Exodus 9:17-27

17 ¹You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.

18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

19 Now therefore send, ²get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them. ”’”

20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,

21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be ³hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt. ”

23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the ⁴Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail ⁵struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.

26 ⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time ⁷I have sinned; the ⁸Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.

Exodus 9:17-27 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.

Cross References

• 1. 9:17 [Neh. 9:10]
• 2. 9:19 [ver. 4]
• 3. 9:22 Rev. 16:21
• 4. 9:23 Ps. 78:47, 48; 105:32; [Josh. 10:11; 1 Sam. 12:17; Ps. 18:13; 148:8; Isa. 30:30; Ezek. 38:22; Rev. 8:7]
• 5. 9:25 Ps. 78:47; 105:33
• 6. 9:26 ver. 4, 6; ch. 8:22; 10:23; 11:7; 12:13; [Isa. 32:18]
• 7. 9:27 ch. 10:16
• 8. 9:27 2 Chr. 12:6; Ps. 129:4; 145:17; Lam. 1:18; Dan. 9:14