Exodus 9:9-19

9 and be there dust on all the land of Egypt; for why botches shall be in men, and in work beasts, and swelling bladders shall be in all the land of Egypt. (and let there be dust in all the land of Egypt; and let it bring forth sores of swelling boils on the people, and on the work beasts, in all the land of Egypt.)
10 And they took ashes of a chimney, and they stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it into heaven; and wounds of swelling bladders were made in men, and in work beasts; (And so they took some ashes from a chimney, and they stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it into the air; and sores of swelling boils were made on the people, and on the work beasts;)
11 and the witches might not stand before Moses, for the wounds, or sores, that were in them, and in all the land of Egypt. (and the witches could not stand up before Moses, because of the sores that were on them, and on all the Egyptians.)
12 And the Lord made hard the heart of Pharaoh, and he heard not them, as the Lord spake to Moses. (But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said to Moses.)
13 Also the Lord said to Moses, Rise thou early, and stand before Pharaoh, and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of Hebrews saith these things, Deliver thou my people, that it make sacrifice to me; (And the Lord said to Moses, Rise thou up early, and stand before Pharaoh, and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of the Hebrews saith these things, Let my people go, so that they can worship me;)
14 for in this time I shall send all my vengeances on thine heart, and on thy servants, and on thy people, that thou know, that none is like me in all [the] earth. (for at this time I shall send all my plagues onto thee, and onto thy servants, and onto thy people, so that thou know, that there is no one like me in all the earth.)
15 For now I shall hold forth mine hand, and I shall smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from the earth; (And now I shall stretch forth my hand, and I shall strike thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from off the earth;)
16 forsooth therefore I have set thee, that I show my strength in thee, and that my name be told (out) in each land. (yea, I have kept thee alive, only so that I could show my strength through thee, and so that my name would be spoken of in every land.)
17 Yet thou withholdest my people, and wilt not deliver it? (Yet still thou holdest onto my people, and wilt not let them go!)
18 Lo! tomorrow, in this same hour (at this same hour), I shall rain full much hail, what manner hail was not in Egypt, from the day in which it was founded, till into this present time.
19 Therefore send thou (a command) right now, and gather (in) thy work beasts, and all things that thou hast in the field; for (those) men, and work beasts, and all things that be in fields withoutforth, and be not gathered (in) from the fields, and [the] hail fall on those, they shall (all) die.

Exodus 9:9-19 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.