Exodus 8:14 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם חֳמָרִ֣ם חֳמָרִ֑ם וַתִּבְאַ֖שׁ הָאָֽרֶץ׃
BSAto makeʻâsâh rightkên magiciancharṭôm secrecylâṭ to come outyâtsâʼ gnatkên notlôʼ be ableyâkôl to behâyâh gnatkên the man (Adam)ʼâdâm animalbᵉhêmâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ | and people piled up | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| אֹתָ֖ם | the object marker them | Particle, suffix |
| חֳמָרִ֣ם | heaps | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| חֳמָרִ֑ם | heaps | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| וַתִּבְאַ֖שׁ | and it stank | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person feminine singular |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | the land | Particle, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They were piled into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land. |
| KJV | And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank. |
| ASV | And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank. |
| YLT | and they heap them up together, and the land stinketh. |
| WEB | They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. |
| BBE | And they put them together in masses, and a bad smell went up from the land. |
Where they part company is in the nuances of חֳמָרִם — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has two main clauses connected by a conjunction, detailing the actions and their consequences.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָשָׂה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Exodus 8:14
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Plague of Frogsgenerated
Exodus 8:14 describes the aftermath of the second plague in Egypt, where the frogs died and were piled into heaps. This event illustrates the consequences of Pharaoh's refusal to heed God's commands. The stench from the heaps signifies the severity of the situation and the impact of disobedience.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 8:24 | And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined by swarms of flies. |
| 2 | Exodus 7:21 | The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt. |
| 3 | Isaiah 34:2 | The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter. |
| 4 | Ezekiel 39:11 | And on that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. |
| 5 | Joel 2:20 | The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ, vai.yitz.be.Rugenerated
The verb וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ (vai.yitz.be.Ru) is a sequential imperfect form of the root עָשָׂה (asah), meaning 'to heap' or 'to gather.' It indicates an ongoing action performed by multiple subjects, in this case, the people piling up the dead frogs.
This verb captures the act of accumulation, often associated with gathering resources or materials. In this context, it emphasizes the chaotic aftermath of the plague, as the frogs are not just dead but are being collected in a disordered manner.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations generally agree on the imagery of frogs being piled up, with the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE all reflecting this idea.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs וַיִּצְבְּרוּ (they piled) and וַתִּבְאַשׁ (it stank) govern the sentence, with the first verb describing the action of piling and the second verb describing the resultant smell. The structure indicates a cause-and-effect relationship.
Hebrew word order places the verbs prominently, emphasizing the actions taken by the people and the consequences that followed. The piling of the frogs leads directly to the foul smell in the land.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the verb וַיִּצְבְּרוּ is translated as ἐποιήσαν (they made), which suggests a broader interpretation of the action, focusing on the act of creating heaps rather than simply gathering.
This choice reflects a more active engagement with the material, indicating that the translators viewed the piling as a significant event in its own right, not just a passive accumulation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 8:14 tells us that after the frogs died, they were piled into heaps, which caused a terrible smell in the land. This illustrates the consequences of Pharaoh's refusal to listen to Moses, as the land became unclean and offensive due to the dead frogs.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This indicates the chaotic aftermath of the plague, where the dead frogs were not just left to decay but were gathered, highlighting the severity of the situation.
The stench resulted from the accumulation of dead frogs, which signifies the consequences of disobedience to God's commands.
Pharaoh's refusal to listen to Moses led to the plague and its aftermath, demonstrating the impact of his hardened heart on the land and its people.
This passage serves as a reminder of the consequences of ignoring God's warnings and the importance of obedience.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does this passage teach us about the consequences of disobedience?
- How can we apply the lessons from Pharaoh's hardened heart to our own lives?
- In what ways can we be mindful of the impact our actions have on those around us?
- What steps can we take to ensure we listen to God's guidance in our lives?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 8:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd they gathered them together upon heaps,.... Swept them up, and laid them in heaps out of the way: and the land stank; with the stench of the dead frogs, which was another proof and evidence of
Read John Gill on Exodus 8 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank. They gathered them together upon heaps; and the land stank.
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 8 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleDoubtless they cast them into their rivers, or pits, &c., though that be not here mentioned. God would not instantly and wholly take them away, both to convince them of the truth of the miracle, and to make them more sensible of this judgment, and more fearful of bringing another upon themselves.
Read Matthew Poole on Exodus 8 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsExodus 8:14 And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.Ver. 14. And the land stank.] As once this land also did by those unclean frogs that came out of the Pope’ s mouth. But England is now no more a babe, said King Henry VIII, in his protestation against the Pope: there is no man here but now he knows that they do foolishly that give gold for lead, &c. Surely, except God take away our right wits, not only the Pope’ s authority shall be driven out for ever, but his name also shall shortly be forgotten in England, &c. Thus he, and much more to like purpose. God hath promised to take away the unclean spirit out of the land. Fiat, fiat. Surely the society of ungodly men…
Read John Trapp on Exodus 8 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(13, 14) The frogs died.—God, who knew the heart of Pharaoh, and its insincerity, or at any rate its changefulness, took the plague of frogs away in a manner that made its removal almost as bad as its continuance. The frogs did not return into the river; neither were they devoured by flights of cranes or ibises. They simply died—died where they were—in thousands and tens of thousands, so that they had to be “gathered upon heaps.” And “the land stank.” In the great plague of frogs mentioned by Eustathius (see the comment on Exodus 8:1-4) it was the stench of the frogs after they were dead which caused the people to quit their country.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 8 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 14. They gathered them together upon heaps] The killing of the frogs was a mitigation of the punishment; but the leaving them to rot in the land was a continual proof that such a plague had taken place, and that the displeasure of the Lord still continued. The conjecture of Calmet is at least rational: he supposes that the plague of flies originated from the plague of frogs; that the former deposited their ova in the putrid masses, and that from these the innumerable swarms afterwards mentioned were hatched. In vindication of this supposition it may be observed, that God never works a miracle when the end can be accomplished by merely natural means; and in the operations of Divine…
Read AdamClarke on Exodus 8 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges14. gathered] better, piled: cf. Habakkuk 1:10 (‘heapeth up’).
Read Cambridge on Exodus 8 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible14. And they gathered them together upon heaps — Literally, Heaps, heaps; vast heaps, or a multitude of heaps.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Exodus 8 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
They were piled into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land.
They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
They were piled into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land.
The Egyptians piled them in countless heaps, and the land stank.
Tyndale line
And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.
And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank.
And they gathered them together in heaps: and the land stank.
And they gathered them into heaps: and the land was offensive in smell.
And they gathered the together by heaps, and the land stanke of them.
Strictly literal
And they gathered them in heaps; and the land stank.
and they heap them up together, and the land stinketh.
and they heap them up together, and the land stinks.
(8:10) And they gathered them together in many heaps; and the land stank.
The people gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
From the Latin
And they gathered them together into immense heaps, and the land was corrupted.
Simplified
The people collected them in pile upon pile, and the whole country smelled terrible.
And they put them together in masses, and a bad smell went up from the land.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads: וַיִּצְבְּרוּ אֹתָם חֳמָרִם חֳמָרִם וַתִּבְאַשׁ הָאָרֶץ׃. The Septuagint matches this closely, translating the actions but with a different word order. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly, introducing a different term for 'enchantments,' but the core event remains consistent across witnesses.
וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם חֳמָרִ֣ם חֳמָרִ֑ם וַתִּבְאַ֖שׁ הָאָֽרֶץ׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויעשׂו כן החרטמים בלחטיהם להוציא את הכנים ולא יכלו ותהי הכנים באדם ובבהמה
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: לחטיהם (enchantments)
[ויעשו] [כן] [החרטמים] [בלטי׳הם] [להוציא] [את] הכנים [ולא] [יכלו] [ותהי] [הכנם] [באדם] [ובבהמה]
1 word on the leather — 12 supplied entire by an editor.
ויעשו [כן] [החרטמים] [בלטי׳הם] [להוציא] [את] [הכנים] [ולא] [יכלו] [ותהי] [הכנם] [באדם] [ובבהמה]
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 12 supplied entire by an editor.
[ויעשו] [כן] [החרטומים] [להוציא] [את] [הכנים] [ולא] יכלו ויהי הכנים [באדם] [ובבהמה]
1 word on the leather — 2 partly restored, 9 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Exodus 8:14
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
צָבַר (tsabar) is a primitive root meaning to heap up or gather together. It covers actions like piling up grain, dust, or silver. The entries consistently reflect this meaning without significant disagreement.
[צָבַר] vb. heap up
base
H6651 [צָבַר] heap up
6651 tsabar tsaw-bar'
a primitive root; to aggregate:--gather (together), heap
(up), lay up.
צָבַר (tsa.var) — to heap.
1) (Qal) to heap up, pile up
1a) of grain, dust, silver
Hc/Vqw3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HTo/Sp3mp — Particle · suffixHTo/Sp3mp
חֹ֫מֶר (chomer) refers to cement, mortar, clay, and also denotes a heap or a unit of dry measure (homer). It is built from the idea of bubbling up, relating to water or earth. The entries indicate its use in various contexts, including construction and measurement.
חֹ֫מֶר n.m. cement, mortar, clay
base
חֹ֫מֶר n.[m.] heap
base
חֹ֫מֶר n.m. homer, a dry measure
base
H2563a חֹ֫מֶר cement, mortar, clay H2563b חֹ֫מֶר heap H2563c חֹ֫מֶר homer, a dry measure
2563 chomer kho'mer
from 2560; properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave; of
earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap; hence, a chomer or
dry measure:--clay, heap, homer, mire, motion.
see HEBREW for 02560
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — clay.
1) cement, mortar, clay
1a) mortar, cement
1b) clay
1c) mire
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — heap.
2) heap
2a) swelling, surging (of water)
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — homer.
homer-a unit of dry measure about 65 imperial gallons (300 l)
HNcmpa — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
חֹ֫מֶר (chomer) refers to cement, mortar, clay, and also denotes a heap or a unit of dry measure (homer). It is built from the idea of bubbling up, relating to water or earth. The entries indicate its use in various contexts, including construction and measurement.
חֹ֫מֶר n.m. cement, mortar, clay
base
חֹ֫מֶר n.[m.] heap
base
חֹ֫מֶר n.m. homer, a dry measure
base
H2563a חֹ֫מֶר cement, mortar, clay H2563b חֹ֫מֶר heap H2563c חֹ֫מֶר homer, a dry measure
2563 chomer kho'mer
from 2560; properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave; of
earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap; hence, a chomer or
dry measure:--clay, heap, homer, mire, motion.
see HEBREW for 02560
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — clay.
1) cement, mortar, clay
1a) mortar, cement
1b) clay
1c) mire
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — heap.
2) heap
2a) swelling, surging (of water)
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — homer.
homer-a unit of dry measure about 65 imperial gallons (300 l)
HNcmpa — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
בָּאַשׁ (ba'ash) is a Hebrew verb meaning to stink or have a bad smell. It can refer literally to emitting a foul odor or figuratively to becoming morally offensive or odious. The verb has various forms, including Qal, Niphal, Hiphil, and Hithpael, which express different nuances of the root meaning.
בָּאַשׁ vb. have a bad smell, stink
Qal stink
Niph. only fig. make oneself odious, become odious
Hiph.
emit a stinking odour
cause to stink
Hithp. they had made thmselves odious
base
H887 בָּאַשׁ have a bad smell, stink .stink
. only fig. make oneself odious, become odious
. . emit a stinking odour
. cause to stink
. they had made thmselves odious
887 ba'ash baw-ash'
a primitive root; to smell bad; figuratively, to be offensive
morally:--(make to) be abhorred (had in abomination,
loathsome, odious), (cause a, make to) stink(-ing savour), X
utterly.
בָּאַשׁ (ba.ash) — to stink.
1) to have a bad smell, stink, smell bad
1a) (Qal) to stink, smell bad
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to become odious
1b2) to make oneself odious
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to stink, emit a stinking odour
1c2) to cause to stink
1c3) of wickedness (fig.)
1d) (Hithpael) to make oneself odious
2) (TWOT) to abhor
Hc/Vqw3fs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singularHc/Vqw3fs
אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.
אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land
earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
earth, opp. to heaven, sky
earth = inhabitants of earth
land =
country, territory
district, region
trial territory
piece of ground
specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
= inhabitants of land
used even of Shᵉʼôl
ground, surface of ground
soil, as productive
אֶרֶץ in phrases
people of the land
in measurements of distance
the country of the plain, level or plain country
land of the living
end(s) of the earth
pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
base
H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
. earth, opp. to heaven, sky
. earth = inhabitants of earth
. land = . country, territory
. district, region
. trial territory
. piece of ground
. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
. = inhabitants of land
. used even of Shᵉʼôl
. . ground, surface of ground
. soil, as productive
. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land
. in measurements of distance
. the country of the plain, level or plain country
. land of the living
. end(s) of the earth
. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
776 'erets eh'-rets
from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth
(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,
field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.
: country/field
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
1b2) district, region
1b3) tribal territory
1b4) piece of ground
1b5) land of Canaan, Israel
1b6) inhabitants of land
1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
1b8) city (-state)
1c) ground, surface of the earth
1c1) ground
1c2) soil
1d) (in phrases)
1d1) people of the land
1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
1d3) level or plain country
1d4) land of the living
1d5) end(s) of the earth
1e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1e1) lands, countries
1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.
: soil
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
HTd/Ncfsa — Particle · noun common feminine singular absoluteHTd/Ncfsa
((1) 'erets;
(2) 'adhamah;
(3) sadheh,
"a piece of land";
(4) ge, "earth";
(5) agros, "field";
(6) chora, "region";
(7) chorion, diminutive of chora;
(8) xeros, "dry land";
(9) 'ezrach, "native" the King James Version "born in the land," "born among you," the Revised Version (British and American) "home-born" (Le 19:34; 14:16; Nu 15:30); "like a green tree in its native soil" (Ps 37:35)):
→ Appeared on the third creative day Ge 1:9
→ Original title to, from God Ge 13:14-17; 15:7; Ex 23:31; Le 25:23
→ Bought and sold Ge 23:3-18; 33:19; Ac 4:34; 5:1-8
→ Sale and redemption of, laws concerning Le 25:15,16,23-33; 27:17-24; Nu 36:4; Jer 32:7-16,25,44; Eze 46:18