Exodus 9:15

15 For now I shall hold forth mine hand, and I shall smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from the earth; (And now I shall stretch forth my hand, and I shall strike thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from off the earth;)

Exodus 9:15 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 9:15

For now will I stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and
thy people with pestilence
Which yet we never find was done; for though this by many is referred to the slaying of the firstborn, yet it is not certain that this was done by the pestilence: besides, Pharaoh was not then smitten, nor his people, only their firstborn; wherefore these words are to be rendered, not in the future, but in the imperfect or preterpluperfect tense, thus; "for when now I stretched out my hand, or if now I had stretched out my hand to smite thee and thy people with pestilence" ^F1; that is, at the time when he smote the cattle with the murrain or pestilence, when he could as well have smote him and his people with it; there was no want of power in God to do it, and had he done it, it would have been all over with him and them: and thou shall be cut off from the earth;
or "thou hadst been, or wouldest have been cut off from the earth" ^F2 must have perished out of it, and been no more in the land of the living.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (ytxlv hte yk) "modo enim cum extendi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, "vel si extendissem", Fagius, Cocceius; so Jarchi, Gersom, Targ. Onk. & Jon.
F2 (dxktw) "sic fuisses excisus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Cocceius.

Exodus 9:15 In-Context

13 Also the Lord said to Moses, Rise thou early, and stand before Pharaoh, and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of Hebrews saith these things, Deliver thou my people, that it make sacrifice to me; (And the Lord said to Moses, Rise thou up early, and stand before Pharaoh, and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of the Hebrews saith these things, Let my people go, so that they can worship me;)

14 for in this time I shall send all my vengeances on thine heart, and on thy servants, and on thy people, that thou know, that none is like me in all [the] earth. (for at this time I shall send all my plagues onto thee, and onto thy servants, and onto thy people, so that thou know, that there is no one like me in all the earth.)

15 For now I shall hold forth mine hand, and I shall smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from the earth; (And now I shall stretch forth my hand, and I shall strike thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from off the earth;)

16 forsooth therefore I have set thee, that I show my strength in thee, and that my name be told (out) in each land. (yea, I have kept thee alive, only so that I could show my strength through thee, and so that my name would be spoken of in every land.)

17 Yet thou withholdest my people, and wilt not deliver it? (Yet still thou holdest onto my people, and wilt not let them go!)