Exodus 8:20-32

The Fourth Plague: Flies

20 Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹"Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, ²"Let my people go, that they may serve me.

21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.

22 But on that day ³I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, ⁴that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.^[a]

23 Thus I will put a division^[b] between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen."'"

24 And the LORD did so. ⁵There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God within the land."

26 But Moses said, "It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an ⁶abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings ⁷abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?

27 We must go ⁸three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God ⁹as he tells us."

28 So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. ¹⁰Plead for me."

29 Then Moses said, "Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh ¹¹cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.

31 And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.

32 But Pharaoh ¹²hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

Exodus 8:20-32 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.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 7:15; Exodus 9:13
• 2. ver. 1
• 3. Exodus 9:4; Exodus 11:7; [Malachi 3:18]
• 4. ver. 10; Exodus 7:17
• 5. Psalms 78:45; Psalms 105:31; [Isaiah 7:18]
• 6. [Genesis 43:32; Genesis 46:34]
• 7. [Genesis 43:32; Genesis 46:34]
• 8. Exodus 3:18
• 9. Exodus 3:12
• 10. See ver. 8
• 11. ver. 15; [Jeremiah 42:20, 21]
• 12. ver. 15

Footnotes

• [a]. Or that I the Lord am in the land
• [b]. Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew set redemption