Exodus Study: The Plagues pt.1

So, about the Plagues in Egypt…why were those plagues chosen? In this blog, we’re going to analyze each plague and why God decided to use it to cast His judgment on Egypt—a kingdom built on slaves.

The story of the Exodus is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. In this book, a man named Moses is chosen to lead his people—the Israelites—out of slavery and into freedom to worship God freely (3:10). But before they are released, they are met with conflict in the form of Pharoah. Pharoah’s heart becomes hardened at the thought of releasing the Israelites (also known as the Hebrews), and he refuses to let the people go (5:2). In response, God shows His mighty hand by sending plagues to Egypt in order to change Pharoah’s heart (Chapters 7-12). It takes 10 plagues for the Israelites to finally be freed (12:31).

But why these specific plagues? Why lice, frogs, darkness, and firstborn killed?

The plagues targeted the specific gods of Egypt. These gods were seen as powerful, and miraculous. However, the one true God is God of all, and He chooses these plagues to show the Egyptians that their gods are not able to deliver them in times of turmoil. Let’s dive into the study and learn more about the plages, gods, and God.

Plague	Scripture	‘god(s)/goddess(‘) targeted
Water to Blood	Exodus 7:14-25 “…and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.” (v.20)	Edjo: goddess of the Nile River
Frogs	Exodus 8:1-15 “…and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.” (v.6)	Heket: goddess of fertility, who takes a frog form
Lice	Exodus 8:16-19 “…for Aaron …smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice…. all the dust of the land became lice…” (v.17)	Thermuthis: goddess of the harvest
Flies	Exodus 8:20-32 “And the Lord did so; and there came a…swarm of flies…the land was corrupted…of the swarm of flies.” (v.24)	Thermuthis
Livestock Disease	Exodus 9:1-7 “…and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one…” (v.6)	Sekhmet: goddess of sickness
Boils	Exodus 9:8-12 “…and Moses sprinkled it up toward heavy; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man…” (v.10)	Hathor: goddess of beauty
Hail and Fire	Exodus 9:13-35 “…and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground…” (v.23)	Nut: goddess of the sky; Thermuthis
Locusts	Exodus 10:1-20 “…and the Lord brought an east wind….and the east wind brought the locusts.” (v.13)	Thermuthis
Darkness	Exodus 10:21-29 “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness…three days.” (v.22)	Ra: god of the sun
Firstborn Slain	Exodus 12:29, 30 “And…at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt…”	Isis: goddess of life; Meskhenet: goddess of newborns

The gods and goddess worshipped by the Egyptians were direct targets for God These plagues ultimately showed that God was the only God who moved when He wanted, and not when He was worshipped (Exodus 12:12).

We have a God who is not confined to a certain place, person, or thing.

-Sherry Amor

References:

https://www.gotquestions.org/ten-plagues-Egyptian-gods.html;

NKJV Woman’s Study Bible, Full Color Edition, 1995, 2017, pp. 98-99