Workshop - The 10 Plagues & Egyptian Religion
Initial Sign: Staff to snake – Egyptian god of the cobra is Uraeus – this is a sign of
sovereignty and power of the Pharaoh
NILE TO BLOOD:
Verse ref: 7:14-25
Description: Water of the Nile (and rivers, canals, ponds, pools, water vessels) is
turned to blood; the fish die; shall stink; undrinkable
Magicians able to repeat: yes
Pharaoh’s response: not take this to heart
Hardened heart: undetermined
Duration: 7 days
FROGS:
Verse ref: 8:1-15
Description: river swarm with frogs; swarm whole country; in palace;
bedchamber/bed; houses of officials/people; ovens & kneading bowls; upon
Pharaoh, people and officials
Magicians able to repeat: yes
Pharaoh’s response: Has Moses pray to the Lord to take away frogs (tomorrow)
Hardened heart: Pharaoh
Duration: unknown
GNATS:
Verse ref: 8:16-19
Description: dust become gnats throughout whole land of Egypt; affected both
humans and animals
Magicians able to repeat: no
Pharaoh’s response: Magicians recognize, Pharaoh not listen
Hardened heart: undetermined
Duration: unknown
FLIES:
Verse ref: 8:20-32
Description: swarms of flies on Pharaoh, officials, people, and into houses of
Egyptians; also on land where they live; Goshen spared; DISTINCTION BETWEEN
GOD’S PEOPLE AND PHARAOH’S PEOPLE; flies ruined Egypt
Magicians able to repeat: no
Pharaoh’s response: Initially will let Israel sacrifice in Egypt, then relents to let
them go into wilderness provided they do not go very far from him, asks Moses to
pray for him, then not let people go
Hardened heart: Pharaoh hardened
Duration: unknown
1.
LIVESTOCK DISEASED
Verse ref: 9:1-7
Description: deadly pestilence against livestock in the field: horses, donkeys,
camels, herds, flocks; DISTINCTION BETWEEN GOD’S PEOPLE AND PHARAOH’S
PEOPLE; all livestock of the Egyptians died, none of Israelites died
Magicians able to repeat: no
Pharaoh’s response: inquired to find out that none of Israel’s livestock died
Hardened heart: undetermined
Duration: one night
BOILS
Verse ref: 9:8-10
Description: Moses took handfuls of soot from the oven, threw it in the air
causing festering boils on humans and animals; boils afflicted magicians and all
Egyptians
Magicians able to repeat: no – couldn’t even stand before Moses
Pharaoh’s response: not listen
Hardened heart: the LORD
Duration: unknown
THUNDER AND HAIL
Verse ref: 9:13-35
Notable: (v. 16) God let Egypt live to show his power, and make his name
resound in all the earth
Description: heaviest hail to fall ever in Egypt; God gives Egyptians warning to
escape; Pharaoh’s officials who feared the Lord heeded the word; those who did
not left slaves and livestock in field; Lord sent thunder/hail/fire (lightning?v24);
hail struck everything in open field; Goshen had no hail; hail destroyed flax &
barley, but not wheat
Magicians able to repeat: no
Pharaoh’s response: acknowledges his sin – God in the right/Pharaoh & people in
the wrong; asks Moses to pray; promises to let them go; Moses knows him/his
officials not yet fear the Lord
Hardened heart: Pharaoh (could also be God – 10:1)
Duration: unknown
LOCUSTS
Verse ref: 10:1-20
Description: Officials advise Pharaoh to comply; Pharaoh allows only some
Israelites to go, not all; locusts came and ate everything that the hail had left
(wheat); Lord brought them from east wind; most dense swarm in world history;
ate everything that hail left; after God blows them away with a west wind
blowing them into the Red Sea
Magicians able to repeat: no
Pharaoh’s response: acknowledges his sin – asks Moses to let the Lord deliver
him
Hardened heart: the LORD
Duration: unknown
DARKNESS
Verse ref: 10:21-29
Description: no demand by Moses, but just straight to the plague; darkness could
be felt; people could not move; ISRAELITES HAD LIGHT
Magicians able to repeat: nope!
Pharaoh’s response: Told Moses to go worship, even allowed to bring their
children, but flocks & herds not allowed to go, threatened Moses that the next
time he saw Pharaoh’s face he will die
Hardened heart: the LORD
Duration: three days
DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN
Verse ref: 11:1-12:32
Description: all firstborn shall die, from Pharaoh’s to slave’s, to livestock’s; not
affect Israelites; reason Pharaoh will not listen – so God’s wonders will be
multiplied in Egypt; unblemished 1-year-old male lamb/sheep/goat slaughtered
and blood put on doorposts, rest eaten with unleavened bread & bitter herbs;
shall eat it quickly and ready to go; on all gods of Egyptians God will execute
judgment; Lord struck down all firstborn at midnight; not a house without
someone dead; Egyptians urged Israelites to hasten departure; Israelites took
Egyptians’ jewellery of silver and gold, and clothing; journeyed from Rameses to
Succoth (600k men)
Pharaoh’s response: command to take Israelites and go worship the Lord, take
herds and flocks, and bring a blessing on him too
Hardened heart: No, until after they left, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (14:4, 8)
Duration: 1 night