Exodus 8:11-21

11 "The ¹frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile."

12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and ²Moses cried to the LORD concerning * the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh.

13 The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields.

14 So they piled them in heaps, and the land became foul.

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and ³did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

The Plague of Insects

16 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats through all the land of Egypt.' "

17 They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became ⁴gnats through all the land of Egypt.

18 The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but ⁵they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast.

19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "⁶This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

20 Now the LORD said to Moses, "⁷Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as ⁸he comes out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "⁹Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

21 "For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of insects on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of insects, and also the ground on which they dwell.

Exodus 8:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 8

In this chapter Pharaoh is threatened with the plague of frogs, in case he refused to let Israel go, which accordingly was brought upon him, Ex 8:1-6 and though the magicians did something similar to it, yet these were so troublesome to Pharaoh, that he promised to let the people go, and sacrifice to God, if they removed; and a time being fixed for the removal of them, it was accordingly done at the entreaty of Moses and Aaron, Ex 8:7-14 but there being a respite, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and the plague of lice is ordered, and which was executed; and though this the magicians essayed to do, and could not, but owned it to be the finger of God, yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, Ex 8:15-19 wherefore he is threatened with a swarm of flies, which should not infest Goshen, only the places where the Egyptians dwelt, and it was so, Ex 8:20-24 upon which Pharaoh called for Moses, and declared himself willing the people would sacrifice in the land; but this not being satisfactory, he agreed they should go into the wilderness, but not so far; and on the account of the entreaty of Moses, the plague was removed; but still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go, Ex 8:25-32.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 8:13
• 2. Exodus 8:30; Exodus 9:33; Exodus 10:18
• 3. Exodus 7:4
• 4. Psalms 105:31
• 5. Exodus 7:11, 12; Exodus 8:7; Exodus 9:11
• 6. Exodus 7:5; Exodus 10:7; Psalms 8:3; Luke 11:20
• 7. Exodus 7:15; Exodus 9:13
• 8. Exodus 2:5; Exodus 7:15
• 9. Exodus 3:18; Exodus 4:23; Exodus 5:1, 3; Exodus 8:1

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "placed"
• [b] I.e. had a bad smell
• [c] Lit "made heavy"
• [d] Or "lice"
• [e] Or "lice"
• [f] Or "lice"
• [g] Or "soothsayer priests"
• [h] Or "lice"
• [i] Or "lice"
• [j] Or "soothsayer priests"
• [k] Lit "strong"
• [l] Lit "behold"