Chapter Text
The Plague on Livestock
The Plague of Boils
The Plague of Hail
Summary
God sends a severe pestilence upon all Egyptian livestock — horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats — but not a single animal of Israel dies. Pharaoh investigates and confirms Israel is untouched, yet hardens his heart. Next, Moses and Aaron cast handfuls of furnace ashes into the air, producing boils and sores on all Egyptians and their remaining animals. The magicians cannot even stand before Moses because of the boils. God hardens Pharaoh's heart. Then God sends an unprecedented hailstorm with thunder and fire. Those among Pharaoh's servants who fear the LORD shelter their livestock; the scornful leave theirs exposed. Everything in the open is destroyed, but Goshen is spared. Pharaoh confesses sin but hardens his heart when the hail ceases.
Meaning
The pestilence on livestock struck Egypt's economy and its religious system — bulls and cows were sacred to Hathor and Apis. The boils upon the magicians carry deep irony: the men who claimed spiritual power cannot heal themselves. The furnace ashes may symbolize the kilns of Israel's slavery, turning oppression's instrument into Egypt's affliction.
God's stated purpose in the hail — that His name be declared in all the earth — reveals the plagues serve a universal purpose. The offer of mercy to fearful Egyptians shows God's judgment is never indiscriminate. Pharaoh's confession without genuine repentance illustrates that correct words without heart transformation are worthless.
Background
Egyptian religion venerated cattle extensively. The Apis bull was considered a living incarnation of the god Ptah. The death of livestock was both an economic catastrophe and a theological crisis.
Hail is extremely rare in Egypt, making this plague especially terrifying. The destruction of flax and barley but not wheat and rye provides a seasonal indicator, placing this plague around January or February.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-7The Fifth Plague: Murrain on Livestock
- vv. 8-12The Sixth Plague: Boils on Man and Beast
- vv. 13-17God Declares His Sovereign Purpose
- vv. 18-21Warning Before the Hail
- vv. 22-26The Seventh Plague: Hail, Fire, and Thunder
- vv. 27-30Pharaoh's Confession and Moses' Intercession
- vv. 31-35Pharaoh Hardens His Heart Again
Key Verses
“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.”— 9:14
God declares the ultimate purpose behind the plagues: the revelation of His incomparable sovereignty over all the earth, not merely over Egypt's gods.
“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.”— 9:16
A pivotal verse in biblical theology, later quoted by Paul in Romans 9:17 to expound God's sovereign purpose in raising up even those who oppose Him.
“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.”— 9:27
Pharaoh's first explicit confession of sin and acknowledgment of God's righteousness — yet it proves to be superficial repentance that does not endure once the pressure relents.
People & Places
People
- Moses — God's appointed spokesman who delivers warnings to Pharaoh and intercedes to halt the plagues.
- Aaron — Moses' brother and fellow mediator, called alongside Moses before Pharaoh.
- Pharaoh — King of Egypt whose repeated hardening of heart prolongs the plagues despite mounting devastation.
- The magicians of Egypt — Egyptian court sorcerers who are themselves afflicted with boils and rendered powerless before Moses.
Places
- Egypt — The land suffering God's judgments upon its livestock, people, and crops through escalating plagues.
- Goshen — The region where the Israelites dwelt, divinely protected from the hail that devastated the rest of Egypt.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Verse 16 — 'for this cause have I raised thee up' — is directly cited by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:17 as a key text demonstrating God's sovereign purpose in history. The divine protection of Israel in Goshen (vv. 4, 6, 26) foreshadows the broader biblical theme of God sheltering His covenant people amid judgment, a pattern that recurs through the prophets and into Revelation.
Devotional
Three plagues fall in this chapter, each more severe than the last, yet Pharaoh's heart grows harder with every deliverance. His confession in verse 27 sounds genuine — 'I have sinned... the LORD is righteous' — but the moment the thunder stops, he retreats into defiance.
This is a searching mirror for every believer. Crisis often produces sincere-sounding words, but true repentance endures after the pressure lifts. God is patient through repeated failure, yet He takes our response seriously.
Notice too the mercy embedded in judgment: God warns in advance (v. 19), giving even Pharaoh's servants opportunity to shelter their households. Grace always precedes wrath.
Literary Style
Narrative prose structured around three plague accounts, each following a pattern of divine command, execution, and Pharaoh's response. The chapter features extended divine speech (vv. 13–19) with rhetorical questions, and the hail sequence employs vivid sensory imagery — fire mingled with hail, mighty thunderings — creating the most dramatically rendered plague thus far.