Exodus 9:18-25

The Plague of Hail

18 "Behold, about this time tomorrow, ¹I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

19 "Now therefore send, bring ²your livestock and whatever * you have in the field to safety. ³Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.""'

20 ⁴The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses;

21 but he who paid no regard * to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 Now the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that ⁵hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."

23 Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and ⁶hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

24 So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25 ⁷The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field.

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Exodus 9:18-25 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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. Exodus 9:23, 24
2. Exodus 9:6
3. Exodus 9:25
4. Proverbs 13:13
5. Revelation 16:21
6. Genesis 19:24; Joshua 10:11; Psalms 18:13; Psalms 78:47; Psalms 105:32; Isaiah 30:30; Ezekiel 38:22; Revelation 8:7
7. Exodus 9:19; Psalms 78:47, 48; Psalms 105:32, 33

Footnotes 9

[a]. Lit "cause to rain"
[b]. Lit "and until now"
[c]. Or "revered"
[d]. Lit "did not set his heart to"
[e]. Lit "then left"
[f]. Lit "there may be hail"
[g]. Lit "gave"
[h]. Lit "sounds"
[i]. Lit "taking hold of itself"