are not
meant all the plagues that were in the power of God to inflict, which how many
and great they are none can say, but all that he had determined in his mind to
bring upon him; and these should not so much affect and afflict his body, as
the boils and ulcers had the magicians, but should reach his heart, and fill
him with horror and terror:
and upon thy
servants, and upon thy people; even all that he intended to bring not only
upon himself, but upon his subjects, both high and low:
that thou
mayest know, that there is none like unto me in all the earth; for the
perfections of his nature, and the works of his hands, particularly his
providential dealings with the sons of men, and especially with him.
Exodus 9:15 15 Now
if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence,
then you would have been cut off from the earth.
YLT 15for now I have put forth My hand, and I smite
thee, and thy people, with pestilence, and thou art hidden from the earth.
For now will I
stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence,.... Which yet
we never find was done; for though this by many is referred to the slaying of
the firstborn, yet it is not certain that this was done by the pestilence:
besides, Pharaoh was not then smitten, nor his people, only their firstborn;
wherefore these words are to be rendered, not in the future, but in the
imperfect or preterpluperfect tense, thus; "for when now I stretched out
my hand, or if now I had stretched out my hand to smite thee and thy people
with pestilence"F1כי עתה שלחתי "modo enim cum
extendi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, "vel si
extendissem", Fagius, Cocceius; so Jarchi, Gersom, Targ. Onk. & Jon. ;
that is, at the time when he smote the cattle with the murrain or pestilence,
when he could as well have smote him and his people with it; there was no want
of power in God to do it, and had he done it, it would have been all over with
him and them:
and thou shall
be cut off from the earth; or "thou hadst been, or wouldest have
been cut off from the earth"F2ותכחד
"sic fuisses excisus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius,
Cocceius. must have perished out of it, and been no more in the land of the
living.
Exodus 9:16 16 But
indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in
you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
YLT 16`And yet for this I have caused thee to
stand, so as to show thee My power, and for the sake of declaring My Name in
all the earth;
And in very
deed, for this cause have I raised thee up,.... Or but truly or
verilyF3ואולם "veruntamen",
Junius & Tremellius, Psicator, Drusius, Fagius; so Ainsworth. ; instead of
smiting thee with the pestilence, and cutting thee off out of the land of the
living, "I have raised thee up"; made thee to standF4העמדתיך "stare fecite", Pagninus, Montanus,
Vatablus. , to continue in being; I have preserved thine from perishing by the
former plagues, and have reserved thee for greater judgments and sorer
punishments. It may take in all that God did to him; the constitution and
appointment of him to all this in his eternal mind; his bringing him into
being, and raising him up to kingly dignity; preserving him from perishing by
the pestilence, boils and blains, and keeping him for future evils, and all
upon this account for the following reasons:
for to shew in
thee my power; in working miracles, inflicting judgments one after another, and
especially in destroying him and his host in the Red sea:
and that my
name may be declared throughout all the earth; as it has been more by
that last action than by all the rest of the plagues; though, in all, his
sovereignty, wisdom, power, patience, longsuffering, and justice, are most
visibly displayed and glorified.
Exodus 9:17 17 As
yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.
YLT 17still thou art exalting thyself against My
people -- so as not to send them away;
As yet exaltest
thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? And so against
God himself, disobeying his commands, despising his messengers, and slighting
his miracles, and hardening his heart against him, and refusing to let Israel
go, after all; thereby showing the most intolerable pride and insolence not
only against the Lord's poor people, but against himself, for what is done to
them he takes as done to himself; or "dost thou still tread upon my
people?"F5עודך מסתולל
בעמי "adhuc tu calcas populum meum?" some
in Drusius; so Jarchi. trample them under foot, and make an highway or causeway
of them.
Exodus 9:18 18 Behold,
tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has
not been in Egypt since its founding until now.
YLT 18lo, I am raining about [this] time to-morrow
hail very grievous, such as hath not been in Egypt, even from the day of its
being founded, even until now.
Behold,
tomorrow about this time,.... It was now the fourth day of the month Abib, and the fifth
when the following was inflicted:
I will cause it
to rain a very grievous hail; which should fall very thick, and the
hailstones be very numerous and heavy, and the storm last long:
such as hath
not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof, even until now; not since the
earth or land itself was founded, for that was founded when the rest of the
world was, and the sense then would be the same as since the foundation of the
world; and so the Targum of Jonathan seems to understand it, paraphrasing the
words,"from the day that men were made, even until now.'And a like
expression is used of a storm of hail, thunder, and lightning, and earthquakes
yet to come, which will be such as has not been since men were upon the earth,
with which this plague may be compared, Revelation 16:19,
but here is meant since Egypt was inhabited, or rather formed into a kingdom,
and founded as such, which had been many hundreds of years before this time;
there was a king of Egypt in Abraham's time; the first founder of this empire,
and king of it, was Mizraim, the son of Ham, from whom it had its name, by
which it is usually called in Scripture. This supposes that it did sometimes
rain in Egypt, contrary to a vulgar notion, or otherwise there would have been
no room for the comparison; though it must be owned that rain is rare in Egypt,
especially in some parts of it; See Gill on Zechariah 14:18.
Exodus 9:19 19 Therefore
send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field,
for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in
the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”’”
YLT 19`And, now, send, strengthen thy cattle and
all that thou hast in the field; every man and beast which is found in the
field, and is not gathered into the house -- come down on them hath the hail,
and they have died.'
Send therefore
now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field,.... The
servants that were at work there: this is said to denote both the certainty of
the plague, and the terribleness of it, that all, both men and beast, would
perish by it, if care was not taken to get them home; and also to show the
wonderful clemency and mercy of God to such rebellious, hardened, and
undeserving creatures, as Pharaoh and his people were; in the midst of wrath
and judgment God remembers mercy:
for upon every
man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home; and there
sheltered in houses, barns, and stables:
the hail shall
come down upon them, and they shall die; the hailstones that
would fall would be so large and so heavy as to kill both men and beasts, like
those which fell from heaven upon the Canaanites in the days of Joshua, which
killed more than the sword did, Joshua 10:11.
Exodus 9:20 20 He
who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of
Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.
YLT 20He who is fearing the word of Jehovah among
the servants of Pharaoh hath caused his servants and his cattle to flee unto
the houses;
He that feared
the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh,.... Who, if
they had not the true fear of God, and were not sincere proselytes, yet had a
servile fear of him, and dreaded his word, his threatening, his denunciations
of judgments and predictions of future punishments; of which they had had many
instances wherein they were fulfilled, and therefore had reason to fear that
this also would, even the word that had been just now spoken:
made his
servants and cattle flee into the houses; called home his
servants, and drove his cattle in great haste out of the fields, and brought
them home as fast as he could, and housed them; in which he acted the wise and
prudent part, and showed a concern for his servants and his cattle, as well as
believed the word of the Lord.
Exodus 9:21 21 But he who did not regard
the word of the Lord
left his servants and his livestock in the field.
YLT 21and he who hath not set his heart unto the
word of Jehovah leaveth his servants and his cattle in the field.
And he that
regarded not the word of the Lord,.... Or "set not his
heart"F6לא שם
לבו "non posuit cor suum", Pagninus,
Montanus, Piscator, Fagius. "unto it", took no notice of it, but
treated it with the utmost contempt; and of this sort it may be thought there
were the far greatest number: everyone of this cast
left his
servants and cattle in the field; let them remain there,
and took no care of them, nor thought about them, and so took no methods to
preserve them; in which he acted a foolish part, to his own detriment and loss.
Exodus 9:22 22 Then
the Lord
said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in
all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field,
throughout the land of Egypt.”
YLT 22And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Stretch forth
thy hand towards the heavens, and there is hail in all the land of Egypt, on
man, and on beast, and on every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.'
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... When the morrow was come, the fifth day of the month Abib:
stretch forth
thine hand toward heaven; with his rod in it, as appears from the next verse, to show that
the following plague would come from the heaven, that is, the air, and from
God, who dwells in the heaven of heavens:
that there may
be hail in all the land of Egypt; not only in that spot,
and near it, where Moses stood, and from that part of the heaven towards which
he stretched forth his hand, but from the whole heaven all over the land of
Egypt; which shows it to be an unusual and extraordinary hail, for a hail storm
seldom reaches far, a mile it may be, or some such space; but never was such an
one heard of as to reach through a whole country, and so large an one as Egypt:
upon man and
upon beast; such as belonged to those who would take no warning, nor attend
to the word of the Lord to fetch home their servants and cattle:
and upon every
herb of the field throughout the land of Egypt; it should fall so thick,
that scarce an herb would escape it.
Exodus 9:23 23 And
Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder
and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on
the land of Egypt.
YLT 23And Moses stretcheth out his rod towards the
heavens, and Jehovah hath given voices and hail, and fire goeth towards the
earth, and Jehovah raineth hail on the land of Egypt,
And Moses
stretched forth his rod toward heaven,.... The same which Aaron
had made use of before, but was now in the hand of Moses, and whose rod it
properly was:
and the Lord
sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, hot
thunderbolts, which struck their flocks, Psalm 78:48 and
hail which fell so thick and weighty as to destroy both men and cattle, and
break trees in pieces, and spoil the corn, the grass, and the tender herb; and
fire, that is lightning, which descended so low, and in such quantities, as ran
along the ground, and consumed all it met with. ArtapanusF7Apud
Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 435, 436. , an Heathen writer, who
speaks of this storm of hail, says, that Moses, besides the hail, caused
earthquakes by night, so that those that escaped the earthquakes were taken
away by the hail, and those that escaped the hail perished by the earthquakes,
which he says overthrew all the houses, and most of the temples:
and the Lord
rained hail upon the land of Egypt; upon Egypt, where rain
was not common, and on all the land of Egypt, when in some parts of it it was
scarce known, and hail as thick as rain; ice, snow, and hail, are most rarely
if ever seen there, the air not being cold enough for the production of themF8Vid.
Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p. 139. . This was the Lord's immediate
doing, when there was no likelihood of it, nor any appearance of second causes
concurring to produce it, and came at the exact time he had foretold it should;
all which were very extraordinary.
Exodus 9:24 24 So
there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was
none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
YLT 24and there is hail, and fire catching itself
in the midst of the hail, very grievous, such as hath not been in all the land
of Egypt since it hath become a nation.
So there was
hail, and fire mingled with the hail,.... Which was a miracle
within a miracle, as Aben Ezra observes; and very wonderful indeed it was, that
the hail did not quench the fire, nor the fire melt the hail, as Philo the JewF9De
Vita. Mosis, l. 1. p. 620. remarks:
very grievous,
such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt, since it became a
nation; See Gill on Exodus 9:18.
Exodus 9:25 25 And
the hail struck throughout the whole 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.
YLT 25And the hail smiteth in all the land of Egypt
all that [is] in the field, from man even unto beast, and every herb of the
field hath the hail smitten, and every tree of the field it hath broken;
And the hail
smote throughout all the land of Egypt,.... It was in all the
land, and it smote and did mischief in all parts of it, only in Goshen, after
excepted:
all that was in
the field, both man and beast; which they that neglected the word of the
Lord took no care to fetch home, these were all smitten and destroyed by the
hail: and the hail smote every herb of the field; that is, the greatest part of
them, for some were left, which the locusts afterwards ate, Exodus 10:15, and
brake every tree of the field; and the vines and fig trees, Psalm 78:47.
Exodus 9:26 26 Only
in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no
hail.
YLT 26only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of
Israel [are], there hath been no hail.
Only in the
land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. So that such
Egyptians as might dwell among them, they, their servants, their cattle, and
their fruits, escaped this plague; and oftentimes do wicked men fare the better
for the people of God that are among them.
Exodus 9:27 27 And
Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned
this time. The Lord
is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.
YLT 27And Pharaoh sendeth, and calleth for Moses
and for Aaron, and saith unto them, `I have sinned this time, Jehovah [is] the
Righteous, and I and my people [are] the Wicked,
And Pharaoh
sent,.... Not persons to observe whether there was any hail fell in
the land of Goshen, though there are someF11"Misisset qui
observarent", Junius & Tremellius. that so supply the words; but it
cannot be thought that Pharaoh would send, or that any would go thither amidst
such a storm of thunder and hail; but he sent messengers:
and called
Moses and Aaron; who might be in his palace, at least not very far off:
and said unto
them, I have sinned this time; not but that he had sinned before, and must
be conscious of it, particularly in breaking his promise so often; but now he
acknowledged his sin, which he had never done before: and this confession of
sin did not arise from a true sense of it, from hatred of it, and sorrow for it
as committed against God; but from the fright he was in, the horror of his
mind, the dread of the present plague being continued; and the terror of death
that seized him, the rebounding noise of the thunder in his ears, the flashes
of lightning in his face, and the hailstones beating upon the top of his house,
and against the windows and sides of it, frightened him exceedingly, and forced
this confession from him:
the Lord is
righteous, and I and my people are wicked; which was well spoken,
had it been serious and from his heart; for God is righteous in his nature, and
in all his works, and in all those judgments he had inflicted upon him; and he
and his people were wicked in using the Israelites in such a cruel manner, and
in detaining them when it had been promised them again and again that they
should have leave to go, and especially in rebelling against God, and
disobeying his commands.
Exodus 9:28 28 Entreat
the Lord,
that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is
enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
YLT 28make ye supplication unto Jehovah, and plead
that there be no voices of God and hail, and I send you away, and ye add not to
remain.'
Entreat the
Lord, for it is enough,.... Hail, thunder, and lightning enough; or pray that this may
be enough, and thought sufficient, and that there may be no more; or
"entreat the Lord, and much"F12העתירי־ורב
"orate multam", Rivet. ; pray, and pray much, pray earnestly and
without intermission until the plague ceases:
that there be
no more mighty thunderings and hail; or "voices of
God"F13קלת אלהים
"voces Dei", Montanus, Drusius. ; for thunder is the voice of God,
and these thunderings or voices were very loud, the claps were very terrible to
hear, and the hail was very grievous and heavy, and the whole was very amazing
and frightful, and the more to Pharaoh, who perhaps had never heard the voice of
thunder, or seen an hail storm before, even a common one, these being rare in
the land of Egypt:
and I will let
you go, and ye shall stay no longer; go the three days'
journey into the wilderness, directly and immediately; he would not put it off,
on any account, and much less refuse to let them go at all, as he had often
done.
Exodus 9:29 29 So
Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out
my hands to the Lord;
the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that
the earth is the Lord’s.
YLT 29And Moses saith unto him, `At my going out of
the city, I spread my palms unto Jehovah -- the voices cease, and the hail is
not any more, so that thou knowest that the earth [is] Jehovah's;
And Moses said
unto him, as soon as I am gone out of the city,.... Zoan or Tanis, for
it was in the field of Zoan where these wonders were wrought, Psalm 78:12, the
reason why he went out of the city to pray, Jarchi says, was because it was
full of idols; but the truer reason was, that he might be private and alone
while he was praying to God; and perhaps he went out also to show that he was
not frightened at the storm, or afraid of being destroyed by it, and was
confident of preservation in the midst of it, in the open field, by the power
of God, whom he served:
I will spread
abroad my hands unto the Lord; which was a prayer gesture directed to by
the light of nature, and was used very anciently, and by the Heathens, as well
as others; of which the learned Rivet has given many instances in his comment
on this text:
and the thunder
shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; this he had
faith in, and full assurance of before he prayed for it; he knew the mind and
will of God, and not only he knew what he could do, but what he would do, and
which he tells Pharaoh of before hand; which was a full proof that he was a god
to Pharaoh, as the Lord said he had made him, Exodus 7:1.
that thou
mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's; that the whole earth is
his, and therefore he can do, and does in it whatever he pleases; as the
heavens also are his, and therefore can cause thunder, lightning, hail, and
rain, and stop them when he thinks fit; or that the land of Egypt particularly
was his, and not Pharaoh's, and therefore could destroy, or save it at his
pleasure; and particularly it being his, Pharaoh had no right to detain his
people in it against his will, who was Lord of it.
Exodus 9:30 30 But
as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”
YLT 30but thou and thy servants -- I have known
that ye are not yet afraid of the face of Jehovah God.'
But as for
thee, and thy servants,.... Notwithstanding the confession of sin he had made, and his
earnest request that the Lord might be entreated to remove this plague, and
though he had been assured it would be removed:
I know that ye
will not yet fear the Lord God: they had not feared him yet; the confession
of sin made did not arise from the true fear of God, but from a dread of
punishment, and when delivered from this plague, the goodness of God would have
no such effect as to cause him and his servants to fear the Lord; or "I
know, that before ye were afraid of the face of the Lord God"F14טרם תיראון "priusquam
timeretis", Tigurine version. , which KimchiF15Sepher Shorash,
rad. טרם. and Ben Melech interpret thus,"I know
that thou and thy servants, before I pray for you, are afraid of the face of
the Lord God, but after I have prayed, and the thunders and rain are ceased, ye
will sin again;'and so they did.
Exodus 9:31 31 Now the flax and the
barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was
in bud.
YLT 31And the flax and the barley have been
smitten, for the barley [is] budding, and the flax forming flowers,
And the flax
and the barley was smitten,.... With the hail, thunder, and lightning,
and were beat down, bruised, broken, and blasted, and destroyed; of the former
there were great quantities produced in Egypt, which was famous for linen, much
was made there, and there were many that wrought in fine flax, see Isaiah 19:9 and the
latter were used not only to feed their cattle, but to make a drink of, as we
do, ale and strong beer; and so the Egyptians use it to this day, as Dr. ShawF16Travels,
tom. 2. c. 2. sect. 5. p. 407. Ed. 2. says, both to feed their cattle, and
after it is dried and parched, to make a fermented, intoxicating liquor, called
"bonzah"; probably the same with the barley wine of the ancients, and
a species of the "sicar", or strong drink of the Scriptures:
for the barley was
in the ear, and the flax was bolled; or in the stalk, quite
grown up, and so the ears of the one were beat off, and the stalks of the other
battered with the hail, and broken and destroyed.
Exodus 9:32 32 But
the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
YLT 32and the wheat and the rye have not been
smitten, for they are late.
But the wheat
and the rye were not smitten,.... Bruised, broken, beat down, and
destroyed by hail: the word by us rendered "rye", and by other
"fitches" or "spelt", is thought by Dr. ShawF17Travels,
tom. 2. c. 2. sect. 5. p. 407. Ed. 2. to be "rice", of which there
were and still are plantations in Egypt; whereas rye is little, if at all known
in those countries, and besides is of the quickest growth; and he observes that
rice was the "olyra" of the ancient Egyptians, by which word the
Septuagint render the Hebrew word here; and from PlinyF18Nat. Hist.
l. 18. c. 7. 9. we learn, that "olyra", and "oryza", or
rice, are the same, and which with the Greeks is "zea", by which some
translate the word here:
for they were
not grown up; and so their leaves, as the same traveller observes, were at
that time of so soft and yielding a nature, that the hail by meeting with no
resistance, as from the flax and barley, did them no harm; and so the
Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it: "they were late";
and so the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi interpret it: for the wheat harvest
with the Jews, and so with the Egyptians, was later than the barley harvest,
there being about a month's difference between them: some render the word
"dark or hidden"F19אפילת
"caliginosa", Montanus, Vatablus; "latuerant", Tigurine
version; "latentia", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius.
because, as Aben Ezra says, they were now under ground; and if this was the
case, indeed the reason is clear why they were not smitten; but this was not
the case, for, according to PlinyF20Ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 18. c.
7. 9.) , there was but one month's difference in Egypt between the barley and
the wheat; but rather they are said to be so, because the ear was as yet hid,
and was not come forth; it just began to spindle, or, as the above traveller
explains it, they were of a dark green colour, as young corn generally is, as
contradistinction to its being of a bright yellow or golden colour, when it is
ripe; for, adds he, the context supposes the wheat and the rice not only to
have been sown, but to have been likewise in some forwardness, as they well
might be in the month of Abib, answering to our March.
Exodus 9:33 33 So
Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the
thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.
YLT 33And Moses goeth out from Pharaoh, [from] the
city, and spreadeth his hands unto Jehovah, and the voices and the hail cease,
and rain hath not been poured out to the earth;
And Moses went
out of the city from Pharaoh,.... Into the field, where, being retired
from company, he could freely, and without being disturbed, pray unto God:
and spread
abroad his hands unto the Lord; denoting the spreading of cases before God,
and expectation, hope, and readiness to receive favours from him:
and the thunder
and hail ceased; immediately upon the entreaty of Moses; see the power and
prevalence of prayer: a like instance we have in Elijah, James 5:17 and the
rain was not poured upon the earth; so that there was rain as well as hail, which
was restrained and entirely ceased.
Exodus 9:34 34 And
when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned
yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
YLT 34and Pharaoh seeth that the rain hath ceased,
and the hail and the voices, and he continueth to sin, and hardeneth his heart,
he and his servants;
And when
Pharaoh saw that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders were ceased,.... And there
was a clear sky and a fine serene heaven, the black clouds were dispersed and
gone, and he heard no more the clattering of the hailstones, and the terrible
claps of thunder, and saw no more the flashes of lightning, but all was calm
and composed:
he sinned yet
more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants; instead of
giving glory to God, who had heard the prayers of Moses and Aaron for them, and
had delivered them from their frights and fears, and the terror and horror they
were in, and of letting the people of Israel go, see Revelation 16:21.
Exodus 9:35 35 So
the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go,
as the Lord
had spoken by Moses.
YLT 35and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he
hath not sent the sons of Israel away, as Jehovah hath spoken by the hand of
Moses.
And the heart
of Pharaoh was hardened,.... Instead of being softened, as it seemed to be when under the
plague, it became harder and harder when delivered from it:
neither would
he let the children of Israel go; though he had so absolutely
promised it, and assured them that he would not keep them, and that they should
not stay any longer:
as the Lord had
spoken by Moses; that so his heart would be hardened until the signs and wonders
were multiplied upon him, God designed to perform, Exodus 4:21.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》