Exodus 5-9 -- With each confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh, the ante is raised. At first, the court magicians were able to duplicate Moses' miracles. This made Pharaoh bold in rejecting Jehovah's demands. When the plagues went beyond the magicians' abilities, Pharaoh would surrender a little. As soon as relief came, his reflexes would reassert themselves and again he would reject the demands. With each new plague, Moses would present an increased demand. Each plague was representative of a strike at the various deities worshipped in Egypt. Each was a grand extension of something occurring naturally there.
Turning the Nile to blood was similar to the annual red silting that lasted up to three months during the flood season, beginning in late June. The water remained drinkable during the flood season. In this case, though, it was undrinkable. It was not confined to the river, but all water in the land, even in storage containers. Finally, it lasted only seven days. This would be a slap at the two gods Khnum, Giver of the Nile, and Sothis, Lord of the Seasonal Flood.
The second plague was an intensification of the natural Nile ecosystem. Frogs were a symbol of the primordial goddess Heket. They were thick after the flood season, but never bad enough to invade every house in Egypt. While the magicians could duplicate this, their magic could not reduce the plague any. Moses allowed Pharaoh to choose the time of the frogs' removal, to show that it was not a case of Moses taking advantage of something produced by any Egyptian deity.
Various suggestions have been made as to which type of insect is described by the Hebrew word kinnim. It was obviously a stinging pest. In modern times, the most common culprit is the mosquito. Coming out of the earth was to signify power over Aker, the Earth god, at a minimum. While the magicians retired from the contest in disgrace, this was not enough of a nuisance to impress Pharaoh. The next plague built on this one, by adding a mix of different insects, and intensifying their presence. It was severe enough to disrupt the economy. Further, this began the separation between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. The plagues no longer affected the people of Jehovah. This struck at Ra, the national god of Egypt.
When the departure of the insects brought renewed hardness of Pharaoh's attitude, there was an even greater economic disaster. All the livestock owned by Egyptians died. No domestic animal escaped the disease. Several gods and goddesses were represented by domestic animals. While there are several likely candidates, the specific disease is not clearly identified. Isis, goddess of Life and Healing was unable to help here. Nor could she stop the boils. The magicians themselves became noteworthy victims. These open, weeping sores were painful, but not deadly.
Exodus 9-11 -- Up to this point, practically no one died from any of the plagues. On the other hand, the hail and lightening were quite fatal. Hail is rare in Egypt. Some in Pharaoh's court were by this point defecting from their confidence in the Egyptian deities, and the gods' stamp of approval on the "divine ruler." The lightening was severe enough to be described as fire running through the hail. The specific timing showed authority over the domain of Seth, god of the Storm. To some degree, this and the next plague diminished Thermutis as goddess of Fertility and Harvest. The hail and lightening took out the flax and barley crop, nearing their harvest in February.
The plague of locust caught the only surviving crops in the land. Wheat and spelt ripen in March, and were merely green sprigs during the hailstorm. Locusts plagued Syria and Palestine often, but seldom visited Egypt. When they arrived, carried on an east wind, they consumed all vestiges of green in the Egypt, except in Goshen. This proved Osiris, god of Vegetation (among other things), could not protect the Egyptians. During the spring of each year, prevailing winds in that part of the world come more often from the southeast. The west wind that drove the locusts out to sea was quite rare.
Even more rare was the khamsin wind that followed it. The majority of biblical scholars agree that the description of "darkness that could be felt" was the dreaded sand storm off the Sahara Desert. The air was hot and choking, and it remained totally dark. This was a miracle of degree, for the khamsin seldom does more than turn the day dark orange and brown. This would bring into question the various gods of sky and sun: Aton, Khepri, Mut, and Nut.
Having been forbidden to return to court, Moses made the final trip to Goshen to prepare the Hebrews for the last plague. Even this long after Joseph, the Egyptian population in the Delta Region still held the Hebrews in high regard. At the very least, it can be assumed that they greatly supported the departure of the Hebrews for the sake of their own survival. They no doubt heard the reason for the series of disasters, and that they had their Pharaoh to blame for them. This would help to explain their apparent willingness to be plundered of their treasures.
There is no natural explanation for a plague that kills only the first-born, much less one that is blocked by lamb's blood on the posts and lintel of a house. Egyptian custom forbade recording military defeats. It's no surprise this humbling series of disasters was never mentioned in Egyptian records. We do know that Ahmenhotep's first son died young, never succeeding his father to the throne.
While the primary reason God gave for going through all this was that He might humble Egypt in full view of the world, some of the plagues struck His People, as well. At first, Israel suffered as much from the plagues as everyone else. Eventually, they were protected. There would be little point in being delivered if everything one had was destroyed. However, suffering some discomfort is simply the lot of our fallen human existence. Our inclusion in the world's suffering, or our deliverance from it, will be based on God's nature and on His plans. It will seldom take into account our wishes or our comfort. Still, better by far to suffer at God's hands than to prosper by worldly standards while living in sin.
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Ed Hurst
revised 30 January 2004
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