Exode 8:19

19 Alors les magiciens dirent à Pharaon: C'est le doigt de Dieu. Mais le cœur de Pharaon s'endurcit, et il ne les écouta point, comme l'Éternel l'avait dit.

Exode 8:19 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 8:19

Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of
God
This is to be ascribed to a power superior to human, to a divine power; so long as they could do something similar, or impose upon the senses of men, and make them believe they did the like, they would not acknowledge divine omnipotence; but when they no longer could deceive the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptian, then they own the effects of a superior power: and this they did partly to detract from the power of Moses and Aaron, because they would not have them pass for more skilful persons in the magic art than themselves; and therefore suggest, that this was done not by virtue of any human skill and art, but by the power of the Supreme Being; and partly to detract from the honour of the God of Israel; for they do not say this is the finger of Jehovah, whom they accounted, as Dr. Lightfoot ^F7 observes, as a petty trivial god, but this is the finger of Elohim, the Supreme Deity. It is conjectured by some ^F8, that in memory of this plague the Egyptian priests scrape their whole bodies, lest there should be a louse or any unclean thing on them when they worship their gods, as Herodotus ^F9 relates:

and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them;
either not unto the magicians owning the hand of God, and his divine power in the plague inflicted; or to Moses and Aaron demanding the dismission of the people of Israel, which latter seems to be confirmed by the usual phrase, as follows,

as the Lord had said;
see ( Exodus 7:4 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Ut supra. (Works, vol. 1. p. 705, 706.)
F8 Vid. Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p. 132.
F9 Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 37.

Exode 8:19 In-Context

17 Et ils firent ainsi: Aaron étendit sa main avec sa verge, et frappa la poussière de la terre, et elle devint des poux sur les hommes et sur les bêtes; toute la poussière du pays devint des poux dans tout le pays d'Égypte.

18 Et les magiciens firent la même chose par leurs enchantements pour produire les poux, mais ils ne purent pas. Les poux furent donc sur les hommes et sur les bêtes.

19 Alors les magiciens dirent à Pharaon: C'est le doigt de Dieu. Mais le cœur de Pharaon s'endurcit, et il ne les écouta point, comme l'Éternel l'avait dit.

20 Puis, l'Éternel dit à Moïse: Lève-toi de bon matin, et présente-toi devant Pharaon. Voici, il sortira vers l'eau; et tu lui diras: Ainsi a dit l'Éternel: Laisse aller mon peuple, afin qu'il me serve.

21 Car si tu ne laisses pas aller mon peuple, voici, je vais envoyer les insectes sur toi, sur tes serviteurs, sur ton peuple et sur tes maisons; et les maisons des Égyptiens seront remplies d'insectes, et même le sol sur lequel ils sont.