So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast. So they took soot from the furnaceThe phrase "soot from the furnace" is significant in its historical and symbolic context. The Hebrew word for "soot" (פִּיחַ, pi'ach) refers to the fine ash or residue left after burning. In ancient Egypt, furnaces were often used for brick-making, a task that the Israelites were forced to perform as slaves. This soot, therefore, symbolizes the oppression and hard labor endured by the Israelites. By using this soot, God is turning the very symbol of their suffering into a tool of judgment against the Egyptians, highlighting His power to transform and redeem. and stood before Pharaoh
The act of standing before Pharaoh signifies a direct confrontation with the earthly power that opposed God's will. In the ancient Near Eastern context, standing before a king was an act of presenting oneself for judgment or to deliver a message. Moses and Aaron, as God's representatives, are boldly confronting Pharaoh, demonstrating their obedience to God and their role as His chosen instruments to deliver His people. Moses tossed it into the air
The action of tossing the soot into the air is both prophetic and symbolic. In Hebrew culture, actions often carried symbolic meanings, and this gesture signifies the spread of God's judgment across the land. The act of tossing it into the air suggests the omnipresence and inescapability of God's power. It also reflects the idea that God's judgments are not confined to the ground but reach into the heavens, affecting all creation. and festering boils broke out
The term "festering boils" (שְׁחִין, shechin) refers to painful, inflamed sores. In the ancient world, such afflictions were seen as a sign of divine displeasure or judgment. The boils represent a physical manifestation of God's wrath against Egypt, serving as a direct challenge to the Egyptian gods associated with health and medicine. This plague demonstrates God's supremacy over all false deities and His ability to afflict or heal according to His will. on man and beast
The phrase "on man and beast" emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the plague. It affected all living beings in Egypt, underscoring the totality of God's judgment. In the biblical narrative, this serves to illustrate that no one is exempt from God's power and that His judgments are just and all-encompassing. The inclusion of both humans and animals highlights the interconnectedness of creation and the far-reaching consequences of sin and rebellion against God. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe prophet and leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt. In this verse, Moses acts as God's instrument to bring about the plague. 2. PharaohThe ruler of Egypt, whose heart is hardened against letting the Israelites go. He is the primary antagonist in the account of the plagues. 3. AaronMoses' brother and spokesperson, who assists Moses in confronting Pharaoh and performing signs. 4. EgyptThe land where the Israelites are enslaved. It is the setting for the plagues that God sends as judgments against Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods. 5. The Plague of BoilsThe sixth plague sent by God upon Egypt, where boils afflict both humans and animals, demonstrating God's power and judgment. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty and JudgmentThe plague of boils demonstrates God's control over nature and His authority to judge nations. Believers are reminded of the importance of submitting to God's will. The Hardness of HeartPharaoh's continued resistance despite the plagues serves as a warning against hardening our hearts to God's voice and commands. The Role of ObedienceMoses and Aaron's obedience in carrying out God's instructions is a model for believers to follow God's commands, even when facing opposition. The Consequences of SinThe physical affliction of boils symbolizes the spiritual and physical consequences of sin and rebellion against God. God's DeliveranceThe plagues, including the boils, are part of God's plan to deliver His people, reminding believers of God's faithfulness to rescue and redeem. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the plague of boils reflect God's power and authority over creation? 2. In what ways can we guard against hardening our hearts like Pharaoh did? 3. How does the obedience of Moses and Aaron inspire us to follow God's commands in our own lives? 4. What are some modern-day "plagues" or challenges that can serve as reminders of the consequences of sin? 5. How can we find hope in God's deliverance, as seen in the account of the Exodus, in our personal struggles today? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 13Discusses laws about skin diseases, including boils, highlighting the severity and impurity associated with such afflictions. Deuteronomy 28Lists curses for disobedience, including boils, showing a pattern of divine judgment for rebellion against God. Revelation 16Describes the pouring out of God's wrath, including painful sores, drawing a parallel to the plagues in Egypt as a foretaste of final judgment. People Aaron, Egyptians, Israelites, Moses, PharaohPlaces Egypt, GoshenTopics Air, Animal, Animals, Ashes, Beast, Blains, Blisters, Boil, Boils, Breaking, Broke, Bursting, Cattle, Dust, Festering, Fire, Forth, Furnace, Heaven, Heavens, Heavenward, Kiln, Pharaoh, Placing, Shower, Skin-disease, Sky, Soot, Sores, Sprinkled, Sprinkleth, Stand, Stood, Themselves, Threw, Tossed, TowardsDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 9:10 1653 numbers, 6-10
8739 evil, examples of Exodus 9:8-10 5297 disease Exodus 9:9-10 4843 plague Exodus 9:9-11 5136 body Library Confession of Sin --A Sermon with Seven Texts
The Hardened Sinner. PHARAOH--"I have sinned."--Exodus 9:27. I. The first case I shall bring before you is that of the HARDENED SINNER, who, when under terror, says, "I have sinned." And you will find the text in the book of Exodus, the 9th chap. and 27th verse: "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." But why this confession from the lips of the haughty tyrant? He was not often wont to …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New
(Palm Sunday.) Exodus ix. 14. 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. We are now beginning Passion Week, the week of the whole year which ought to teach us most theology; that is, most concerning God, his character and his spirit. For in this Passion Week God did that which utterly and perfectly showed forth his glory, as it never has been shown forth before or since. …
Charles Kingsley—The Gospel of the Pentateuch The Plagues of Egypt
(Palm Sunday.) EXODUS ix. 13, 14. Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 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. You will understand, I think, the meaning of the ten plagues of Egypt better, if I explain to you in a few words what kind of a country Egypt is, what kind of people the Egyptians were. Some of you, doubtless, …
Charles Kingsley—The Gospel of the Pentateuch Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture.
"He hath hardened their heart."-- John xii. 40. The Scripture teaches positively that the hardening and "darkening of their foolish heart" is a divine, intentional act. This is plainly evident from God's charge to Moses concerning the king of Egypt: "Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not harken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). In the last chapter when treating of the Sovereignty of God the Father in Salvation, we examined seven passages which represent Him as making a choice from among the children of men, and predestinating certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son. The thoughtful reader will naturally ask, And what of those who were not "ordained to eternal life?" The answer which is usually returned to this question, even by those who profess …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Opposition to Messiah Ruinous
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel T here is a species of the sublime in writing, which seems peculiar to the Scripture, and of which, properly, no subjects but those of divine revelation are capable, With us, things inconsiderable in themselves are elevated by splendid images, which give them an apparent importance beyond what they can justly claim. Thus the poet, when describing a battle among bees, by a judicious selection of epithets …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 9:10 NIVExodus 9:10 NLTExodus 9:10 ESVExodus 9:10 NASBExodus 9:10 KJV
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