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Exodus Chapter
Eight
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 8
In this chapter Pharaoh is
threatened with the plague of frogs, in case he refused to let Israel go, which
accordingly was brought upon him, Exodus 8:1 and
though the magicians did something similar to it, yet these were so troublesome
to Pharaoh, that he promised to let the people go, and sacrifice to God, if
they removed; and a time being fixed for the removal of them, it was
accordingly done at the entreaty of Moses and Aaron, Exodus 8:7 but
there being a respite, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and the plague of lice is
ordered, and which was executed; and though this the magicians essayed to do,
and could not, but owned it to be the finger of God, yet Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, Exodus 8:15
wherefore he is threatened with a swarm of flies, which should not infest
Goshen, only the places where the Egyptians dwelt, and it was so, Exodus 8:20 upon
which Pharaoh called for Moses, and declared himself willing the people would
sacrifice in the land; but this not being satisfactory, he agreed they should
go into the wilderness, but not so far; and on the account of the entreaty of
Moses, the plague was removed; but still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he
would not let the people go, Exodus 8:25.
Exodus 8:1 And the Lord spoke to
Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My
people go, that they may serve Me.
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Go in unto
Pharaoh: and thou hast said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, Send My people away,
and they serve Me;
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... Either whilst the plague upon the waters continued, or
immediately upon the removal of it:
go unto
Pharaoh, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may
serve me; mentioning neither time nor place, where, when, and how long
they should serve him, for which their dismission was required, but insist on
it in general.
Exodus 8:2 2 But
if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory
with frogs.
YLT 2and if thou art refusing to send away, lo, I
am smiting all thy border with frogs;
And if thou
refuse to let them go,.... Will not obey the orders:
I will smite
all thy borders with frogs; he gives him warning of the blow before he
strikes, which shows his clemency and goodness, his patience and longsuffering;
and this he did, not only that he might have time and space for repentance, and
thereby avoid the blow; but that when it came, he might be sensible it was not
by chance, or owing to second causes, but was from the Lord himself.
I will smite
all thy borders with frogs: fill the whole land of Egypt with them, to
the utmost borders thereof on every side. SomeF17R. Chananeel apud
Abendana, and some in Aben Ezra in Ioc. say the word signifies a large Egyptian
fish, which in the Arabic tongue is called Altamsach, that is, a crocodile,
with which the Nile abounded; but such a creature could not invade and attack
them in the manner as is after related.
Exodus 8:3 3 So
the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into
your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants,
on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.
YLT 3and the River hath teemed [with] frogs, and
they have gone up and gone into thy house, and into the inner-chamber of thy
bed, and on thy couch, and into the house of thy servants, and among thy
people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs;
And the river
shall bring forth frogs abundantly,.... The river Nile; and
though water, and watery places, naturally produce these creatures, yet not in
such vast quantities as to cover a whole country, and so large an one as Egypt,
and this done at once, immediately; for they were all produced instantaneously,
and in one day were spread all over the nation, and removed the next: and
besides what follows is equally miraculous:
which shall go
up and come into thine house; which though they may come up out of
rivers, and be upon the banks and the meadows adjacent, yet are never known to
come into houses, and especially into bedchambers and other places after
mentioned, being not a bold but timorous creature, and shuns the sight and
company of men; but these came even into the royal palace, nor could his guards
keep them out:
and into thy
bedchamber, and upon thy bed; and by their leaping upon him, and croaking
in his ears, disturb his rest:
and into the
house of thy servants, and upon thy people both nobles and common
people, and not only get into their houses, but upon their persons, on their
hands when about their business, on their laps, and into their bosoms, as they
sat; which must be very offensive and troublesome to them, what with their ugly
shape, croaking noise and filthy smell, and the disagreeable touch of them,
leaping on them, and even upon their food, and all vessels used for the same,
which must make it very nauseous and distasteful to them:
and into thy
ovens; where they baked their bread, and would be now hindered from the
use of them:
and into thy
kneadingtroughs; where they kneaded their dough, and made it into loaves, and
prepared it for the oven; or the "dough"F18במשארותיך "in tuas pastas", Pagninus; "in
farinam tuam aquis conspersam", Tigurine version; "in reliquiis
ciborum tuorum", V. L. itself, which they leaped upon and licked, and made
it loathsome for use.
Exodus 8:4 4 And
the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.”’”
YLT 4yea, on thee, and on thy people, and on all
thy servants do the frogs go up.'
And the frogs
shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy servants. No doubt by
the interposition of divine power and providence, and it may be by the ministry
of angels; so that let them use what care, caution, and diligence they would,
there was no keeping them out; but they came upon all the people of the land,
high and low, rich and poor, and upon the king's ministers, courtiers, and
nobles, and the king himself not excepted; though by this particular
enumeration of him, his people, and servants, the children of Israel may be
thought to be exempted from this plague, as R. Japhez observes; though Aben
Ezra dislikes his remark, but it seems to be just.
Exodus 8:5 5 Then
the Lord
spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the
streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the
land of Egypt.’”
YLT 5And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Say unto
Aaron, Stretch out thy hand, with thy rod, against the streams, against the
rivers, and against the ponds, and cause the frogs to come up against the land
of Egypt.'
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... By a secret impulse upon his mind, for he was now in the
presence of Pharaoh, who had refused to let Israel go:
say unto Aaron,
stretch forth thy hand with thy rod; for Aaron carried the
rod, and he was the minister of Moses, who was appointed a god to him; and be
was to speak and to do whatever he ordered him from the Lord:
over the
streams, over the rivers and over the ponds; the seven streams of the
river of Nile, and over the canals cut out of it, and over all places where
there was a collection of water for any use for man or beast:
and cause frogs
to come up upon the land of Egypt; out of the streams,
rivers, and ponds, immediately.
Exodus 8:6 6 So
Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up
and covered the land of Egypt.
YLT 6And Aaron stretcheth out his hand against the
waters of Egypt, and the frog cometh up, and covereth the land of Egypt;
And Aaron
stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt,.... That is, towards the
waters of the Nile, and towards all places where any water was; for it was not
possible he could stretch out his hand over all the waters that were in every
place:
and the frogs
came and covered the land of Egypt: they came up at once,
and in such multitudes everywhere, that the whole land was full of them; this
was done on the twenty fifth of Adar, or February, the same day the former
plague ceased; so ArtapanusF19Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel.
l. 9. c. 27. p. 425.) , the Heathen historian says, that Moses by his rod
produced frogs, locusts, and lice. And the story which Heraclides LembusF20Apud
Athenaei Deipnosophist. l. 8. c. 2. tells seems to be hammered out of this
account of Moses, that in Paeonia and Dardania such a number of frogs fell from
heaven, as filled the public roads and private houses; at first the inhabitants
killed them, and keeping their houses shut, bore it patiently some time; but
when it signified nothing, and their household goods were covered with them,
and they found them boiled and roasted with their food, and lay in such heaps
that they could not tread for them, and were so distressed with the smell of
the dead ones, they forsook their country.
Exodus 8:7 7 And
the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land
of Egypt.
YLT 7and the scribes do so with their flashings,
and cause the frogs to come up against the land of Egypt.
And the
magicians did so with their enchantments, &c. By their secret
wiles and juggling tricks:
and brought up
frogs upon the land of Egypt, that is, some few, as a proof of their art
and skill, and to show that Moses and Aaron did but what they could do; but
what they did either were only in appearance, deceiving the sight of Pharaoh
and his people, or real frogs were brought to them by the help of devils, but
not in such numbers: and besides, this was adding to the plague, and not
diminishing it; had they done anything to the purpose, they should have removed
it at once, or destroyed the frogs; but that they could not do, of which
Pharaoh being sensible, he therefore entreated for the removal of them by Moses
and Aaron. To this plague there seems to be some reference at the pouring out
of the sixth vial, Revelation 16:13.
Exodus 8:8 8 Then
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may
take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go,
that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”
YLT 8And Pharaoh calleth for Moses and for Aaron,
and saith, `Make supplication unto Jehovah, that he turn aside the frogs from
me, and from my people, and I send the people away, and they sacrifice to
Jehovah.'
Then Pharaoh
called for Moses and Aaron,.... He sent for them:
and said,
entreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people; he begins now
to know the Lord, whom he knew not before, by the judgments he executed on him,
to acknowledge his hand in those judgments, and tacitly to own that none else
could remove them; and his proud heart was so far humbled, as to beg the favour
of Moses and Aaron to intercede with the Lord to cause this plague to cease,
which was intolerable: and it may be observed from other instances in history, somewhat
similar to this, that whole cities and countries have been deserted by their
inhabitants on a like occasion, as those of Paeonia and Dardania, in the
account above given; and Justin reportsF21E Trogo, l. 15. c. 2. of
the Abderites, a people of Thrace, that because of the multitude of frogs and
mice, were obliged to leave their native country, and seek new habitations; and
Diodorus SiculusF23Bibliothec. l. 3. p. 164. and AelianusF24De
Animal. l. 17. c. 41. relate much the same of a people called Autariatae; and
VarroF25Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 29. affirms, that in a city
in France, the inhabitants of it were drove away by frogs; which instances, as
they show how very distressing such a calamity is, so they serve to illustrate
and confirm the truth of the divine history, cavilled at by infidels, when
anything is related in it exceeding the common and ordinary course of things:
and I will let
the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord; as had been
frequently required of him, Exodus 5:1.
Exodus 8:9 9 And
Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for
you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and
your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”
YLT 9And Moses saith to Pharaoh, `Beautify thyself
over me; when do I make supplication for thee, and for thy servants, and for
thy people, to cut off the frogs from thee and from thy houses -- only in the
River they do remain?'
And Moses said
unto Pharaoh, glory over me,.... If thou canst; take every advantage
against me of lessening my glory, and increasing thine own; or vaunt or boast
thyself against me, as the phrase is rendered, Judges 7:2 or take
this honour and glory to thyself over me, by commanding me, and fixing a time
to pray for thee, and I will obey thy orders; which agrees with the Septuagint,
Syriac, and Vulgate Latin versions, and the paraphrase of Onkelos,
"appoint", or "order for me"; that is, when I shall pray
for thee; or do me this honour, to believe me in the sight of the people, to
declare before them that thou dost believe that upon my prayer for thee this
plague shall be removed:
when shall I
entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the
frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in this river only? Moses agreed
to entreat the Lord for him as he desired, but leaves it with him to fix the
time for doing it; and this he did, that it might appear that the removal of
the frogs, as well as the bringing of them, would not be owing to chance or to
any natural cause, but to the Lord himself; and though Moses had no direction
from the Lord for this, that is recorded, yet he might presume upon it, since
he was made a god to Pharaoh, and had power to do as he pleased; and also he
knew the mind and will of God, and might have now a secret impulse upon his
spirit, signifying it to him: and besides, he had the faith of miracles, and
strongly believed that God would work this by him, and at whatsoever time should
be fixed.
Exodus 8:10 10 So
he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word,
that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
YLT 10and he saith, `To-morrow.' And he saith,
According to thy word [it is], so that thou knowest that there is none like
Jehovah our God,
And he said,
tomorrow,.... Which according to Bishop Usher was the twenty sixth day of
Adar, or February. It may seem strange that Pharaoh, and his people, being so
greatly distressed with this plague, should not desire that the Lord would be
entreated to do it immediately, and not put it off to another day: two reasons
are usually given; one is, he might hope that it would by that time go off of
itself, and then he should not be beholden to the Lord, nor to Moses; and the
other is, that he thought an affair of this kind could not be done immediately,
but that it required time for making the intercession, and performing rites and
ceremonies, which he supposed might be used, as were by his magicians; and it
might be now the evening of the day, and therefore deferred it till tomorrow:
and he said, be
it according to thy word, as if he had said, it shall be done as thou hast desired, and at
the time fixed:
that thou
mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God; that can send
plagues, and remove them at his pleasure, which the deities he worshipped, and
the magicians he employed, could not do.
Exodus 8:11 11 And the frogs shall depart
from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They
shall remain in the river only.”
YLT 11and the frogs have turned aside from thee,
and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; only in the
River they do remain.'
And the frogs
shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from
thy people,.... Signifying there should be a full and clear riddance of
them:
they shall
remain in the river only; the river Nile.
Exodus 8:12 12 Then
Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the
frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.
YLT 12And Moses -- Aaron also -- goeth out from
Pharaoh, and Moses crieth unto Jehovah, concerning the matter of the frogs
which He hath set on Pharaoh;
And Moses and
Aaron went from Pharaoh,.... To the place where they used to pray to the Lord, and meet
with him, and receive messages from him; this they did the same day the plague
was inflicted, the day before the morrow came when the frogs were to be
removed:
and Moses cried
unto the Lord: prayed unto him with great fervency, and with a loud voice, most
fervently entreating that the frogs might be removed on the morrow, as he had
promised, that so he might not be covered with shame and confusion before
Pharaoh; his faith of the miracle being wrought did not hinder the use of
prayer to God for it:
because of the
frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh; as an army: or "put
upon"F26שם לפרעה
"posuit", Parhoni, Pagninus, Montanus; "imposuerat", Junius
& Tremellius. him, as a judgment on him; or rather the sense is, as it may
be rendered, "because of the business of the frogs, which he had proposed
or promised to Pharaoh"F1"Super causa vel negotio ranarum
quod proposuerat Pharaoni", Fagius. ; that is, for the taking of them
away, he had proposed to Pharaoh to fix the time when he should entreat the
Lord for the removal of them; and he having fixed on the morrow, Moses promised
it should be done according to his word; and now he is importunate with the
Lord, that it may be done as he had promised.
Exodus 8:13 13 So
the Lord
did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out
of the courtyards, and out of the fields.
YLT 13and Jehovah doth according to the word of
Moses, and the frogs die out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the
fields,
And the Lord
did according to the word of Moses,.... He heard his
prayers, and fulfilled what he had promised Pharaoh:
and the frogs
died out of the houses, and out of the villages, and out of the fields; the word for
"villages" signifies "courts"F2מן החצרת "ex atriis",
Montanus, Tigurine version, Piscator. , and may be so rendered here; and the
sense is, that they not only died out of their dwelling houses, but out of
their courtyards, and even out of their gardens, orchards, and fields, so that
there were none near them to give any manner of trouble and offence. And their
dying, and remaining dead upon the spot, were clear proofs that they were real
frogs that were produced, and not in appearance only, as the frogs of the
magicians might be; God could have caused them to return to the river from
whence they came, or have annihilated them, or removed them out of sight in an
instant; but the killing of them, and letting them lie dead, proved the truth
of the miracle, and gave apparent evidence of it both ways, both in the
bringing and removing them.
Exodus 8:14 14 They
gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
YLT 14and they heap them up together, and the land
stinketh.
And they
gathered them together upon heaps,.... Swept them up, and
laid them in heaps out of the way:
and the land
stank; with the stench of the dead frogs, which was another proof and
evidence of the reality of the miracle; and that dead frogs will cause such an
ill smell appears from the above account of what befell the inhabitants of
Paeonia and Dardania, unless that should be the same with this, only the names
of places and some circumstances altered; See Gill on Exodus 8:16.
Exodus 8:15 15 But
when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed
them, as the Lord
had said.
YLT 15And Pharaoh seeth that there hath been a
respite, and he hath hardened his heart, and hath not hearkened unto them, as
Jehovah hath spoken.
But when
Pharaoh saw that there was respite,.... From his affliction,
as the Targum of Jonathan adds; the plague was removed, and he found himself
and his people at ease: or there was a "breathing"F3הרוחה "respiratio", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine
version, Junius and Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius. ; before he and his people
were so oppressed, that they could scarce breathe, but now being delivered from
the judgment on them with which they were straitened, were enlarged and at
liberty, and in easy circumstances: he hardened his heart; See Gill on Exodus 7:14.
and hearkened
not unto them; to Moses and Aaron, to let the children of Israel go, as they
had required, and he had promised:
as the Lord had
said; had foretold that he would not hearken to them, nor let Israel
go as yet.
Exodus 8:16 16 So
the Lord
said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the
land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’”
YLT 16And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Say unto
Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, and it hath become
gnats in all the land of Egypt.'
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... On the twenty seventh day of the month, according to Bishop
Usher, the same day the flogs were removed; no warning is given him of the next
plague, at least there is no account of any:
say unto Aaron,
stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land; in some one
part of the land, that place nearest to him where there was a quantity of dust;
for it cannot be imagined that he should smite all the dust of the land in
every part of it, but smiting one part served for the whole:
that it may
become lice throughout all the land of Egypt: not gnats, as some, nor
flies, as others, but lice, though perhaps not of the common and ordinary sort,
but new and extraordinary, and it may be of different sorts, suitable to
different creatures.
Exodus 8:17 17 And
they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust
of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land
became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
YLT 17And they do so, and Aaron stretcheth out his
hand with his rod, and smiteth the dust of the land, and the gnats are on man
and on beast; all the dust of the land hath been gnats in all the land of
Egypt.
And they did so,.... As
follows:
for Aaron
stretched out his hand with his rod; as directed and ordered:
and smote the
dust of the earth, and it became lice in man and in beast; which shows
it was a miraculous operation, since lice do not usually spring from dust, but
thrive in the sweat of bodies, and the nastiness of them, through sloth and
idleness; and moreover, this was like the creation of man at first, which was
out of the dust of the earth, and alike the effect of almighty power:
all the dust of
the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt; that is, the
greatest part of it, not that every atom of dust became lice, nor was the land
of Goshen, in which the Israelites dwelt, infected with this plague, unless
where any of the Egyptians were; though Dr. LightfootF4Works, vol.
1. p. 705, 706. thinks, that lice were in Goshen as in other parts of Egypt,
there being no severing between Goshen and Egypt mentioned until the next
plague; and since Israel had partook of many of the sins of Egypt, they must
partake of some of her punishments; and he thinks this is the reason that the
plague of lice is not reckoned among the plagues of Egypt in Psalm 78:44 because
it was common to Israel, and to the Egyptians, and which is the sense of Aben
Ezra on Exodus 7:24. The
account that ArtapanusF5Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel. l.
9. c. 27. p. 435.) , the Heathen historian, gives of this plague, is
this;"Moses smote the earth with a rod, and produced a certain flying
animal, which greatly distressed the Egyptians, and raised ulcers in their
bodies, which no physicians could cure.'And so OrigenF6In Exod.
Homil. 4. fol. 35. col. 2. describes this creature as"having wings and
flying in the air, but so subtile and minute as to escape the eye, unless very
sharp sighted; but when it lights upon a body, it stings most bitterly, so that
what a man cannot see flying, he feels stinging.'Both seem to design the gnat,
but this sort of vermin do not stick in and abide with men or beasts, as these
here are said to do, but buzz about and bite, and then are gone.
Exodus 8:18 18 Now
the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they
could not. So there were lice on man and beast.
YLT 18And the scribes do so with their flashings,
to bring out the gnats, and they have not been able, and the gnats are on man
and on beast;
And the
magicians did so with their enchantments, to bring forth lice,.... They made
use of their magical art, and juggling tricks they were masters of, to produce
the like sort of creatures, or at least to make such appear, or seem to appear,
to the eyes of men:
but they could
not; God would not suffer them to do it, to impose upon Pharaoh, and
deceive him and the Egyptians any longer; and a stop is put to them, when such
small and despicable creatures were produced, the more to put them to shame and
confusion, and to show that what they did before was not real, and that what
they did in appearance was only by divine permission:
so there were
lice upon man and upon beast; these lay in great numbers on both, biting
and distressing them in a most terrible manner; for as the magicians could not
produce such creatures, it was not in their power to remove them.
Exodus 8:19 19 Then
the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s
heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.
YLT 19and the scribes say unto Pharaoh, `It [is]
the finger of God;' and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he hath not
hearkened unto them, as Jehovah hath spoken.
Then the
magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of God,.... This is
to be ascribed to a power superior to human, to a divine power; so long as they
could do something similar, or impose upon the senses of men, and make them
believe they did the like, they would not acknowledge divine omnipotence; but
when they no longer could deceive the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptian, then
they own the effects of a superior power: and this they did partly to detract
from the power of Moses and Aaron, because they would not have them pass for
more skilful persons in the magic art than themselves; and therefore suggest,
that this was done not by virtue of any human skill and art, but by the power
of the Supreme Being; and partly to detract from the honour of the God of
Israel; for they do not say this is the finger of Jehovah, whom they accounted,
as Dr. LightfootF7Ut supra. (Works, vol. 1. p. 705, 706.) observes,
as a petty trivial god, but this is the finger of Elohim, the Supreme Deity. It
is conjectured by someF8Vid. Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p.
132. , that in memory of this plague the Egyptian priests scrape their whole
bodies, lest there should be a louse or any unclean thing on them when they
worship their gods, as HerodotusF9Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 37.
relates:
and Pharaoh's
heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; either not
unto the magicians owning the hand of God, and his divine power in the plague
inflicted; or to Moses and Aaron demanding the dismission of the people of
Israel, which latter seems to be confirmed by the usual phrase, as follows:
as the Lord had
said; see Exodus 7:4.
Exodus 8:20 20 And
the Lord
said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes
out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My
people go, that they may serve Me.
YLT 20And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Rise early in
the morning, and station thyself before Pharaoh, lo, he is going out to the
waters, and thou hast said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, Send My people away,
and they serve Me;
And the Lord
said unto Moses, rise up early in the morning,.... Of the day
following, the twenty eight of Adar, or February, according to Bishop Usher;
this was the fittest time to meet with Pharaoh, and the most likely to make
impressions on him:
and stand
before Pharaoh: meet him as he comes along, and stop him, and stand before him
as having something to say to him; this was using great boldness and freedom
with a king; but as Moses was ordered to do it by the King of kings, it became
him to obey him:
lo, he cometh
forth to the water; See Gill on Exodus 7:15.
and say unto
him, thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me; which had
often been required before, but to no purpose, and in case of refusal he is
threatened as follows.
Exodus 8:21 21 Or else, if you will not
let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your
servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians
shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
YLT 21for, if thou art not sending My people away,
lo, I am sending against thee, and against thy servants, and against thy people,
and against thy houses, the beetle, and the houses of the Egyptians have been
full of the beetle, and also the ground on which they are.
Else, if thou
wilt not let my people go,.... But remainest obstinate and inflexible:
behold, I will
send swarms of flies upon thee; the word used is generally thought to
signify a "mixture", and is interpreted by many a mixture of various
creatures; the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it a mixture of wild beasts, and
so JosephusF11Antiqu. l. 2. c. 14. sect. 3. understands it of all
sorts of beasts, of many forms, and such as were never seen before; according
to Jarchi, all sorts of evil beasts are meant, as serpents and scorpions, mixed
together; and so Aben Ezra says it signifies evil beasts mixed together, as lions,
wolves, bears, and leopards; but it is not likely the houses should be filled
with these, or the ground covered with them, as after related: and besides,
they would soon have destroyed, all the inhabitants of the land, since as it
follows they are said to be upon them; rather a mixture of insects is intended;
the Septuagint; version renders it the "dog fly", and so Philo the
JewF12De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 622. ; which, as PlinyF13Nat.
Hist. l. 11. c. 34. says, is very troublesome, to dogs especially, about their
ears, and this version BochartF14Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 4. c. 15. Colossians 555. approves of:
and upon thy
servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; they should
be sent unto and settle first on his own person, and also on his ministers and
courtiers, and upon all his subjects in general, and get into their houses, and
be very troublesome guests there:
and the houses
of the Egyptians shall be full of the swarms of flies, and also the ground
whereon they are; their number would be so very great.
Exodus 8:22 22 And
in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that
no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am
the Lord
in the midst of the land.
YLT 22`And I have separated in that day the land of
Goshen, in which My people are staying, that the beetle is not there, so that
thou knowest that I [am] Jehovah in the midst of the land,
And I will sever
in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell,....
Distinguish it from other parts of the land of Egypt:
that no swarms
of flies shall be there; which was a very wonderful thing, and so the word may be
rendered. "I will marvellously sever or separate"F15והפליתי "faciamque mirabilem", V. L.
"miraculose agam", Fagius; "marvellously sever", Ainsworth.
, and so the Targum of Jonathan, "I will do wonders or miracles in that
day": as they were to make such a difference in one part of the country from
another, and so near as Goshen was to the place where Pharaoh lived, and to
bound and limit such sort of creatures as flies, which move swiftly from place
to place, and particularly to keep the land of Goshen clear of them; when, as
Bishop Patrick observes, it was a country that abounded with cattle, whose dung
is apt to breed flies:
to the end thou
mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; he is God
over all the earth, and rules as a King in the midst of it, and does whatsoever
he pleases in it; see Psalm 74:12 and in
the midst of the land of Goshen where his people dwelt, and over whom he was
King in a peculiar manner, and took a peculiar care of them, to protect and
defend them; and which must the more vex and distress the Egyptians, when they
saw the Israelites clear of those plagues they were afflicted with.
Exodus 8:23 23 I
will make a difference[a] between My
people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.”’”
YLT 23and I have put a division between My people
and thy people: to-morrow is this sign.'
And I will put
a division between my people and thy people,.... Or, a
"redemption"F16פדות
"redemptionem", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ; for by distinguishing
them in his providence from the Egyptians, he might be said to redeem or
deliver them; thus God makes a difference between his chosen people and the
rest of the world, through his Son's redemption of them by his blood, out of
every kindred, tongue, people, and nation:
tomorrow shall
this sign be: which, according to Bishop Usher, must be the twenty nineth day
of Adar or February.
Exodus 8:24 24 And
the Lord
did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into
his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted
because of the swarms of flies.
YLT 24And Jehovah doth so, and the grievous beetle
entereth the house of Pharaoh, and the house of his servants, and in all the
land of Egypt the land is corrupted from the presence of the beetle.
And the Lord
did so,.... And this he did immediately of himself without any means;
not by the rod of Aaron, to let the Egyptians see that there was nothing in
that rod, that it had no magic virtue in it, and what was done by it was from
the Lord himself, who could as well inflict plagues without it as with it; see Psalm 105:31 and
there came a grievous swarm of flies; or a "heavy"F17כבד "gravis", Montanus, "gravissime",
V. L. one, which was both very numerous, and very troublesome and distressing:
into the house
of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt: into the
palace of Pharaoh, and into the palaces of his nobles, ministers, and
courtiers, and into the dwelling places of all his subjects, throughout the
whole land, excepting the land of Goshen:
the land was
corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies; JosephusF18Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 2. c. 14. sect. 3.) says, the land lay neglected and
uncultivated by the husbandmen; it may be, the air was infected by the flies,
which produced a pestilence that took off many of the inhabitants; so among the
Eleans, as PlinyF19Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 28. reports, a multitude of
flies produced a pestilence; however, it is certain many of the inhabitants of
Egypt perished by them; they might sting them to death, suck their blood, and
poison them with their envenomed stings; see Psalm 78:45.
Exodus 8:25 25 Then
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the
land.”
YLT 25And Pharaoh calleth unto Moses and to Aaron,
and saith, `Go, sacrifice to your God in the land;'
He and his people not
being able to endure this plague of flies any longer; and we read in profane
history of such creatures being so troublesome, that people have been obliged
to quit their habitations, and seek for new ones; so PausaniasF20Achaica,
sive l. 7. p. 400. relates of the inhabitants of Myus, that such a number of
flies rose out of the lake, that the men were obliged to leave the city, and go
to Miletus; so AelianF21De Animal. l. 11. c. 28. reports, that the
inhabitants of Megara were driven from thence by a multitude of flies, as were
the inhabitants of Phaselis by wasps, which creatures also might be in this
mixture of insects:
and said, go
ye, sacrifice to your God in the land; that is, in the land of
Goshen, in the place where they were; he was willing to allow them the liberty
of sacrificing to their God, which it seems they had before; but then he would
not consent they should go out of the land to do it.
Exodus 8:26 26 And
Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the
abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice
the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone
us?
YLT 26and Moses saith, `Not right to do so, for the
abomination of the Egyptians we do sacrifice to Jehovah our God; lo, we
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes -- and they do not
stone us!
And Moses said,
it is not meet so to do,.... It being the command and will of God that they should go
three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice there; and besides it
was dangerous, the Egyptians might be provoked by their sacrifices to fall upon
them, and kill them:
for we shall
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God; by which
Moses is not to be understood as calling the idols of Egypt an abomination, as
being so to God and to all good men, that were not idolaters; for though they
were, Moses would scarcely call them so before Pharaoh, when he could have made
use of another word as well; but his meaning is, that the Israelites would
sacrifice that which would be an abomination, and very detestable to the
Egyptians for them to do. And so the Targum of Jonathan;"for the sheep,
which are the idols of the Egyptians, we shall take and offer before the Lord
our God.'HerodotusF23Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 41, 42, 45. says, it was
not accounted with the Egyptians lawful to sacrifice any creature but swine,
and male oxen, and calves, such as were clean; but nevertheless, as after these
times the Egyptians did offer such creatures as oxen, sheep, and goats, at
least some of them did, Bishop Patrick thinks this may only refer to the rites
and ceremonies of sacrificing, and to the qualities and condition of the beasts
that were offered, about which the Egyptians in later ages were very curious;
however, be it which it will, something might be done which would displease the
Egyptians, and therefore it was best to sacrifice out of their land:
lo, shall we
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not
stone us? rise up in a body in great wrath, and fall upon us and slay us,
by taking up stones and casting at us, or by some means or another dispatch us
while offering; just as Pilate mingled the blood of the Galilaeans with their
sacrifices, Luke 13:1 and the
Egyptians were a people that greatly resented any indignity done to their
deities, and would prosecute it with great wrath and fury; as appears from an
instance which Diodorus SiculusF24Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 75. reports
he was an eyewitness of, as that a certain Roman having killed a cat, (which is
an Egyptian deity,) the mob rose about his house, so that neither the princes
sent by the king of Egypt to entreat them, nor the common dread of the Roman
name, could deliver the man from punishment, though he did it imprudently, and
not on purpose.
Exodus 8:27 27 We
will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He
will command us.”
YLT 27A journey of three days we go into the
wilderness, and have sacrificed to Jehovah our God, as He saith unto us.'
We will go
three days' journey into the wilderness,.... As was first
insisted on, and from which demand they should not depart:
and sacrifice
unto the Lord our God, as he shall command us; both what sacrifices
shall be offered, and the manner in which they shall be done, both which seemed
for the present in a good measure undetermined and unknown; and therefore it
was possible, and very probable, that in one or the other they should give
offence to the Egyptians, should they sacrifice among them, being at all events
resolved to do as the Lord should command them.
Exodus 8:28 28 So
Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in
the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”
YLT 28And Pharaoh saith, `I send you away, and ye
have sacrificed to Jehovah your God in the wilderness, only go not very far
off; make ye supplication for me;'
And Pharaoh
said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the
wilderness,.... He does not say three days, though as he allowed them to go
into the wilderness and sacrifice, they could not go and come again in less
time; nor would Moses have accepted of the grant, as it seems by what follows
he had, if he had obliged them to less time:
only you shall
not go very far away; his meaning is, as Aben Ezra observes, that they should go no
further than three days' journey; he was jealous that this was only an excuse
to get entirely out of his dominions, and never return more. He might have
heard of their claim to the land of Canaan, and of their talk, and hope, and
expectation, of going and settling there; and so understood this motion of
theirs, to have leave to go into the wilderness for three days, to sacrifice to
the Lord, was only a pretence; that their real intention was to proceed on in
their journey to Canaan; however, being in this great distress, he made as if
he was willing to grant what they desired, and very importunately urged they
would pray he might be delivered from this plague:
entreat for me; the words
seem to be spoken in haste, and with great eagerness and vehemence.
Exodus 8:29 29 Then
Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the Lord, that the
swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and
from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting
the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
YLT 29and Moses saith, `Lo, I am going out from
thee, and have made supplication unto Jehovah, and the beetle hath turned aside
from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people -- to-morrow, only let not
Pharaoh add to deceive -- in not sending the people away to sacrifice to
Jehovah.'
And Moses said,
behold, I go out from thee,.... Directly, immediately, to the place where
he was wont to meet the Lord, and receive orders and instructions from him:
and I will
entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh; for as he
sent them, he only could remove them, and he could do the one as easily as he
did the other:
from his
servants, and from his people, tomorrow; that there might be a
thorough and clear riddance of them from him and all his subjects, and out of
every part of his kingdom; which should be done, and was done on the morrow,
that is, on the thirtieth day of Adar, answering to part of our February, and
part of our March, so that this must be about the middle of March:
but let not
Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more, in not letting the people go to sacrifice to
the Lord; as in the plague of frogs, refusing to let them go when it was
past; which Moses calls an illusion, a mocking of them, and dealing
deceitfully, to which he here refers; see Exodus 8:15.
Exodus 8:30 30 So
Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.
YLT 30And Moses goeth out from Pharaoh, and maketh
supplication unto Jehovah,
And Moses went out
from Pharaoh, and entreated the Lord. He did as he promised he
would, and prayed to the Lord to remove the flies from Pharaoh and his people.
Exodus 8:31 31 And the Lord did according
to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from
his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.
YLT 31and Jehovah doth according to the word of
Moses, and turneth aside the beetle from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from
his people -- there hath not been left one;
And the Lord
did according to the word of Moses,.... Did as he entreated
him to do, as follows:
and he removed
the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; by what means
is not said, whether by destroying them at once, as the frogs, or by driving
them away with a wind, as the locusts afterwards:
there remained
not one; the meaning is not, not one swarm of flies, but not one fly,
there was not one left; which looks as if it was in the latter way that they
were removed, since, if in the former, they would have remained, though dead,
as the frogs did, for a little while.
Exodus 8:32 32 But
Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people
go.
YLT 32and Pharaoh hardeneth his heart also at this
time, and hath not sent the people away.
And Pharaoh
hardened his heart at this time also,.... As he did before,
when he found the plague was removed, and the flies were gone:
neither would
he let the people go; through pride and covetousness, being loath to have the number
of those under his dominion so much diminished, and to lose so large a branch
of his revenues arising from the labour of these people.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 8:23
Literally set a ransom (compare Exodus 9:4 and 11:7)