Exodus 8:19

19 Then sayde the enchaunters vnto Pharao: it is the fingre of God. Neuerthelater Pharaos herte was hardened and he regarded them not, as the Lorde had sayde.

Exodus 8:19 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 8:19

Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of
God
This is to be ascribed to a power superior to human, to a divine power; so long as they could do something similar, or impose upon the senses of men, and make them believe they did the like, they would not acknowledge divine omnipotence; but when they no longer could deceive the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptian, then they own the effects of a superior power: and this they did partly to detract from the power of Moses and Aaron, because they would not have them pass for more skilful persons in the magic art than themselves; and therefore suggest, that this was done not by virtue of any human skill and art, but by the power of the Supreme Being; and partly to detract from the honour of the God of Israel; for they do not say this is the finger of Jehovah, whom they accounted, as Dr. Lightfoot ^F7 observes, as a petty trivial god, but this is the finger of Elohim, the Supreme Deity. It is conjectured by some ^F8, that in memory of this plague the Egyptian priests scrape their whole bodies, lest there should be a louse or any unclean thing on them when they worship their gods, as Herodotus ^F9 relates:

and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them;
either not unto the magicians owning the hand of God, and his divine power in the plague inflicted; or to Moses and Aaron demanding the dismission of the people of Israel, which latter seems to be confirmed by the usual phrase, as follows,

as the Lord had said;
see ( Exodus 7:4 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Ut supra. (Works, vol. 1. p. 705, 706.)
F8 Vid. Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p. 132.
F9 Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 37.

Exodus 8:19 In-Context

17 And they dyd so. And Aaron stretched out his hande with his rodd and smote the dust of the erth. ad it turned to lyse both in man and beest, so that all the dust of the lande turned to lyse, thorowe out all the lande of Egipte.

18 And the enchaunters assayde lykewyse with their enchauntmentes to brynge forth lyse, but they coude not. And the lyse were both apon man and beest.

19 Then sayde the enchaunters vnto Pharao: it is the fingre of God. Neuerthelater Pharaos herte was hardened and he regarded them not, as the Lorde had sayde.

20 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: ryse vp early in the mornynge and stonde before Pharao, for he will come vnto the water: and saye vnto him, thus sayth the Lorde: let my people goo, that they maye serue me.

21 Yf thou wilt not let my people goo: beholde, I will sende all maner flies both apon the and thy servauntes ad thy people and into thy housses. And the housses of the Egiptians shalbe full of flies, and the grounde where on they are.