Exodus Chapter 9
More Plagues Upon Egypt
A. The Fifth Plague: Disease on Livestock
(Exodus 9:1–4)
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep — a very severe pestilence. And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’”
In mercy, the LORD commanded Moses once again to go before Pharaoh with a solemn warning. Despite Pharaoh’s stubbornness, God continued to give him opportunities to repent and to acknowledge His sovereignty. The LORD declared His rightful ownership over His people, calling Himself “the LORD God of the Hebrews,” and reminding Pharaoh that Israel was not his possession. The purpose of their release was not merely for their freedom, but that they might serve and worship the LORD. The ultimate issue was not political but spiritual.
God warned Pharaoh that if he continued in rebellion, the “hand of the LORD” — a phrase denoting divine power and direct intervention — would strike Egypt’s livestock with a severe pestilence. This blow would reach the cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep throughout the land. The economy, agriculture, and even the religious system of Egypt would be devastated. Yet, God promised to make a distinction between Israel and Egypt, so that none of Israel’s livestock would perish. This distinction served as further testimony that the LORD alone was God over all creation.
This act of mercy and warning illustrates that God’s judgments are never arbitrary. Pharaoh’s continued resistance was a moral choice against revealed truth. Likewise, the principle applies to believers today: our conduct toward one another must be governed by reverence for the LORD, not merely human affection. As Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23–24, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
(Exodus 9:5–7)
Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.
The LORD appointed a specific time for this judgment, declaring, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” This again demonstrated God’s control over the timing and nature of His plagues. They were not random disasters, but precise, divinely executed judgments that no magician, priest, or pagan god could avert. When the appointed time arrived, the pestilence fell upon all the livestock of Egypt, and they perished. Yet in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites dwelled, not one animal was touched.
This plague directly struck at one of Egypt’s most revered deities — Hathor, the cow goddess of love, beauty, and motherhood. Egyptians viewed cattle as sacred, often associating them with fertility and divine favor. By destroying their livestock, God demonstrated His absolute power over their false gods and shattered the illusion of Egypt’s religious system. As the prophet Jeremiah later declared, “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens” (Jeremiah 10:11).
Historical records even suggest that Egyptian soldiers in battle refused to harm herds of cattle for fear of offending their gods. Cole notes an ancient account where an opposing army used herds as a shield, knowing the Egyptians would not strike. This superstition underscores the humiliation of Egypt’s idolatry when the LORD, the true and living God, destroyed what they worshiped.
Pharaoh’s response reveals the hardness of his heart. He verified that Israel’s livestock was untouched, yet he still refused to let the people go. His pride blinded him to the evidence of divine power and mercy. This pattern is consistent with Romans 2:5, which states, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” Pharaoh’s stubbornness became both his moral downfall and a stage for God’s glory to be magnified before all nations.
B. The Sixth Plague: Boils
(Exodus 9:8–10)
So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.
In this sixth plague, the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron to take ashes from a furnace and publicly cast them into the air before Pharaoh. The ashes were described as black and extremely fine, like soot, which would spread through the wind and become a symbol of God’s judgment. The same furnaces that may have been used to bake bricks for Israel’s forced labor now produced the ashes of affliction that would bring suffering upon Egypt. This act carried moral irony: the instruments of Egyptian oppression were turned into tools of divine retribution.
As the ashes rose, they became fine dust throughout Egypt and produced boils breaking out in painful sores on both man and beast. This plague, the third in the second set of three, came without warning. God no longer extended a prior call to repentance, revealing a progression in His judgment. Earlier plagues were preceded by warnings, but Pharaoh’s continued rebellion had now hardened him to the point where mercy was momentarily withdrawn. The LORD’s silence before this act of judgment illustrates that persistent rebellion brings diminishing opportunity for repentance, as echoed later in Proverbs 29:1: “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
The Hebrew word for “boil” carries the sense of “burning,” describing an inflamed, swollen, and painful skin disease that afflicted both humans and animals. This was the first plague to directly attack human health, serving as a forewarning of the ultimate plague of death that would later strike Egypt’s firstborn. The physical suffering caused by these boils represented the moral and spiritual corruption that festered beneath Egypt’s idolatry.
(Exodus 9:11–12)
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
The magicians of Egypt, once seen as men of power and authority, were now rendered helpless. They could not even stand before Moses, much less oppose him. The same men who had imitated the earlier miracles of God were now physically crippled by His power. Their boils disqualified them from any form of ceremonial or religious service, according to Egyptian purity customs. This plague specifically mocked and overthrew the Egyptian god Imhotep, regarded as the god of medicine and healing. Egypt’s faith in its physicians and deities of health was publicly humiliated before the LORD, who alone is the healer and sustainer of life.
At this point, Scripture records for the first time that “the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.” Prior to this, Pharaoh had repeatedly hardened his own heart. Exodus 7:13 says, “And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.” Exodus 8:15 adds, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them.” By the time of this sixth plague, Pharaoh’s repeated rejection of God’s word had brought him to a place where divine judgment confirmed his choice. God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart did not create new rebellion; it simply solidified what Pharaoh had already chosen.
Cole observes that this is the first occurrence where divine hardening follows an actual plague, demonstrating that God hardens those who first harden themselves. Thomas explains that the hardening represents not God’s arbitrary will but the inevitable result of disobedience to divine truth. Every plague had been an opportunity for Pharaoh to yield, but each refusal deepened his bondage to sin.
The closing phrase, “just as the LORD had spoken to Moses,” reminds us that every event unfolded exactly according to God’s foreordained plan. Even Pharaoh’s resistance was under divine sovereignty. Though Pharaoh’s choices were his own, God used them to display His power, as stated in Romans 9:17: “For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.’” God’s justice, patience, and sovereignty were displayed simultaneously, affirming that His purposes cannot be thwarted, even by the will of the most powerful ruler on earth.
C. The Seventh Plague: Hail
(Exodus 9:13–21)
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”’” He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
In this seventh plague, the LORD once again demonstrated His supreme power and sovereignty over Egypt and its gods. Moses was commanded to rise early and confront Pharaoh with an authoritative declaration from “the LORD God of the Hebrews.” This reminder underscored the covenantal relationship between God and His people, and the contrast between the LORD’s authority and Pharaoh’s supposed divinity.
God announced that He would now send “all My plagues to your very heart.” The phrase signifies that the coming judgment would strike Egypt at its core—its pride, power, and sense of security. God declared that He could have already annihilated Egypt with pestilence but had restrained His wrath for a higher purpose: “That I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” This reveals the redemptive and theological purpose behind the plagues. Pharaoh’s rebellion would ultimately magnify God’s glory, both through judgment and through the deliverance of Israel.
This statement finds its New Testament commentary in Romans 9:17: “For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.’” Pharaoh’s rise to power and his continued obstinacy served God’s sovereign plan to reveal His might before all nations. What Pharaoh intended for defiance, God used for declaration.
God also demonstrated His mercy by warning the Egyptians in advance and offering a means of protection. He commanded them to bring their servants and livestock indoors before the storm. This required faith and obedience to the word of the LORD. Some of Pharaoh’s servants, fearing God’s word, took the warning seriously and sheltered their people and animals. Others, in arrogance, ignored the command and left their livestock exposed. This distinction among the Egyptians shows that even within the ranks of Pharaoh’s servants, some were beginning to recognize the LORD’s authority. Their obedience spared them from destruction.
As Kaiser notes, rainfall was exceedingly rare in Upper Egypt, and the idea of a devastating hailstorm would have seemed absurd. Yet this warning demonstrated that God’s word, no matter how improbable it seems, is always true. The LORD was about to unleash a storm of unparalleled magnitude, one that would strike directly at Egypt’s false confidence and its gods of nature.
(Exodus 9:22–26)
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt — on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
When Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven, the LORD unleashed a supernatural storm of thunder, hail, and fire. This “fire darting to the ground” likely describes lightning flashing with destructive force, intertwined with heavy hailstones. The Hebrew text suggests an intense and chaotic atmospheric event, something far beyond natural explanation. It was a storm unlike any Egypt had ever experienced, a direct act of divine judgment from heaven itself.
The plague of hail was terrifying and unprecedented. The mingling of fire and ice defied natural law, demonstrating the miraculous nature of the event. As the commentator Trapp observed, “A strange mixture; a miracle within a miracle, saith Rabbi Solomon. Fire and water made a peace betwixt themselves, that they might obey the will of their Creator.” Even the elements bowed to God’s command to execute His purpose.
This plague was also a direct assault on several Egyptian deities, particularly Nut, the sky goddess who was believed to protect the heavens and control weather. It also mocked Shu, the god of the atmosphere, and Isis and Osiris, who were connected to agricultural fertility. By sending hail and fire from heaven, God demonstrated that He alone ruled the sky, the earth, and the forces of nature.
The devastation was total. The hail struck down every man and beast in the field, destroyed crops, and shattered trees. Egypt’s agricultural economy—its pride and sustenance—was crippled. Yet once again, God’s grace toward His covenant people was evident: “Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.” This divine distinction reinforced God’s faithfulness to His promises and His ability to protect His people in the midst of judgment.
This miraculous protection of Goshen reflects the same principle found in Psalm 91:7–8: “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.” God shielded His people from the fury that engulfed Egypt, affirming His covenant and displaying His righteous justice.
(Exodus 9:27–35)
And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.” Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
After the devastating plague of hail and fire, Pharaoh once again summoned Moses and Aaron, seemingly humbled and broken under the weight of divine judgment. His words, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked,” sound like genuine repentance. He acknowledged the justice of God and his own guilt, yet the words of his mouth did not reflect the condition of his heart. Pharaoh was remorseful over the consequences of sin but not repentant of sin itself. He was motivated by fear of punishment rather than sorrow before a holy God.
This distinction between temporary remorse and true repentance is vital. Pharaoh’s confession mirrors the reaction of many who cry out to God only when calamity strikes, but whose hearts remain unchanged once the danger passes. As 2 Corinthians 7:10 teaches, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Pharaoh’s sorrow was worldly—it ended when the storm ended.
Thomas notes that Pharaoh’s “I have sinned” belongs to a set of eight confessions in Scripture—four genuine and four false. His falls among the insincere. The pattern is as follows:
Pharaoh — a hardened sinner (Exodus 9:27).
Balaam — a double-minded man (Numbers 22:34).
Achan — a doubtful penitent (Joshua 7:20).
Saul — an insincere man (1 Samuel 15:24).
Judas — the repentance of despair (Matthew 27:4).
Job — a godly repentance (Job 42:6).
David — repentance after delay (2 Samuel 12:13).
The Prodigal Son — blessed confession and restoration (Luke 15:18).
Pharaoh’s confession lacked the humility and transformation evident in those who truly turned to God. He recognized the righteousness of the LORD but not His lordship. His words were calculated to stop the judgment, not to yield to divine authority.
Moses discerned Pharaoh’s deceit, responding, “I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.” This statement reveals Moses’ growing maturity and spiritual perception. At this point, Moses understood the pattern of Pharaoh’s heart: he would temporarily yield when afflicted but harden himself when relief came. Moses’ intercession was not a sign of naivety but of obedience to God’s purpose. As Cole observes, “Moses does not believe that Pharaoh will keep his word, yet he grants the request so that Pharaoh may be without excuse.” This magnifies God’s justice, ensuring that Pharaoh’s continued rebellion would be clearly seen as willful.
When Moses left the city, he lifted his hands in intercession, and the LORD graciously stopped the storm. The thunder, hail, and rain ceased immediately, underscoring the LORD’s control over nature. The silence that followed must have been striking, yet instead of leading Pharaoh to fear, it hardened him further. The text says, “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.” The heart that only cries out to God in crisis, but forgets Him in peace, reveals its true condition.
The mention of the destroyed crops adds historical realism to the account. The flax and barley were ruined because they were in season, while the wheat and spelt survived as later crops. This shows not only the severity of the storm but also God’s measured control—He preserved Egypt from total annihilation, leaving room for further demonstration of His power.
Pharaoh’s reaction after relief came exposes one of the gravest forms of sin: to experience God’s mercy and respond with renewed rebellion. Each time Pharaoh hardened his heart, his moral blindness deepened. As Hebrews 3:13 warns, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Pharaoh’s example serves as a timeless warning that sin unrepented grows calloused, and divine forbearance should never be mistaken for divine approval.
