ÉxodoCapítulo 9

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Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.

For if you refuse to let them go and keep holding them back,

the hand of the LORD will fall on your livestock in the field—on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the cattle, and the sheep—with a severe plague.

But the LORD will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing belonging to the Israelites will die."

And the LORD set a time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land."

The next day the LORD did it: all the livestock of Egypt died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.

Pharaoh sent men to look, and indeed, not one of Israel's livestock had died. Yet Pharaoh's heart remained hard, and he would not let the people go.

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace, and let Moses toss it toward the sky in Pharaoh's sight.

It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and it will break out in festering boils on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt."

So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and festering boils broke out on people and animals.

The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had told Moses.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and say to him: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.

For this time I will send all my plagues against your very heart, and against your officials and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you from the earth.

But this is why I have let you stand: to show you my power, and so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

You still set yourself against my people and refuse to let them go.

So tomorrow at this time I will send down such a heavy hail as has never fallen on Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

Now send word and bring to safety your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every person and animal left in the open, not brought inside, will die when the hail comes down on them."

Those among Pharaoh's officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried their servants and livestock indoors,

but those who paid no attention to the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that hail may fall on the whole land of Egypt—on people and animals and on every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt."

So Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. The LORD rained hail down on the land of Egypt.

Hail fell, and lightning flashed within the hail—a storm so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck down everything in the field, both people and animals; it beat down every plant of the field and shattered every tree.

Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, did no hail fall.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, "This time I have sinned. The LORD is in the right; I and my people are in the wrong.

Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go; you need not stay any longer."

Moses said to him, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the LORD.

But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD God."

The flax and the barley were destroyed, since the barley was in the ear and the flax in bud;

but the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, because they ripen later.

Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the earth.

But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: he and his officials hardened their hearts.

So Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

Consulta

Resumen2

Capítulo 9

Main Theme: God demonstrates His power over Egypt through three plagues to reveal that there is none like Him.

Content: The chapter describes the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues: livestock disease, boils, and hail with fire. Each time, God distinguishes between Egypt and Israel—the livestock and land of the Israelites in Goshen remain unharmed. God declares that the purpose of the plagues is for Pharaoh to know that there is no one like the Lord throughout all the earth. After the plague of hail, Pharaoh confesses his sin, but hardens his heart again once the plague ceases.

Key Words/Images:

Livestock Disease (דֶּבֶר): The fifth plague that kills Egypt's livestock but spares that of the Israelites.
Boils (שְׁחִין): The sixth plague affecting both people and animals, so severe that even the magicians could not stand before Moses.
Hail with Fire (בָּרָד וְאֵשׁ): The seventh plague, the worst in Egypt's history, destroying crops and killing those who did not seek shelter.
Hardened Heart: Pharaoh's repeated stubbornness despite God's mighty signs and his own confession of sin.

Contexto histórico

Historical and Cultural Context for Exodus 9

Places

Goshen (verse 26) was the region in the eastern Nile Delta where the Israelites lived. Archaeological investigations have confirmed that this area was well-suited for livestock raising and had a different microclimatic character than the rest of Egypt. The fact that Goshen was spared from the hail can partly be explained by the general observation that the delta experiences less extreme weather than Upper Egypt, but the text primarily highlights this as God's protection.

Events and Customs

The Livestock Plague (דֶּבֶר, dever) described in verses 1–7 struck horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, and sheep. Cattle raising was central to the Egyptian economy and religion—several deities were associated with cattle, including Hathor (the cow goddess) and the Apis bull. A plague that wiped out Egypt's livestock would therefore have been both an economic catastrophe and a blow to their religious symbols.

Boils and Rashes (שְׁחִין, shechin, verses 8–12) were brought about when Moses threw soot (פִּיחַ כִּבְשָׁן, piach kivshan) from a furnace toward the sky. Furnaces were used in Egyptian metallurgy, and soot from such furnaces was considered unclean. The fact that even the magicians (חַרְטֻמִּים, chartummim) were struck and could not stand before Moses marks a turning point—the Egyptian sorcerers are now completely powerless.

Key Terms

"God of the Hebrews" (אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים, Elohei ha-Ivrim) is used twice in this chapter (verses 1, 13). This expression serves as an identifier before Pharaoh and places Israel's God in contrast to Egypt's many gods. The term "Hebrew" may be related to habiru/apiru, a designation known from Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts for semi-nomadic groups.

"Hardened Heart" is described with two different Hebrew verbs in this chapter: כָּבֵד (kaved, "to make heavy/hard", verses 7, 34) and חָזַק (chazaq, "to strengthen/harden", verses 12, 35). Egyptian religion placed great emphasis on the heart—in the Book of the Dead, the deceased's heart was weighed against the feather of truth. Pharaoh's hardened heart is therefore a motif with deep cultural resonance.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The Agricultural Details in verses 31–32 are remarkably precise: flax and barley were destroyed because the barley had headed out (אָבִיב, aviv) and the flax was in bloom (גִּבְעֹל, giv'ol), while wheat and spelt survived because they mature later. This matches exactly with the Egyptian growing season, where barley and flax are harvested in February–March, while wheat and spelt are harvested in April–May. Such details suggest good knowledge of Egyptian agricultural conditions and place the hailstorm in late winter.

The Combination of Hail and Fire (verse 24: וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד, "fire that flamed up within the hail") likely describes a violent thunderstorm with lightning. Severe storms with hail are rare but not unknown in Egypt, especially in the delta region during winter. Egyptian texts refer to such storms as signs of the gods' wrath.

Personas2

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Palabras clave10

Plagues — Unpleasant and destructive events that God sends over Egypt to force Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery.
Pharaoh — The ruler of ancient Egypt, who in this context refuses to let the Israelites leave.
Moses — The prophet and leader of the Israelites who serves as God's spokesperson and conveys His message to Pharaoh.
Aaron — Moses' brother who helps him carry out God's commands and confront Pharaoh.
Livestock — Domestic animals kept by Egyptians and Israelites for food, labor, and religious ceremonies. Affected by several plagues.
Hail — One of the ten plagues, where large chunks of ice fell from the sky, destroying crops and injuring people and animals.
Frogs — Another plague, in which a vast number of frogs invaded Egypt, creating chaos and discomfort.
Pestilence — A contagious disease that struck the Egyptians' livestock, causing great destruction and loss of resources.
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