Exodus 9
BBCExodus 9:1
E. The Fifth PlaguePestilence on Livestock (9:1-7)After Pharaoh had been warned, God sent a pestilence, possibly anthrax, that killed all the Egyptians’ livestock . . . in the field. The animals belonging to the Israelites were not affected. So it was a discriminating judgment that cannot be explained by natural phenomena. All attempts to explain the plagues on naturalistic grounds dash themselves against the rocks. Not all the animals of the Egyptians were destroyed, since some are referred to in verse 19 and some were later killed on the Passover night (Exo_12:29 b).
Some fled into the houses (v. 20). So the “all” of verse 6a means “all in the field” or “all kinds.” The ram, the goat, and the bull were sacred animals in Egypt. Now their decomposing carcasses were polluting the environment.
Exodus 9:8
F. The Sixth PlagueBoils (9:8-12)When Pharaoh steeled himself still further, God caused ashes to be turned into boils on the men and animals of Egypt. Even the magicians were affected. The more Pharaoh hardened his heart, the more it became judicially hardened by God.
Exodus 9:13
G. The Seventh PlagueHail and Fire (9:13-35)“All My plagues” probably indicates the full force of God’s plagues. The Lord reminds Pharaoh that He could have destroyed him and the Egyptians with the preceding pestilence, but instead He had spared Pharaoh in order to demonstrate His power and spread His fame. There is no thought in verse 16 that Pharaoh was predestined to be damned. Reprobation is not a Bible doctrine. The Lord used Pharaoh as an example of what happens to a person who is determined to resist the power of God (see also Rom_9:16-17). The next plague consisted of hail and lightning or fire, accompanied by thunder. It destroyed men, beasts, and the flax and . . . barley, that were ready for harvest (cf. vv. 31, 32); but the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. The Israelites, dwelling in Goshen, were untouched. In response to Pharaoh’s plea, Moses prayed and the plague stopped. But, as Moses expected, Pharaoh became even more adamant against letting the Hebrews leave.