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Peter Enns

The plagues are ten acts that God inflicted on the Egyptians through

Moses’s leadership. The main narrative of the plagues begins in Exodus 7:14 with the waters of the Nile turned to blood, and ends in Exodus 11:1–13:16 with the deathof the firstborn, the institution of the Passover, and Israel’s release from Egyptian slavery. The plagues are also alluded to in Psalm 78:44–51, although the sequence is different and only six of the ten are mentioned. (See also Ps. 105:28–36.)

Descriptions of these are well-known, even in popular culture (e.g., river to blood, frogs, boils, darkness, death of firstborn), but the theological role the plagues play in the book of Exodus is not always appreciated. One question thatimmediately comes to mind is why there are ten. In fact, why are there plagues at all? Why did God not simply get the Israelites out without all the fanfare? The reason is stated in 9:15–16. God’s purpose in the plagues was not toconvince Pharaoh that his resistance was futile. Rather, God raised Pharaoh up so that, through a prolonged process, he might show his power to Pharaoh and have his name proclaimed throughout the earth.

It is important to understand that the plagues are not a process whereby God wore Pharaoh down so that he would eventually relent. By the time

we get to the second (frogs) and fourth (flies) plagues, Pharaoh had already had enough(he begs Moses to make them stop). True, after the second plague is over, he hardens his heart (see also plagues three, four, six, and seven where Pharaoh either hardens his heart or it becomes hardened). But, beginning with plaguesix and continuing to plagues eight, nine, and ten, it is God who hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Even though Pharaoh is ready to give in, God is not. He prolongs the process to make a point, namely, that he is not only the God of Hebrew slavesbut also over Egypt and the other nations as well. Pharaoh was his tool to make that known.

The plagues also have some religious significance. At least some of the plagues seem to reflect elements of the Egyptian pantheon. For example, the Nile was personified and worshiped as a god (Hapi). To turn the Nile to blood was tooverpower the god that brought life to Egypt. Likewise, the solar deity, Re, was very important to Egyptian religion. Pharaohs were sometimes referred to as the sons of Re. The plague of darkness (ninth) was not only an inconvenience,but also a statement of the superiority of Israel’s God over those of Egypt.

The plagues also show that Israel’s God can control the elements.

Pharaoh’s magicians could reproduce the first two plagues (as well as the staff turning into a snake), but no more. Also, only Israel’s God could make them stop. God hasat his disposal the created order to bring about Israel’s salvation. Hence, through the plagues, he shows himself to be the true creator and deliverer.

Pharaoh versus the Lord: The first nine plagues (7:6–10:29)

The next unit tells the story of how the stubborn and defiant Pharaoh tries to defy God, only to see Egypt crushed by a series of judgmental plagues brought on by the word of God through Moses.

Exodus 7:8–13 gives a preview of what is coming. Moses’s staff turns into a snake before Pharaoh, as a sign to him. His magicians, however, match the sign, and their staffs likewise turn into snakes. The primary sign, however, is in what happens next, as Moses’s snake swallows up the other snakes,

demonstrating how much more powerful his staff is than anything Pharaoh or his magicians can conjure up.

God then strikes Egypt with ten terrible plagues, which, in general, get worse with each plague (7:14–11:30). The plagues come in groups of three, following similar patterns. In plagues one (Nile turns to blood) and two (frogs), Moses issues a warning to Pharaoh and demands that he let the Israelites go. Pharaoh refuses, and God then initiates the plague. Plague three (gnats), however,

strikes Egypt without warning. The next cycle follows the same pattern.

Plagues four (flies) and five (dead livestock) are preceded by warnings and the demand to let God’s people go. Plague six (boils) comes without warning. The next cycle repeats in the same manner. Moses declares warnings prior to plague seven (hail) and plague eight (locusts), but plague nine (darkness) comes without warning. The tenth and final plague (death of the firstborn) likewise comes after a serious warning.

Several of the plagues carry symbolic significance, connecting especially to the opening chapter of Exodus and Pharaoh’s execution of the Israelite newborn boys. The first plague turns the Nile into blood (7:14–24). The Nile was the symbol of Egypt and represented Egyptian prosperity and power. Thus the red blood symbolized the death of Egypt itself. But keep in mind that Pharaoh had been killing the Hebrew babies by throwing them into the Nile. Thus when the Nile turns to blood, it reminds all of the terrible deaths that took place there.

The magicians can duplicate the plague, but not reverse it or stop it. That is, they can use their power to bring more judgment on Egypt, but they can’t do anything to repulse God’s plague or to stop the judgment.

The second plague (frogs) also connects back to the death of the Hebrew babies. In the religion of the ancient Egyptians, the god and protector of pregnant women was a god called Heket, who was usually portrayed in the form of a frog. This was probably because in Egyptian thinking, the transition from tadpoles to frogs symbolized the growth and birth of human babies.

When the Egyptians are overrun with frogs in this plague, it serves to remind them what a terrible crime against pregnant women and newborns had been committed. The magicians, probably to Pharaoh’s chagrin, cannot stop the frogs, but can only bring more frogs (and thus more judgment).

As the plagues progress, all of Egypt’s agricultural prosperity is

systematically destroyed. Pharaoh and his officials, however, continue to harden their hearts and refuse to let the Israelites go. Plague nine (darkness) is also quite symbolic, for the major deity of Egypt was Re, the sun god, and Pharaoh was known as the “son of Re.”

Exodus 12:38 states that large herds of cattle accompanied the Israelites as they left Egypt. Pictured is a fragment of a tomb wall painting that depicts Egyptian cattle being counted in order to be taxed (1400 BC).

The Lord delivers Israel from Egypt (11:1–15:21)

The final and climactic plague is the death of the firstborn (11:1–10), a fitting final and terrible judgment on Egypt for executing the Israelite babies in Exodus 1. As the Israelites leave, God gives them two commemorative rituals

(the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover) so that they will always remember this special time of deliverance (12:1–28). The actual exodus takes place in 12:31–51 after the death of the Egyptian firstborn. The Egyptians totally capitulate, allowing the Israelites to leave as conquerors, carrying off the wealth of Egypt (12:36). The events surrounding this exodus were obviously well-known throughout Egypt, for numerous other peoples of various nationalities accompany the Israelites as they depart (12:38), fulfilling God’s promise made to Abraham of blessing the gentiles (Gen. 12:3). In Exodus 12:43–51 God decrees that these foreigners can participate in the Passover if they have been

circumcised, and 13:1–16 describes how to commemorate this special day, as well as how to consecrate Israel’s future firstborn.

Next, the Israelites come to a significant body of water referred to in Hebrew as the yom suph (“sea of reeds”). Later in the biblical story, 1 Kings 9:26 states that Solomon sails ships on the yom suph. In 1 Kings 9:26 the reference is clearly to the modern body of water known today in English as the Red Sea, so

probably the yom suph in Exodus is the same body of water. At any rate, it is a formidable obstacle, one that blocks the Israelites from escaping from the Egyptians, and one that ultimately drowns the entire Egyptian army.

The Presence of God plays a crucial role in the deliverance of the Israelites.

God’s Presence accompanies Israel as they travel, appearing in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (13:20–22), both to guide the Israelites and also to protect them (14:19–24). God miraculously parts the Red Sea, allowing Israel to safely cross over, and then closes the sea on the Egyptian chariots as they pursue Israel. The climax of Exodus 1–14 is expressed succinctly by 14:31:

“And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”

Exodus 15 closes the first half of the Exodus story in a song of victory celebration. Moses and the Israelites (apparently the men) sing a victory song (15:1–18), followed by a similar song by Miriam, his sister, and the women (15:19–21).

Inaugurating the Sinai Covenant (15:22–24:18)

The journey to Mount Sinai (15:22–18:27)

Having delivered Israel through a spectacular display of power, God now guides his people to Mount Sinai, where he will enter into a covenant

agreement with them. Incredibly, however, along the way Israel quickly loses faith, complaining and grumbling to Moses about water (15:22–27), food (16:1–

36), and then water again (17:1–7). Each time God provides for them. In 17:7,

however, they ask in doubt, “Is the Lord among us or not?” God answers in 17:8–16 by giving them a victory over the Amalekites. Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law (or perhaps his wife’s uncle), visits Moses in Exodus 18, interrupting the negative flow of Israelite grumbling, and gives Moses good solid advice about organizing a sound judicial system that could take some of the leadership load off Moses.

The revelation at Mount Sinai (19:1–25)

In the burning bush episode back in Exodus 3, God told Moses that after he delivered the people up out of Egypt, he would bring them right back to that very same spot (Mount Sinai) to worship God (3:12). Now, when they do arrive back at Mount Sinai, God gives the people a similar experience to what Moses encountered back in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. In Exodus 3, God spoke just to the one man Moses; in Exodus 19 he speaks to all the people. In Exodus 3, fire is concentrated in one solitary bush; in Exodus 19 the entire mountain is burning. In both encounters the ground is declared to be holy, due to the Presence of God. What is the point of this similarity? Just as God

commissioned Moses, so now he commissions the entire nation, declaring them to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (19:6). Indeed, throughout Exodus 19 the people are treated like priests. The mountain becomes like a temple, the people consecrate themselves like priests (19:10–15), and then they meet with God himself (19:17)—an event that is typically reserved only for priests.

The Ten Commandments (20:1–21)

God has dramatically delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and has brought them to Mount Sinai, where his glory and holiness is revealed to the people in terrifying thunder, lightning, smoke, and fire (19:17–19). God also declares that the entire nation will be like priests to him. In this context, God now enters into a special covenant relationship with the people of Israel, a spectacular opportunity for blessing and rich meaning in life brought about by the powerful Presence of God. Now that the Israelites are in this new relationship with God, they need to know how to live as his special people. In Exodus 20–24 God gives Israel the stipulations that define this new covenant relationship (often called the Mosaic covenant). At the heart of this covenant are the Ten Commandments, representing the essence or core elements of the new relationship the Israelites now have with God.

The Ten Commandments focus on relationship and faithfulness. The first four commandments define how the people are to relate to God. Idolatry is strictly forbidden; they are to worship the Lord and him alone. These first four

commandments are (1) do not worship other gods, (2) do not make images of God or other gods, (3) do not take the Lord’s name in vain, and (4) keep the Sabbath. The next six describe how the people are to relate to one another, within their families and within the broader community. These six

family/community-oriented commandments are (5) honor parents, (6) do not commit murder, (7) do not commit adultery, (8) do not steal, (9) do not give false testimony, and (10) do not covet.