Exodus 9:7

7 And Pharaoh sent [to check], and {it turned out} not even one from the livestock of Israel had died, but Pharaoh's heart was {insensitive}, and he did not release the people.

Exodus 9:7 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 9:7

And Pharaoh sent
Messengers to the land of Goshen, to see whether the murrain was upon the cattle of Israel or not, and whether any of them died or not. The Targum of Jonathan is,

``he sent to Pelusium to see''

and inquire about this matter;
that is, to Raamses, for so that paraphrase calls Raamses in ( Exodus 1:11 ) a city built by the Israelites, and where many of them might dwell. This Pharaoh did, not merely out of curiosity, but to know whether the divine prediction was accomplished, and that he might have wherewith to confront it, could he find the murrain was upon any of the cattle of Israel, or any died of it; and if they did not, his view might be to convert them to his own use, and make up his loss, and the loss of his people, in a good measure in this way, and perhaps this may be the reason why he so little regarded this plague: and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead;
which was very wonderful, and therefore a "behold", a note of admiration, is prefixed to it, yet it made no impression on Pharaoh: and the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people
go;
though this plague was so heavy upon him and his people, and the loss they sustained so great: in the other plagues of the water, the frogs, lice, and flies, though very troublesome and terrible, yet the loss was not very great; but here much damage was done to their property, yet this did not make his heart relent, or cause him to yield to let Israel go.

Exodus 9:7 In-Context

5 And Yahweh set an appointed time, saying, "Tomorrow Yahweh will do this thing in the land."

6 And Yahweh did this thing the next day; all the livestock of Egypt died, but from the livestock of the {Israelites} not one died.

7 And Pharaoh sent [to check], and {it turned out} not even one from the livestock of Israel had died, but Pharaoh's heart was {insensitive}, and he did not release the people.

8 And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, "Take for yourselves full handfuls of soot from a smelting furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heavens before the eyes of Pharaoh.

9 And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and it will become on humans and on animals a skin sore sprouting blisters in all the land of Egypt."

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "look"
• [b] Literally "heavy"