Exodus 9
15 Apr 2026 - Theology
Livestock Pestilence, Boils, and Hail
In this chapter, we read about the next three plagues: livestock pestilence, boils, and hail.
Exodus 9:7 - “And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”
“hardened” = kabad or kabed [3513]
- To be heavy
- Hardened
- When I don’t see it for what it is
The next plague was the plague of boils.
Exodus 9:11 - “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.”
Why do the magicians of Egypt appear again in the sixth plague, when they were not mentioned at all in the fourth or fifth plagues? One reason may be that plagues four and five came directly from the Lord, without the help of any magic from Moses or Aaron. When Moses and Aaron return to work the sixth plague, the Egyptian magicians are mentioned again, even though it is only to say that they were helpless.
Exodus 9:12 - “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lordhad spoken unto Moses.”
“hardened” = chazaq [2388]
- To be strong
- Strengthened (resolve)
- When I do see it and power through
This is the first time it explicitly says that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart. However, it is certainly possible that it was the Lord who hardened his heart every time the word chazaq was previously used.
Exodus 9:18 - “Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.”
This plague of hail was another that showed extreme precision to Pharaoh, as it started “tomorrow about this time”.
Exodus 9:34 - “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.”
“hardened” = kabad or kabed [3513]
- To be heavy
- Hardened
- When I don’t see it for what it is
Pharaoh changed his mind and first hardened his heart. In the next verse we see that the Lord then hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
Exodus 9:35 - “And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.”
“hardened” = chazaq [2388]
- To be strong
- Strengthened (resolve)
- When I do see it and power through
Let’s add these three plagues to our table:
| Plague | god/s of Egypt | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Water turned to blood | Khnum (guardian of Nile river source) and Hapi (personification of the Nile, fertility god) | Exodus 7 |
| Frogs | Heqet (regeneration, rebirth, and fertility god) | Exodus 8 |
| Lice | Geb (also known as Seb or Keb; god of the earth and fertility) | Exodus 8 |
| Flies | Shu (god of the air, supporter of the sky) | Exodus 8 |
| Livestock pestilence | Hathor (portrayed as cow), Amon (ram), Mnevis (black bull), Hapi (sacred bull), and Khnum (often given a ram’s head) | Exodus 9 |
| Boils | Sekhmet and Isis (gods of healing) | Exodus 9 |
| Hail | Nut (sky goddess), Seth (storm god), and Shu (god of the air) | Exodus 9 |
References:
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The BEMA Podcast, Episode 19: A Strengthened Heart
- The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
- The Meaning of the Ten Plagues and the Egyptian gods they Defeated
- hardened = chazaq
- hardened = kabad or kabed