Exodus 8:16-32

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 ¹gnats through all the land of Egypt.

18 The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but ²they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast.

19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "³This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

20 Now the LORD said to Moses, "⁴Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as ⁵he comes out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "⁶Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

21 "For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of insects on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of insects, and also the ground on which they dwell.

22 "⁷But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that ⁸ I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land.

23 "I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.""'

24 Then the LORD did so. And there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was laid waste because * of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

25 Pharaoh ⁹called for Moses and Aaron and said, "¹⁰Go, sacrifice to your God within the land."

26 But Moses said, "It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the LORD our God what is ¹¹an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us?

27 "We must go a ¹²three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us."

28 Pharaoh said, "¹³I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. ¹⁴Make supplication for me."

29 Then Moses said, "Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

30 So ¹⁵Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD.

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

32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and ¹⁶he did not let the people go.

Exodus 8:16-32 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. Psalms 105:31
• 2. Exodus 7:11, 12; Exodus 8:7; Exodus 9:11
• 3. Exodus 7:5; Exodus 10:7; Psalms 8:3; Luke 11:20
• 4. Exodus 7:15; Exodus 9:13
• 5. Exodus 2:5; Exodus 7:15
• 6. Exodus 3:18; Exodus 4:23; Exodus 5:1, 3; Exodus 8:1
• 7. Ex 9:4, 6, 24; Exodus 10:23; Exodus 11:7
• 8. Exodus 9:29; Exodus 19:5; Exodus 20:11
• 9. Psalms 78:45; Psalms 105:31
• 10. Exodus 8:8; Exodus 9:27; Exodus 10:16
• 11. Exodus 9:28; Exodus 10:8, 24; Exodus 12:31
• 12. Genesis 43:32; Genesis 46:34; Deuteronomy 7:25
• 13. Exodus 3:18; Exodus 5:3
• 14. Ex 8:8, 15, 29, 32
• 15. Exodus 8:8; Exodus 9:28; 1 Kings 13:6
• 16. Exodus 8:8, 15
• 17. Exodus 8:12
• 18. Exodus 4:21; Exodus 8:8, 15

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "lice"
• [b]. Or "lice"
• [c]. Or "lice"
• [d]. Or "soothsayer priests"
• [e]. Or "lice"
• [f]. Or "lice"
• [g]. Or "soothsayer priests"
• [h]. Lit "strong"
• [i]. Lit "behold"
• [j]. Lit "standing"
• [k]. Or "I am the LORD in the midst of the earth"
• [l]. Lit "set a ransom"
• [m]. Lit "heavy"
• [n]. Lit "the abomination of Egypt"
• [o]. Lit "the abomination of Egypt"
• [p]. Lit "says to us"
• [q]. Lit "according to the word of Moses"
• [r]. Lit "made heavy"