Shemot 9:3

3 Hinei, the Yad Hashem is upon thy mikneh (livestock) which is in the sadeh, upon the susim, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the herd, and upon the tzon; there shall be a very grievous dever.

Shemot 9:3 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 9:3

Behold, the hand of the Lord
Which was stronger than his, with which he held the Israelites: is upon thy cattle which is in the field:
this takes in all in general, of which the particulars follow, though limited to such as were in the field, and so did not take in what were at home in their out houses and stables: upon the horses:
of which there was great plenty in Egypt, as appears from various places of Scripture: upon the asses;
used for carrying burdens from place to place: and upon the camels;
used the like purposes, and to ride upon, and particularly to travel with through desert places for commerce, being able to proceed on without water for a considerable time: upon the oxen, and upon the sheep;
oxen were for labour to plough with, and sheep for their wool, and all of them to trade with: there shall be a very grievous murrain:
or "pestilence" F25, a very noisome one, and which would carry off great numbers; the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it a "death", as the Jews commonly call a pestilence, whether on man or beast, because it generally sweeps away large numbers.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 (rbd) "pestis", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator; "pestilentia", Drusius; so Tigurine version.

Shemot 9:3 In-Context

1 Then Hashem said unto Moshe, Go in unto Pharaoh, tell him, Thus saith Hashem Elohei HaIvrim, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
3 Hinei, the Yad Hashem is upon thy mikneh (livestock) which is in the sadeh, upon the susim, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the herd, and upon the tzon; there shall be a very grievous dever.
4 And Hashem shall separate between the mikneh Yisroel and the mikneh Mitzrayim; and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the Bnei Yisroel.
5 And Hashem appointed a mo’ed, saying, Tomorrow Hashem shall do this thing in the land.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.