Exodus 9

Plague of death of livestock 1
Boils 8
Hail 13
Some feared the Lord 20
Text
Comments
.1 ¶ Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
 3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.
 4 And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.
.5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.
  3 - Cattle Literally "domesticated animals." Previous plagues had been primarily annoyances to the people. Now property was affected.
  3 - Horses Not known much earlier. Not among gifts to Abraham ge1216.
  3 - Murrain A word for "plague."
  5 - Appointed time God was specific. This helped Pharaoh understand that the events were coming by chance. And it strengthens our faith, too.
 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
 7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
  7 - Died not one The distinction had come earlier ex0823. Maybe Pharaoh was curious.
.8 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
.9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.
  8 - Ashes ... sprinkle Maybe Pharaoh witnessed this event when at the river to worship. The "small dust" would be a collection of a very large number of minute bits of dust, enough for everyone to be touched.
  9 - Furnace More suffering from the stubbornness of a selfish monarch. See the quotation below.
    Moses was next directed to take ashes of the furnace, and "sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh." This act was deeply significant. Four hundred years before, God had shown to Abraham the future oppression of His people, under the figure of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. He had declared that He would visit judgments upon their oppressors, and would bring forth the captives with great substance. In Egypt, Israel had long languished in the furnace of affliction. This act of Moses was an assurance to them that God was mindful of His covenant, and that the time for their deliverance had come. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 267.)
 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
.12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
  11 - Magicians could not stand They had apparently been present earlier. The king was being shown the weakness of his support system in comparison to the power of God. Also the magicinas, afflicted from the boils were, no doubt, unable physically able to stand before Pharaoh.
.13 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
.14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
  13 - Say unto him Moses was told to repeat the warning ex0801,20, verse 1.
  14 - Upon thine heart Leading to the loss of his son. The Lord was making a more serious appeal than before.
 15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.
  15 For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. (NASB)
.16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 
 17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?
.18 Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
  15 - Strech out my hand The grammar is correct in the second reading of the verse at the left.
  16 - To shew God allowed Pharaoh and his helpers to continue to demonstrate to the world who should be respected. The Egyptian system gave credit to a multitude of Gods.
  The Egyptians did not record adverse situations on their monuments but the other nations did not fail to notice ex1514, jos0210.
  18 - To morrow ... I will cause The Egyptians needed to be impressed that the God of heaven was in control of all the objects of nature which they worshipped.
  18 - Grievous hail Egypt has very little precipitation.
 19 Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast 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 that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses:
 21 And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.
  19 - Gather the cattle But this would be humiliating, giving the idea that the Pharaoh believed the servants of God. Few heeded the warning and there was great loss of life.
  20 - He that feared We see that some Egyptians believed. When the Hebrews left Egypt a "mixed multitude" of these people went with them. ex1238.
  21 - Regarded not This probably seemed impossible. Killing hail! The people of Sodom by likewise refused to believe ge1914.
 22 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
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 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
 28 Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. 
 29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S.
 30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.
.31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
 32 But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.
  27 - I have sinned The plague had killed people and Pharaoh admitted his guilt. At the end of the thousand years, every knee will bow is4523. They realize that the God of heaven is just and true but their hearts will not be changed as is the case here with the wicked king.
 33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
 35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
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