Exodus 8:22

22 “ ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.

Exodus 8:22 in Other Translations

KJV
22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
ESV
22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
NLT
22 But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that I am present even in the heart of your land.
MSG
22 But when it happens, I'll set Goshen where my people live aside as a sanctuary - no flies in Goshen. That will show you that I am God in this land.
CSB
22 But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land.

Exodus 8:22 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 8:22

And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my
people dwell
Distinguish it from other parts of the land of Egypt:

that no swarms of flies shall be there;
which was a very wonderful thing, and so the word may be rendered. "I will marvellously sever or separate" F15, and so the Targum of Jonathan, "I will do wonders or miracles in that day": as they were to make such a difference in one part of the country from another, and so near as Goshen was to the place where Pharaoh lived, and to bound and limit such sort of creatures as flies, which move swiftly from place to place, and particularly to keep the land of Goshen clear of them; when, as Bishop Patrick observes, it was a country that abounded with cattle, whose dung is apt to breed flies:

to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the
earth;
he is God over all the earth, and rules as a King in the midst of it, and does whatsoever he pleases in it; see ( Psalms 74:12 ) and in the midst of the land of Goshen where his people dwelt, and over whom he was King in a peculiar manner, and took a peculiar care of them, to protect and defend them; and which must the more vex and distress the Egyptians, when they saw the Israelites clear of those plagues they were afflicted with.


FOOTNOTES:

F15 (ytylphw) "faciamque mirabilem", V. L. "miraculose agam", Fagius; "marvellously sever", Ainsworth.

Exodus 8:22 In-Context

20 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.
22 “ ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ”
24 And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

Cross References 3

  • 1. S Genesis 45:10
  • 2. Ex 9:4,6,26; Exodus 10:23; Exodus 11:7; Exodus 12:13; Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:18; 1 Kings 8:36; Job 36:11; Psalms 33:12; Psalms 135:4; Malachi 3:17
  • 3. Exodus 7:5; Exodus 9:29
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