9:1 THEN 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.
9:2 FOR IF THOU REFUSE TO LET [THEM] GO, AND WILT HOLD THEM STILL,
9:3 BEHOLD, 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.
A.GRIEVOUS MURRAIN: An epidemic of some terrible disease.
B.Before, the plagues had been directed more to the persons of the Egyptians than against their property; Now that was to be changed.
C.This would reveal whether Pharaoh would be more impressed by calamities which brought monetary loss to his subjects instead of just personal annoyance.
D.Here is another blow at Egyptian idolatry, as this is directed toward their sacred animals.
9:4 AND 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.
9:5 AND THE LORD APPOINTED A SET TIME, SAYING, TOMORROW THE LORD SHALL DO THIS THING IN THE LAND.
9:6 AND 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.
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.
A.Pharaoh was rich, so he was not bothered by the death of beasts, or by the loss that brought to the owners of the beasts.
B.He was so unimpressed that he did not even ask that the plague be taken away.
C.In fact, it sounds as though the sparing of the cattle of the Israelites may have further angered and hardened him, rather than cause him to think and repent as it should have done.
9:8 AND 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.
**TOWARD THE HEAVEN: This seems to challenge the Egyptians' sky deities. Jehovah has been shown to be ruler over all that is beneath the sky; now it will be seen by honest hearts that He also rules in all that is above the earth.
9:9 AND 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.
**BLAINS: Some kind of ulcerous sores.
9:10 AND 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.
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.
9:12 AND THE LORD HARDENED THE HEART OF PHARAOH, AND HE HEARKENED NOT UNTO THEM; AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN UNTO MOSES.
**Before this, it has been said that Pharaoh hardened his heart; Now the hardening is attributed to the Lord. When one sins to the point there is no turning back, then God recognizes his refusal ever to obey, and gives him his way.
9:13 AND 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.
A.Here (Verses 13-19) is a longer speech of Moses to Pharaoh than any before.
B.It begins with an announcement that God is about to send ALL His plagues upon Egypt - Verse 14.
9:14 FOR 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.
A.A warning that the time of milder plagues is past, and some-thing far more terrible is coming.
B.Each new plague would strike against Pharaoh's hard HEART, and he finally would know that Jehovah, if not the only God, is surely greater than all pagan deities.
9:15 FOR 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.
A.The original may be in the past tense: God telling Pharaoh that He could have removed him from the earth, but because of His mercy He had allowed Pharaoh to have more opportunities.
B.Also because of His purpose expressed in Verse 16.
9:16 AND 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.
**Pharaoh is told that the object of his being RAISED UP, and allowed to continue to live, is that the glory of God will be seen in the final deliverance of His people.
9:17 AS YET EXALTEST THOU THYSELF AGAINST MY PEOPLE, THAT THOU WILT NOT LET THEM GO?
**"Do you still oppose My people, and refuse to let them go?"
9:18 BEHOLD, TOMORROW 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.
A.Now an announcement that a hailstorm will come which will be the worst storm in all the history of Egypt.
B.TOMORROW ABOUT THIS TIME: Not only was the date given, but the time of day was specified. Pharaoh is given 24 hours to consider what was about to happen to him.
9:19 SEND 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.
**This warning would enable those who believed the words of Moses to escape much of the terrible result of the storm.
9:20 HE THAT FEARED THE WORD OF THE LORD AMONG THE SERVANTS OF PHARAOH MADE HIS SERVANTS AND HIS CATTLE FLEE INTO THE HOUSES:
**So not all Egyptians stood with Pharaoh in his stubborn dis-belief; Even some of his SERVANTS moved at the word of Moses.
9:21 AND HE THAT REGARDED NOT THE WORD OF THE LORD LEFT HIS SERVANTS AND HIS CATTLE IN THE FIELD.
**What Moses had predicted must have seemed impossible to most of the Egyptians, since they had never seen anything like that in the past.
9:22 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, AND UPON BEAST, AND UPON EVERY HERB OF THE FIELD, THROUGHOUT THE LAND OF EGYPT.
A.SAID UNTO MOSES, STRETCH FORTH THINE HAND: Note that the rod has now been moved from Aaron to Moses, suggesting that Moses was coming out of his backwardness and hesitancy.
B.TOWARD HEAVEN: Pharaoh and all Egypt shall know that the earth belongs to no sky deity, but to Jehovah.
9:23 AND 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.
9:24 SO 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.
9:25 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.
9:26 ONLY IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN, WHERE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL [WERE], WAS THERE NO HAIL.
9:27 AND 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.
A.CALLED FOR MOSES AND AARON: This is quite a change from the time when he sent them away and told them to go to work.
B.I HAVE SINNED: His action after the plague was removed shows that he meant nothing more than "I have suffered." He was confusing the problems that sin produces with sin itself.
C.THIS TIME: He refused to see himself in all the scenes.
D.THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS: This is the only thing he said which cannot be questioned, and he seemingly did not understand it.
E.I AND MY PEOPLE ARE WICKED: He was incapable of seeing himself as the cause of all the problem, so he tries to include the people in his sin. True penitence leads us to confess our own sins, not the sins of others.
9:28 ENTREAT 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.
A.ENTREAT THE LORD...: Clearly this is the weightiest thing on his mind; Certainly not that he had sinned against God.
B.I WILL LET YOU GO: Perhaps he was speaking to Moses person-ally, saying "Stop the storm and you will not be my prisoner."
C.If so, then Moses counters with Verse 29: "The storm will not stop unless I go out of the city."
9:29 AND 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.
**"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein." Psa 24:1.
9:30 BUT AS FOR THEE AND THY SERVANTS, I KNOW THAT YE WILL NOT YET FEAR THE LORD GOD.
A.Moses knew that as soon as the plague had ceased Pharaoh would repent of his repentance.
B.True FEAR of God is reverence joined with love; The fruit it produces is obedience.
C.Pharaoh and his servants had the kind of fear the devil has - Jas 2:19, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
D.They were being driven by fright, not drawn by love.
9:31 AND THE FLAX AND THE BARLEY WAS SMITTEN: FOR THE BARLEY [WAS] IN THE EAR, AND THE FLAX [WAS] BOLLED.
A.THE FLAX WAS BOLLED: Original, in the pod.
B.These crops were more advanced, and so were destroyed.
9:32 BUT THE WHEAT AND THE RIE WERE NOT SMITTEN: FOR THEY [WERE] NOT GROWN UP.
9:33 AND 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.
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.
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.
A.So, more punishment had to come.
B.Jehovah could have so desolated Egypt and its people that the Israelites could have walked out in complete peace.
C.But this would not have brought the fear of God which the history gives to believers.
D.Nor the hope and prayer which arises from the oppressed.
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