Exodus 9:23-33

23 Moshe reached out with his staff toward the sky, and ADONAI sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. ADONAI caused it to hail on the land of Egypt -

24 it hailed, and fire flashed up with the hail; it was terrible, worse than any hailstorm in all of Egypt since it became a nation.

25 Throughout all the land of Egypt, the hail struck everything in the field, people and animals; and the hail struck every plant growing in the field and broke every tree there.

26 But in the land of Goshen, where the people of Isra'el were, there was no hail.

27 Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon and said to them, "This time I have sinned: ADONAI is in the right; I and my people are in the wrong.

28 Intercede with ADONAI - we can't take any more of this terrible thunder and hail; and I will let you go, you will stay no longer."

29 Moshe said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to ADONAI; the thunder will end, and there won't be any more hail - so that you can know that the earth belongs to ADONAI.

30 But you and your servants, I know you still won't fear ADONAI, God."

31 The flax and barley were ruined, because the barley was ripe and the flax in bud.

32 But the wheat and buckwheat were not ruined, because they come up later.

33 Moshe went out of the city, away from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to ADONAI. The thunder and hail ended, and the rain stopped pouring down on the earth.

Exodus 9:23-33 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.