Exodus 9:3-13

3 behold, ¹the hand of the LORD will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.

4 "²But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that ³nothing * will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.""'

5 The LORD set a definite time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land."

6 So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and ⁴all the livestock of Egypt died; ⁵but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died.

7 Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But ⁶the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls * of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

9 "It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become ⁷boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt."

10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast.

11 ⁸The magicians could not stand before Moses because * of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.

12 And ⁹the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "¹⁰Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "¹¹Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

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Exodus 9:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

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, Ex 9:1-7 and the plague of boils and blains on man and beast, Ex 9:8-11 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, Ex 9:12-17, 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, Ex 9:18-21 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, Ex 9:22-26 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, Ex 9:27-35.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. Exodus 7:4; 1 Samuel 5:6; Psalms 39:10; Acts 13:11
2. Exodus 8:22
3. Exodus 9:6
4. Ex 9:19, 20, 25; Psalms 78:48
5. Exodus 9:4
6. Exodus 7:14; Exodus 8:32
7. Deuteronomy 28:27; Revelation 16:2
8. Exodus 8:18
9. Exodus 4:21; Exodus 10:1, 20; Exodus 14:8; Joshua 11:20; John 12:40
10. Exodus 8:20
11. Exodus 4:23

Footnotes 5

[a]. Lit "will be"
[b]. Lit "heavy"
[c]. Or "soothsayer priests"
[d]. Lit "and on all"
[e]. Lit "made strong"