Death of Egyptian Livestock, Breakouts of Boils, Thundering Hail

Trying another new variation of the Bible today... Still NKJV, but I'm using Blue Letter Bible.

Shemot (Exodus) 9:1-4 "Then Yahuah said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, "Thus says Yahuah Elohim 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 Yahuah 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 Yahuah 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.'"'"

Yahuah is understanding that some livestock belong to the Egyptians and some belong to the Israelites, and thus he is not killing the livestock belonging to the Israelites. We noted that the Egyptians are starting to convert and believe in Yahuah as the one true Elohim. Do you think those Egyptians' livestock were saved?

Shemot 9:5-7 "Then Yahuah appointed a set time, saying, 'Tomorrow Yahuah will do this thing in the land.' So Yahuah 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."

Still pondering if the Egyptian converts' livestock are still around... One of my teachers suggested a paraphrase from the movie Forrest Gump: "Israelite is as Israelite does." Maybe Yahuah accepted the converts as adopted children of Israel.

Shemot 9:8-12 "So Yahuah 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. 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 Yahuah hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as Yahuah had spoken to Moses."

How stubborn is this Pharaoh? He's watched as the Nile turned to blood, frogs took over the land (they were probably still rotting at this point), flies, gnats, and locusts have come, all the livestock died, and now he and everyone else and the remaining animals are all covered in boils. And he's still not giving up. Why? I'm guessing he's trying to prove his dominance over his land. Problem with that is that he is neither dominant nor does he own any land. Everything is Yahuah's and Yahuah will do with it what He wants.

Shemot 9:13-19 "Then Yahuah said to Moses, 'Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, "Thus says Yahuah Elohim 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's warning the Egyptians now so they know what to do about it if they believe in Him. It's not their fault their ruler is being stubborn. It's their fault if they decide they're stubborn too.

Shemot 9:20-21 "He who feared the word of Yahuah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the word of Yahuah left his servants and his livestock in the field."

Aren't they kind of short on livestock at the moment? Shouldn't they maybe try to keep it safe? Oh well. At least we know that not all of them are stubborn.

Shemot 9:22-26 "Then Yahuah 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 Yahuah sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And Yahuah 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."

I would guess the fire that is being spoken of is actually lightening... Your thoughts?

Shemot 9:27-30 "And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, 'I have sinned this time. Yahuah is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat Yahuah, 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 Yahuah; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is Yahuah's. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear Yahuah Elohim.'"

I learned that the Hebrew word for "sin" actually means "missing the mark." Think of archery, darts, or shooting a gun at a target. Missing the mark could mean that you not only miss the bull's eye, but also that you completely miss the target. Pharaoh needed to work on his aim.

Shemot 9:31-32 "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."

Good to know that Egypt won't completely die of starvation because of Pharaoh.

Shemot 9:33-35 "So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to Yahuah; 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 Yahuah had spoken by Moses."

What will it take for him to let them go? Something worse than all the livestock getting sick and dying. Something worse than thundering hail killing any leftover livestock and workers in the fields. Something worse than the magicians (and everyone else) getting boils so bad they can't attempt to recreate them.

Piles of Frogs, Dust of Lice, and Clouds of Flies

This week is a little bit different... I currently live at my college, but I head home for the weekends. Usually, I don't forget anything at the dorm or at home (and if I do forget something, it's usually easily remedied by a quick trip to the local grocery store). However, today I'm sitting here in my room at home and I am without my Bible. Naturally, I have more than one copy of the Bible... I have the Complete Jewish bible, the Mechanical Translation of the Book of Genesis, The Scriptures, The Picture Bible, the Jewish New Testament, the Duct Tape Bible (I think it's the NIV...), and the New King James Version. I actually have two copies of the NKJV, but I've only ever used one when writing this blog. However, because I left it at my dorm, I'll be using my other copy. It's by a different publisher and it's a different size, text size, color, thickness, etc., even with different commentary. However, aside from the commentary, it has the same content. I don't know if it's divided up the same way though, so there's where the difference you might notice lies. I usually go paragraph by paragraph in my other NKJV, but I'm not sure if that will work as well with this one. We might have more or less commentary by me, but no worries.

Shemot (Exodus) 8:1-4 "And Yahuah spoke to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh and say to him, "Thus says Yahuah: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedchamber, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all of your servants. '"'"

Why frogs? There is a lot of speculation regarding why these plagues were picked. Were they random or not? I'll let you draw your own conclusion, but keep in mind that the Egyptian fertility goddess was often depicted as a frog.

Shemot 8:5-7 "Then Yahuah 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."' So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt."

Ok, I understand Aaron is following orders to make frogs invade the land of Egypt. And I also understand that the magicians are trying to prove that the whole, "anything you can do, I can do better" thing. However, wouldn't it be a more effective use of their time to try getting rid of the frogs rather than try to create more?

Shemot 8:8-12 "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Entreat Yahuah 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 Yahuah.' 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.' So he said, 'Tomorrow.' And he said, 'Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like Yahuah our Elohim. And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.' Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to Yahuah concerning the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh."

So the frogs are going to head back to the river, right?

Shemot 8:13-15 "So Yahuah did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as Yahuah had said."

Isn't that powerful? "Yahuah did according to the word of Moses." All Moses did was pray, and his prayer was answered. How fantastic is that?! Also, on a different note, no, the frogs did not head back to the river. They just croaked. Pardon the pun. So now the Egyptians have bloodstained riverbanks and dead frogs everywhere.

Shemot 8:16-19 "So Yahuah 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."' 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. Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of Elohim.' But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as Yahuah had said."

How about that? Yah is making believers out of Egyptians. Not just any Egyptians, but Egyptian magicians! How awesome is He who can make a believer out of a pagan! Also, on a random note, I wonder if frogs eat lice...

Shemot 8:20-24 "And Yahuah 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 Yahuah: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 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. 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 Yahuah in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.'"' And Yahuah 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."

Interesting that we do not hear of Israel being set apart before this. Possibly everyone had to suffer through a bloody river, frogs, and lice, but flies are for Egyptians only.

Shemot 8:25-28 "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Go, sacrifice to Yahuah your Elohim in the land.' And Moses said, 'It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to Yahuah our Elohim. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahuah our Elohim as He will command us.' And Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to Yahuah your Elohim in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.'"

Abomination of the Egyptians? Remember the reason why they're in Goshen in the first place? Because the Israelites were shepherds and sheep were considered an abomination to the Egyptians. Why? Who knows.

Shemot 8:29-32 "Then Moses said, 'Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat Yahuah, 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 Yahuah.' So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated Yahuah. And Yahuah 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. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go."

That is one stubborn Pharaoh. You would think turning the Nile - the river that is their life source - into blood would be enough to make him let them go, but no. He had to be stubborn. So far we've only had smallish things (aside from the bloody river): frogs, lice, and flies. They're horrible, don't get me wrong, but they're not the worst that could happen. Things are going to get very bad very fast though, so sit tight and be thankful you're not an Egyptian at this period in their history.

The River Ran With Blood

Exodus (Shemot) 7:1-5 "So Yahuah said to Moses: 'See, I have made you as El to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgements. And the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahuah, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.'"

So... He's summing up what we already know. No problem, review's good!

Shemot 7:6-7 "Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as Yahuah commanded them, so they did. And Moses was eighty-years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh."

Gives you a bit of perspective, The Prince of Egypt was a bit off in making Moses and Aaron look 20-ish and 30-ish, respectively... So here's your dose of reality!

Shemot 7:8-10 "Then Yahuah spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, "Show a miracle for yourselves," then you shall say to Aaron, "Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent."' So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as Yahuah commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent."

Did you read that? It became a serpent. As in, a snake. Moses' staff turned into a snake.

Shemot 7:11-13 "But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as Yahuah had said."

Yeah... Methinks the Egyptian magicians had some smoke and mirrors... But the other snakes were eaten. They're trying to make a point, but Yahuah's work is more powerful than any magician.

Shemot 7:14-18 "So Yahuah said to Moses: 'Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. And you shall say to him, "Yahuah Elohim of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness' but indeed, until now you would not hear! Thus says Yahuah: 'By this you shall know that I am Yahuah. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.'"'"

Just so you know, the Egyptians worshiped the Nile. It was the lifeblood of the country, flooding its banks every year and depositing fertile silt for planting. If you look at a map of Egypt, you'll find that nearly all the greenery and life in the country is within just a few miles of the Nile's banks. Turning the water to blood and killing all the fish would devastate the Egyptians. Actually, it would devastate just about any community living on the banks of a river.

Shemot 7:19-21 "Then Yahuah spoke to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone."' And Moses and Aaron did so, just as Yahuah commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So their was blood throughout all the land of Egypt."

The average human's life depends on threes. A human can live three minutes without air, three days without water, and I think three weeks without food. Of course, there are naturally variations. For example, singers and swimmers with their large lungs may be able to last longer without air, while those of us who hunch our shoulders forward all the time (scrunching the lungs) might not be able to last the three. A person who knows what sort of food provides water sources (cactus, some fruit/veggies, etc) may be able to last more than three days, while someone who doesn't drink their 8 cups daily is already partly dehydrated. Food varies wildly depending on factors like metabolism, height, weight, average meal, but you can bet that anyone would be pretty hungry/starving after three weeks. If the water in the Nile isn't changed back from blood, the entire nation will die within just a few days. The plants will die, the animals will die, the whole place will be like a ghost-town. Or, more accurately, a ghost-country.

Shemot 7:22-25 "Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as Yahuah had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. And seven days passed after Yahuah had struck the river."

Naturally, it makes sense to dig a well or try your hand at distilling water when you find the water in the river is ridiculously impure... but honestly? Why in the world would the magicians waste some water by turning it to blood too? That stuff's precious!

Anyway, as far as homework, either the History or the Discovery Channel has some awesome videos about this particular event in history. They try to figure out when this occurred, if it is scientifically possible for ten unique plagues to hit, and especially within the time frame given, and a bunch of other pretty cool details. Check it out and let me know if you find anything interesting!