Learn how the ten plagues pronounced upon Egypt by the Lord, through His prophet Moses, correspond with the ten popular Egyptian gods of the time.
That Egypt’s gods (the animistic worship of idols) were being cursed is made clear, “and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments” (Exod 12:12). Just in what way and to what degree the pagan cult of the Egyptians was involved in the plagues is not clear. The knowledge...
of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just ...
In the same manner God gave Moses permission to rule over the heavens, to stretch his hands towards them, and bring down a hailstorm over the land of Egypt. Why were they punished with hail? Because they had compelled the Israelites to plough their fields, sow their grain, care for their...
“I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. I am Yahweh; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt.” —Exodus 12:12I thought about Egypt a lot as a kid—though growing up on the ...
Rivers were the life blood of ancient civilizations—pun totally intended. Turning the river to blood isn't just a neat trick; it's an attempt to undermine the way Egypt works. The chapter is very careful to tell us that even the tributaries are turned to blood: "Over its rivers, its...
The use of "all" suggests a comprehensive and overwhelming display of God's power. Historically, these plagues were not random but targeted the gods of Egypt, systematically dismantling the Egyptians' religious and cultural confidence. against your heartThe Hebrew word for "heart" (לֵב, ...
Man and beast were smitten, and the herbs and every tree broken, save in the land of Goshen. The ruin caused by the hail was evidently far greater than that effected by any of the earlier plagues. Hail is now extremely rare, but not unknown, in Egypt, and it is interesting that the...
There is a debate in Judaism over whether the second plague was a swarm of frogs, or one giant frog that covered the land of Egypt. But if we go with the more traditional interpretation of a swarm, then theStar Trekequivalent swarm would be the children from "And The Children Shall Lead...
The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.New Living TranslationBut the people who did not ...