The Torah · Old Testament

Exodus 9

Livestock disease, boils and hail deepen the confrontation

General context

The Lord warns of a deadly disease against Egypt's livestock in the field and promises to distinguish Israel's animals. The appointed day brings the reported death of Egypt's cattle, while none belonging to Israel dies. Pharaoh confirms that distinction but does not release the people. Moses then throws furnace ashes into the air, and boils break out on people and animals. The magicians cannot stand before Moses because of the boils, and the Lord hardens Pharaoh's heart. A further warning announces severe hail and connects the confrontation with God's power and the declaration of his name. People and animals are to be brought in from the fields. Some of Pharaoh's servants heed the warning and shelter their servants and cattle; others leave them outside. Hail, thunder and fire strike Egypt, striking people, animals and plants in the fields, while Goshen has no hail. A later note distinguishes the damaged flax and barley from grains that had not yet grown up. Pharaoh says he has sinned and promises release if the storm ends. Moses agrees to pray but says Pharaoh and his servants do not yet fear the Lord. The storm stops after Moses spreads out his hands. Pharaoh and his servants harden their hearts, and Israel remains unreleased.

Cited passages: Exodus 9:1, Exodus 9:2, Exodus 9:3, Exodus 9:4, Exodus 9:5, Exodus 9:6, Exodus 9:7, Exodus 9:8, Exodus 9:9, Exodus 9:10, Exodus 9:11, Exodus 9:12, Exodus 9:13, Exodus 9:14, Exodus 9:15, Exodus 9:16, Exodus 9:17, Exodus 9:18, Exodus 9:19, Exodus 9:20, Exodus 9:21, Exodus 9:22, Exodus 9:23, Exodus 9:24, Exodus 9:25, Exodus 9:26, Exodus 9:27, Exodus 9:28, Exodus 9:29, Exodus 9:30, Exodus 9:31, Exodus 9:32, Exodus 9:33, Exodus 9:34, Exodus 9:35

Exodus 9 (KJV)

¹Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

²For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,

³Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle 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.

⁴And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel.

⁵And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.

⁶And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

⁷And 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.

⁸And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

⁹And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁰And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

¹¹And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

¹²And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses.

¹³And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

¹⁴For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

¹⁵For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

¹⁶And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

¹⁷As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

¹⁸Behold, 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.

¹⁹Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, 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.

²⁰He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses:

²¹And he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.

²²And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.

²³And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

²⁴So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

²⁵And 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.

²⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

²⁷And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

²⁸Intreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

²⁹And Moses said unto him, As soon 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 Lord’s.

³⁰But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God.

³¹And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.

³²But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.

³³And Moses went out of the city 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.

³⁴And 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.

³⁵And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The livestock warning specifies animals in the field. Verse 6 says that all Egypt's cattle died, yet animals are afflicted by boils afterward and cattle appear again in the hail warning. The chapter supplies no account of restocking; this guide leaves that difficulty visible. During the hail warning, some of Pharaoh's servants bring their people and cattle indoors, so the Egyptians are not described as responding uniformly. Flax and barley are struck because of their stage of growth; later-growing grains are spared. King James calls these wheat and 'rie,' while the American Standard Version names wheat and spelt. The passage supplies no calendar date for the storm.

Cited passages: Exodus 9:3, Exodus 9:4, Exodus 9:5, Exodus 9:6, Exodus 9:7, Exodus 9:8, Exodus 9:9, Exodus 9:10, Exodus 9:11, Exodus 9:19, Exodus 9:20, Exodus 9:21, Exodus 9:25, Exodus 9:26, Exodus 9:31, Exodus 9:32

Literary context

Successive scenes move from livestock to bodily affliction and then a storm accompanied by a warning to seek shelter. Pharaoh checks that Israel's cattle were spared, but that knowledge brings no release. The hail warning gives his servants an opportunity to respond, and their contrasting actions precede the storm. Pharaoh's confession and promise are followed by Moses' doubt about their fear of the Lord, then by renewed refusal once the storm ends. The account explicitly attributes hardening to the Lord after the boils and to Pharaoh and his servants after the hail; this guide preserves both statements without imposing a theory of their relationship.

Cited passages: Exodus 9:6, Exodus 9:7, Exodus 9:10, Exodus 9:11, Exodus 9:12, Exodus 9:13, Exodus 9:14, Exodus 9:16, Exodus 9:18, Exodus 9:19, Exodus 9:20, Exodus 9:21, Exodus 9:23, Exodus 9:24, Exodus 9:27, Exodus 9:28, Exodus 9:29, Exodus 9:30, Exodus 9:33, Exodus 9:34, Exodus 9:35

Key moments

Pharaoh checks Israel’s livestock (Exodus 9:7). Pharaoh learns that none of Israel’s cattle has died but still does not release the people.
The magicians cannot stand before Moses (Exodus 9:11). The boils afflict the magicians along with the other Egyptians.
Some servants heed the warning (Exodus 9:20). Those among Pharaoh’s servants who fear the Lord’s word bring their servants and cattle into houses.
The end of the storm brings renewed hardening (Exodus 9:34). When the rain, hail and thunder cease, Pharaoh sins again and he and his servants harden their hearts.