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| 1 Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh,–then shalt thou say unto him–Thus, saith Yahweh, God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. |
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| 2 But, if, refusing, thou art to let them go,–and still art holding them fast, |
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| 3 lo! the hand of Yahweh, is coming on thy cattle, which are in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks,–a very grievous pestilence; |
Grievous murrain – A kind of epizootic or contagious fever affecting all domestic animals. R3995:1
Murrain (from the Latin, morior, to die), a disease resembling the Russian epizootic. R5272:4
See final comment on Exodus 8:21.
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| 4 and Yahweh will make a difference between the cattle of Israel, and the cattle of the Egyptians,–so that there shall not die from among all that pertaineth to the sons of Israel, a thing! |
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| 5 And Yahweh appointed a set time–saying,–Tomorrow, will Yahweh do this thing, in the land. |
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| 6 So Yahweh did this thing, on the morrow, and all the cattle of the Egyptians died,–but, of the cattle of the sons of Israel, died not one. |
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| 7 And Pharaoh sent, and lo! there had not died of the cattle of Israel, so much as one. But Pharaoh's heart became dull, and he did not let the people go. |
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| 8 Then said Yahweh, unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take you, your hands full of the ashes of an oven,–and Moses shall scatter them towards the heavens, before the eyes of Pharaoh: |
Toward the heaven – Possibly in allusion to the furnace of affliction through which the Hebrews had been passing, or possibly in sarcastic imitation of the methods of Egyptian priests, who yearly offered sacrifices of burnt human bodies to Typhon, the god of evil, scattering the ashes thus in the air. R3995:2
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| 9 then shall they become fine dust, over all the land of Egypt,–and shall become on man and on beast, a burning sore, breaking out in pustules, in all the land of Egypt. |
Shall be a boil – See final comment on Exodus 8:21.
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| 10 So they took the ashes of an oven, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them towards the heavens,–and it came to pass that there was a burning sore, in pustules breaking out, among men, and among beasts; |
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| 11 and the sacred scribes could not stand before Moses, because of the burning sore,–for the burning sore had come on the sacred scribes, and on all the Egyptians. |
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| 12 But Yahweh let the heart of Pharaoh wax bold, and he hearkened not unto them,–as spake Yahweh unto Moses. |
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| 13 Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Rise thou early in the morning, and station thyself before Pharaoh,–then shalt thou say unto him–Thus, saith Yahweh, God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me; |
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| 14 for, this time, am, I, sending all my plagues unto thy heart, and amongst thy servants, and amongst thy people,–to the intent thou mayest get to know, that there is none like me, in all the earth. |
All my plagues – Typified the great time of trouble. R3994:4
In three groups of three each. In the first three, Aaron's rod was used; in the second three, the rod was not used; in the last three, Moses' rod was used. In the first three, there was full warning; in the second, less warning; in the third, no warning. R3994:3
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| 15 For, now, might I have put forth my hand, and smitten thee and thy people, with pestilence,–and thou shouldst have secretly disappeared from the earth; |
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| 16 but, in very deed, for this purpose, have I let thee remain, for the purpose of showing thee my might,–and that my name may be celebrated in all the earth. |
For this cause – The ten plagues upon the Egyptians were manifestations of divine justice. OV93:1
God did not approve of Pharaoh, but used him to show forth his own glory. Q501:5
With a weaker man the Lord's power would have been less displayed. R3994:2
I raised thee up – God has it in his own hand to set up or pull down rulers and he orders the matter with a view to the impressing of certain lessons. R3994:2
Amongst the various heirs to the throne of Egypt, God so ordered that this particular Pharaoh should come to the throne because he possessed such obstinacy. F175; PD33/44; R5305:3
God raised up to the throne a stubborn ruler so as to teach a great lesson respecting divine tenderness, gentleness and forgiveness, and that God's greatest blessing to mankind-a free will-may be perverted by Satan to work his greatest injury. R5263:3
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| 17 Even yet, art thou exalting thyself over my people,–in not letting them go? |
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| 18 Behold me! raining down, about this time tomorrow, an exceeding heavy hail,–such as hath not been in Egypt, from the day it was founded, even unto the present time. |
Very grievous hail – See final comment on Exodus 8:21.
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| 19 Now, therefore, send–bring into safety thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field,–as touching all men and beasts which shall be found in the field, and shall not be withdrawn into shelter, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. |
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| 20 He that feared the word of Yahweh, among the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee, under shelter; |
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| 21 but, whoso applied not his heart unto the word of Yahweh, left his servants and his cattle, in the field. |
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| 22 Then said Yahweh unto Moses–Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be hail, in all the land of Egypt,–on man and on beast, and on every herb of the field, in the land of Egypt. |
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| 23 So Moses stretched forth his staff over the heavens, and, Yahweh, gave forth thunderings and hail, and there came fire, towards the earth,–and Yahweh rained down hail, on the land of Egypt. |
Thunder and hail – Both unusual in Egypt. R3995:2
And the fire – Lightning. R3995:2
Symbolic, signifying that God's indignation would burn against every one who is wicked. R5317:2
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| 24 So there came to be hail, and fire catching hold of itself, in the midst of the hail,–exceeding heavy, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt, from the very time it became a nation. |
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| 25 And the hail smote, in all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast,–and, every herb of the field, did the hail smite, and, every tree of the field, did it shiver. |
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| 26 Only, in the land of Goshen, where were the sons of Israel, was there no hail. |
The land of Goshen – The murrain (and later plagues) were kept from them in the land of Goshen, thus proving God's care. R5272:4
Was there no hail – Similarly, the symbolic hail of the seventh plague of Revelation will smite down and subdue those only who are in opposition to it, and that for their good. R511:6
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| 27 Then sent Pharaoh, and called for Moses and for Aaron, and said unto them–I have sinned this time,–Yahweh, is the righteous one, and, I and my people, are the wrong-doers. |
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| 28 Make ye request unto Yahweh, and it shall be enough, without there being any more thunderings of God, and hail,–and I must a let you go, and not again shall ye delay. |
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| 29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, will I spread out my hands unto Yahweh,–the thunderings, shall cease, and, the hail, shall come no more,–that thou mayest know, that, to Yahweh, belongeth the earth. |
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| 30 But, as touching thee and thy servants, I know, that not yet will ye stand in awe of Yahweh Elohim. |
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| 31 Now, the flax and the barley, were smitten,–for, the barley, was in the ear, and, the flax, was in flower; |
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| 32 but, the wheat and the spelt, were not smitten,–for they were, not ripe. |
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| 33 So Moses went away from Pharaoh, out of the city, and spread out his hands unto Yahweh,–then did the thunderings and the hail cease, and, rain, was not poured out on the earth. |
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| 34 And, when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunderings had ceased, he again sinned,–and made his heart dull, he, and his servants. |
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| 35 And the heart of Pharaoh waxed bold, and he did not let the sons of Israel go,–as spake Yahweh by the hand of Moses. |
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