Read The Skeptics Annotated Bible Online
Authors: Steve Wells
32 And
Pharaoh hardened his heart
at this time also, neither would he let the people go.
(8.32)
“Pharaoh hardened his heart.”
95 Who hardened the Pharaoh’s heart?
9
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
The Fifth Plague
(9.3-6)
All cattle in Egypt die.
But a little later, in the seventh and tenth plagues, God kills them all again. (See Exodus 9.19-20 and 12.29 for other divine cattle killings.)
97 Did God kill all the Egyptian cattle in the sixth plague?
3 Behold,
the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle
which is in the field,
upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.
(9.3)
“The hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle … upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.”
4 And
the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel.
(9.4)
“The LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel.”
God spares Israelite cattle. (I didn’t know slaves owned cattle.)
5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.
6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and
all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
(9.6)
“All the cattle of Egypt died, but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.”
God kills all non-Israelite cattle (the first time)
7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague
(9.8-11)
Boils and blains upon man and beast.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron,
Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
(9.8)
“Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.”
9
And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
(9.9)
“And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.”
10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.
11 And
the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
(9.11)
“The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.”
12
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh
, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
(9.12)
“And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.”
God hardens Pharaoh’s heart the 4th time.
95 Who hardened the Pharaoh’s heart?
13 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
14
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.
(9.14)
“For I will … send all my plagues … that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.”
(Who else but the god of the Bible could be so cruel?) God sends plagues so that people can get to know him better.