Exodus 8:17-27

17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.

18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere,

19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.

The Plague of Flies

20 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.

21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

22 “ ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.

23 I will make a distinction^[a] between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ”

24 And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”

26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us?

27 We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us.”

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Exodus 8:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 8

In this chapter Pharaoh is threatened with the plague of frogs, in case he refused to let Israel go, which accordingly was brought upon him, Ex 8:1-6 and though the magicians did something similar to it, yet these were so troublesome to Pharaoh, that he promised to let the people go, and sacrifice to God, if they removed; and a time being fixed for the removal of them, it was accordingly done at the entreaty of Moses and Aaron, Ex 8:7-14 but there being a respite, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and the plague of lice is ordered, and which was executed; and though this the magicians essayed to do, and could not, but owned it to be the finger of God, yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, Ex 8:15-19 wherefore he is threatened with a swarm of flies, which should not infest Goshen, only the places where the Egyptians dwelt, and it was so, Ex 8:20-24 upon which Pharaoh called for Moses, and declared himself willing the people would sacrifice in the land; but this not being satisfactory, he agreed they should go into the wilderness, but not so far; and on the account of the entreaty of Moses, the plague was removed; but still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go, Ex 8:25-32.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 17

1. Psalms 105:31
2. Exodus 9:11; Daniel 5:8
3. S Exodus 7:11
4. Exodus 7:5; Exodus 10:7; Exodus 12:33; Exodus 31:18; 1 Samuel 6:9; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 8:3; Psalms 33:6; Luke 11:20
5. S Exodus 7:22
6. S Exodus 7:4
7. Exodus 7:15; Exodus 9:13
8. ver 1; S Exodus 3:18
9. S Genesis 45:10
10. Ex 9:4,6,26; Exodus 10:23; Exodus 11:7; Exodus 12:13; Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:18; 1 Kings 8:36; Job 36:11; Psalms 33:12; Psalms 135:4; Malachi 3:17
11. Exodus 7:5; Exodus 9:29
12. Exodus 9:4,6; Exodus 10:23; Exodus 11:7; Exodus 12:13,23,27
13. Psalms 78:45; Psalms 105:31
14. ver 8; Exodus 9:27; Exodus 10:16; Exodus 12:31
15. S Genesis 43:32; Genesis 46:34
16. S Genesis 30:36
17. S Exodus 3:18

Footnotes 1

[a]. Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew "will put a deliverance"