Exodus 8:15-32
Summary for Exod 8:16-19: 8:16-19 a The third plague was the plague of gnats. The word translated “gnats” is very general. Technical Old Testament dictionaries often translate it as “vermin.” The English term “bugs” would come close. The whole land was infested with insects of one sort or another.8:19 b This is the finger of God! See study note on 7:11.
Summary for Exod 8:20-32: 8:20-32 c The fourth plague was the plague of flies. The Egyptians worshiped insects such as flies that seemed to be able to turn death into life, as their young seemed to emerge from decaying matter. If the Egyptians thought that insects had the secret of life, God would let them have all the insects they wanted. Some say that this infestation was the natural result of all the dead frogs, but there were no flies in Goshen (8:22 d), the northeastern delta area where the Hebrews lived. God’s miraculous power was clearly seen in his ability to infest one area while sparing another at will.
8:25 e Pharaoh attempted to bargain with God. He wanted to obey partially while still retaining control. James says of such people, “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world” (Jas 1:8 f), and such a person cannot receive anything from the Lord.
Summary for Exod 8:26-27: 8:26-27 g Moses pointed out the impossibility of what Pharaoh was asking on the grounds of the Egyptians’ own prejudice: They considered all Semites to be uncultured and uncouth (see Gen 43:32 h).
• The Hebrews were leaving Egypt in order to worship God (see, e.g., Exod 5:1 i; 7:16 j; 8:1 k, 20 l). God’s purpose for the Exodus was to lead his people into a proper relationship with him.
Summary for Exod 8:29-30: 8:29-30 m I will pray: Moses was learning the role of intercessor that would be so much a part of his life in future years (see, e.g., 32:11-13 n, 30-32 o; Num 14:13-19 p). It must have been increasingly tempting to let the Egyptians continue to experience the results of their king’s stubbornness, but Moses was willing to plead with God not to leave them in a permanent state of grief and distress.
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