Exodus, Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Verses 1-35: The Plagues of Livestock, Boils, and Hail

1. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2. For if you refuse to let them go, and continue to hold them,
3. behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks; there will be a very severe pestilence.
4. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so nothing that belongs to the children of Israel shall die.”‘”
5. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.”
6. And the next day the LORD did this thing; all the livestock of Egypt died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
7. Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of ashes from the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
9. And it shall become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall cause boils breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.”
10. So they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh; Moses sprinkled it toward heaven, and it caused boils breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast.
11. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
12. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
13. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me,
14. for this time I will send all My plagues upon your heart, and on your servants, and on your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
15. For by now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.
16. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you My power, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
17. As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.
18. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.
19. Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.”‘
20. He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses.
21. But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”
23. And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very heavy, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25. The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.
26. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
27. Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.
28. Entreat the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
29. Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
30. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.”
31. And the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.
32. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
33. So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.
34. When Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunders had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

Interpretation: This chapter illustrates the escalating severity of God’s plagues on Egypt, each designed to challenge Pharaoh’s defiance and demonstrate God’s unmatched power. The plagues target the economic and physical well-being of Egypt, sparing the Israelites and highlighting a divine distinction between God’s people and the Egyptians. Despite Pharaoh’s temporary concessions, his repeated hardening of heart after each plague recedes shows a pattern of stubbornness and resistance against God’s commandments. The plagues serve not only as punishments for enslaving the Israelites but also as signs of God’s sovereignty and the futility of resistance against divine will. Through these events, the narrative emphasizes the importance of obedience to God and the consequences of defiance.