Exodus 8:1-15

The Second Plague: Frogs

1 ^[a] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him: This is what the Lord says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

2 But if you refuse to let them go, then I will plague all your territory with frogs.

3 The Nile will swarm with frogs; they will come up and go into your palace, into your bedroom and on your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls.

4 The frogs will come up on you, your people, and all your officials."

5 ^[b] The Lord then said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt."

6 When Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

7 But the magicians did the same thing by their occult practices and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.

8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Ask the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let the people go and they can sacrifice to the Lord."

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, "Make the choice rather than me [by saying] when I should ask for you, your officials, and your people, that the frogs be taken away from you and your houses, and remain only in the Nile."

10 "Tomorrow," he answered. Moses replied, "As you have said, so you may know there is no one like the Lord our God,

11 the frogs will go away from you, your houses, your officials, and your people. The frogs will remain only in the Nile."

12 After Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord for help concerning the frogs that He had brought against^[c] Pharaoh.

13 The Lord did as Moses had said: the frogs in the houses, courtyards, and fields died.

14 They piled them in countless heaps, and there was a terrible odor in the land.

15 But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Exodus 8:1-15 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Ex 7:26 in Hb
• [b]. Ex 8:1 in Hb
• [c]. Or frogs, as he had agreed with