Exodus 8:8-18

8 Then Pharaoh ¹called for Moses and Aaron and said, "²Entreat the LORD that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and ³I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD."

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?"

10 Then he said, "Tomorrow." So he said, "May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is ⁴no one like the LORD our God.

11 "The ⁵frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile."

12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and ⁶Moses cried to the LORD concerning * the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh.

13 The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields.

14 So they piled them in heaps, and the land became foul.

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and ⁷did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

The Plague of Insects

16 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats through all the land of Egypt.' "

17 They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became ⁸gnats through all the land of Egypt.

18 The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but ⁹they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast.

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Exodus 8:8-18 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 9

1. Exodus 8:25; Exodus 9:27; Exodus 10:16
2. Exodus 8:28; Exodus 9:28; Exodus 10:17; Numbers 21:7; 1 Kings 13:6
3. Ex 8:15, 29, 32
4. Exodus 9:14; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; Deuteronomy 33:26; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Psalms 86:8; Isaiah 46:9; Jeremiah 10:6, 7
5. Exodus 8:13
6. Exodus 8:30; Exodus 9:33; Exodus 10:18
7. Exodus 7:4
8. Psalms 105:31
9. Exodus 7:11, 12; Exodus 8:7; Exodus 9:11

Footnotes 11

[a]. Lit "Glory over me"
[b]. Lit "cut off"
[c]. Lit "placed"
[d]. I.e. had a bad smell
[e]. Lit "made heavy"
[f]. Or "lice"
[g]. Or "lice"
[h]. Or "lice"
[i]. Or "soothsayer priests"
[j]. Or "lice"
[k]. Or "lice"