Exodus 9

THEN the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,

Behold the hand of the LORD In an immediate manner, not by my rod, that thou mayest know, it is not I, but the Lord, which does all these things to thee. is upon thy cattel Which they kept for their wool or milk, or manifold uses and services, though not for food and sacrifice., which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

And the LORD shall sever between the cattel of Israel and the cattel of Egypt, and there shall nothing die of all that is the childrens of Israel.

And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.

And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all Either of all sorts; or a very great number of them, as the word all is frequently used; or rather, all that were in the field, as it is expresly limited, ver. 3. but not all absolutely, as appears from ver. 9. 19, 25. and chap. 14. 23. the cattel of Egypt died, but of the cattel of the children of Israel died not one.

And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not one of the cattel of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

And the Lord said unto Moses, and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace To mind them of their cruel usage of the Israelites in their furnace, of which see Deut. 4. 20. Ier. 11. 4., and let Moses Both were to take them up, but M... ses only to sprinkle them, as at other times Aaron only did the work, to show that they were but instruments, which God could use as he pleased, and God was the principal Authour of it. sprinkle it towards the heaven, in the sight of Pharaoh.

And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains A burning scab, which quickly raised blains and blisters: whereby they were both vehemently inclined to scratch themselves, and yet utterly disenabled from it by its great soreness., upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.

And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven: and it became a boil God multiplying that dust and heating it and then dispersing it over all the land and causing it to fall and rest upon the bodies of the Egyptians. breaking forth with blains, upon man, and upon beast.

And the Magicians could not stand before Moses As they hitherto had done, both as spies and as adversaries, for though their understandings were convinced of Gods hand and infinite power, yet their hearts were not changed, but for their worldly interest they persisted to rebel against their light, and therefore are justly plagued. It was no favour to Pharaoh, that the plague was not upon him, but only a reservation to a greater mischief, as it follows., because of the boiles: for the boil was upon the Magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them, as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may serve me.

For I will at this time, send all my plagues upon thine heart Or, into thy heart: Thou hast hitherto not felt my plagues upon thy own person, or thy body, but I shall shortly reach and wound it, and that not only in the skin; as the magicians and others are now smitten but even to thy heart, such as shall make thy heart sick, Mic. 6. 13. such as shall give thee a mortal and irrecoverable wound. Some understand it of inward and spiritual judgments upon Pharaohs heart, such as hardness of heart. But that plague had been inflicted upon him, and is recorded before this time. And Pharaohs heart being here opposed to his servants and people seems rather to denote his person, the heart or soul being often put Synecdochically for the whole man., and upon thy servants, and upon thy people: that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

For now I will stretch out mine hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence (i. e.) Not properly so called, but largely, as the word is used, Hos. 13. 14. with an utter and irrecoverable destruction. This relates partly to the killing of the first-born, which plague did more immediately and nearly concern both him and his people, and principally to their destruction in the Red Sea., and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

And in very deed, for this cause have I raised thee up So the Hebrew word is translated; Rom. 9. 17. I have raised thee up out of thy first nothing into thy being and life and kingdom, and upheld thy being and reign even in the midst of thy tyranny. Heb. I have made thee to stand, i. e. to remain alive and untouched, when thy Magicians could not... 1. I have preserved thee in life, not for want of power to destroy thee, as thou mayst fancy, nor for want of provocation from thee, but for my own glory., for to show in thee my power In those mighty works which have been occasioned by thy rebellion, and obstinacy., and that my Name My being and providence, and my manifold perfections, my patience in bearing thee so long, my justice in punishing thee, my power in conquering thee, my wisdom in over-ruling thy pride and tyranny and cruelty to thy own destruction and the redemption of my oppressed people, and my faithfulness in making good my promises to them, and my threatnings to thee. may be declared throughout all the earth.

As yet exaltest thou thy self against my people (i. e.) Against me acting for my people. The gracious God takes what is done to or against his people, as done to or against himself. See Zech. 2. 8. Matth. 25. 40, 45. Act. 9. 4, 5., that thou wilt not let them go?

Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof Since they were a Kingdom or a Nation., even until now.

Send therefore now, and gather thy cattel This forewarning God gives, partly to mitigate the severity of the judgment; partly that a considerable number of Horses might be reserved for Pharaohs expedition chap. 14. partly to show the Justice of God in punishing so wicked and obstinare people, as would take no warning neither from Gods words, nor from his former works; and partly to make a difference between the penitent and the incorrigible Egyptians., and all that thou hast in the field: for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.

He that feared the word of the LORD amongst the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses.

And he that regarded not the word of the LORD, left his servants and his cattle in the field.

And the LORD said unto Moses, stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt upon man (i. e.) Upon those men that presumed to continue in the field after this admonition., and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout all the land of Egypt.

And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground Devouring both Herbs and Cattle which were upon it, Ps. 78. 47, 48. and 105. 32, 33., and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail Which strange mixture much increased the miracle., very grievous, such as there was none like it, in all the land of Egypt, since it became a Nation For that Hail and Rain did sometimes, though but seldom, fall in Egypt, is attested by divers eye witnesses..

And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field (i. e.) Most of them or Herbs and Trees of all sorts, as appears from chap. 10. 12, 15. See before ver. 6..

Only, in the land of Goshen It seems the Egyptians that dwelt there were spared for the sake of their Neighbours the Israelites: Which great obligation probably made them more willing to lend their jewels to them, chap. 12 35., where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time I now plainly see and freely acknowledge my sin in striving with God. He seems not to deny that he had sinned before, for even the light of nature would discover his sin in breaking his Faith and the word of a King given to Moses for Israels dismission.: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

Intreat the LORD, (for it is enough) that there be no more Or, and let it be enough, (let God content himself that he has punished me so long, and that I have confessed my sin and promised amendment) that there may be hereafter no more. mighty thundrings and hail, and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

And Moses said unto him, Assoon as I am gone out of the City, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD, and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail: that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORDS Or, that this land is the Lords, even his whom thou deniedst to have any jurisdiction in it, or over thee, Exod. 5. 2. Or the Earth is put for the World, the Heaven and the Earth, q. d. That thou mayst see that he can either cause the Heavens to send forth such Thunders and Hails, or restrain them, as he pleaseth..

But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.

And the flax and the barley Which were not so necessary for humane life as the Wheat and Rye. Thus God still sends smaller judgments to usher in the greater. was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.

But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up The Hebrew word may be rendred either dark or hid, to wit, under the ground, whereby it was secured from this stroke: or late, as divers of the Hebrews and other Interpreters render it. This kind of Corn coming later up, was now tender and hidden either in the ground, or in the Herb: whereby it was in some measure secured both from the fire by its greenness and moisture, and from the hail by its pliableness and yielding to it, whereas the stalks of Barly were more dry and stiff, and therefore more lyable to the Hail and Fire..

And Moses went out of the City That being solitary he might pour forth his heart in servent prayers. from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the Earth.

And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardned his heart, he and his servants.

And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.