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The ten plagues of Egypt

Short answer

The ten plagues were judgments God sent on Egypt through Moses when Pharaoh refused to let Israel go: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, the death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of the firstborn. They showed that the Lord is the true God, judged the gods of Egypt and ended with the first Passover and Israel’s release.

The ten plagues are told in Exodus 7–12. Israel had been enslaved in Egypt, and God sent Moses and Aaron to demand that Pharaoh let His people go. Pharaoh answered with contempt: who is the Lord, that I should obey Him (Exodus 5:2)? The New Geneva Study Bible notes that the plagues are God’s reply to exactly that question.

Why God sent the plagues

Before the first plague, God told Moses what would happen.

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

Exod 7:3–5 · King James Version (1769)

The phrase “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” troubles many readers. The New Geneva Study Bible explains that God did not put evil into Pharaoh’s heart; He stopped holding back the evil Pharaoh already wanted to do. The story also says repeatedly that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15, Exodus 8:32). Commenting on Paul’s use of this story, William MacDonald writes that Pharaoh was not doomed from birth: as a grown man he proved cruel and stubborn and kept refusing every warning (Romans 9:17).

Through Moses, God also told Pharaoh why He had let him stand.

And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Exod 9:16 · King James Version (1769)

John MacArthur sees three purposes here: Egypt was to learn that the Lord has no equal, His power was to be shown, and His name was to become known everywhere. The New Geneva Study Bible notes God’s mercy even in judgment: He did not destroy Egypt at once, so that Pharaoh had time to see His power and repent.

The ten plagues in order

The first plague struck at the heart of Egypt’s life, the Nile.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.

Exod 7:14–18 · King James Version (1769)

Albert Barnes explains that the Egyptians worshiped the Nile, and the king may have been going to the river for a religious rite. MacArthur and the New Geneva Study Bible note that the Hebrew word means real blood, not water reddened by clay. Here is the whole series:

  1. Water turned to blood. The fish die, and the river stinks (Exodus 7:19–25).
  2. Frogs. They cover the land and enter houses. Pharaoh promises to let Israel go, then changes his mind (Exodus 8:1–15).
  3. Gnats (lice in the KJV). The magicians cannot copy this one and admit it is the finger of God (Exodus 8:16–19).
  4. Flies. For the first time God separates the land of Goshen, where Israel lived, from the rest of Egypt (Exodus 8:20–32).
  5. Death of livestock. Egypt’s animals die, but not one animal of Israel (Exodus 9:1–7).
  6. Boils. They break out on people and animals, and even the magicians cannot stand before Moses (Exodus 9:8–12).
  7. Hail. The worst hailstorm Egypt has ever seen. Those Egyptians who feared the word of the Lord bring their servants and cattle inside and are spared (Exodus 9:13–35).
  8. Locusts. They eat everything the hail left (Exodus 10:1–20).
  9. Darkness. For three days no one in Egypt can see, while the Israelites have light in their homes (Exodus 10:21–29).
  10. Death of the firstborn. At midnight the firstborn in every Egyptian home die, from Pharaoh’s son to the firstborn of the cattle (Exodus 11:4–6, Exodus 12:29–30).

The New Geneva Study Bible points out a pattern: the first nine plagues fall into three groups of three, and the tenth is the climax. In each group the first two plagues are announced in advance, the third comes without warning, and the first one begins with Moses meeting Pharaoh in the morning.

Were the plagues natural events? Commentators answer differently. Keil and Delitzsch saw in them disasters that Egypt sometimes knew, made miraculous by their unusual timing, strength and rapid succession. MacArthur and the New Geneva Study Bible reject natural explanations: each plague came exactly when Moses announced it, with unheard-of force, and several of them spared Israel. Both views agree that the plagues came at God’s word.

The last plague and the first Passover

Before the final plague God gave Israel the Passover. Each family was to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of the house.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Exod 12:12–13 · King James Version (1769)

MacArthur explains that the tenth plague was a judgment on all the gods of Egypt, many of which were represented as animals and were supposed to protect their worshipers. The New Geneva Study Bible notes that the blood was the sign that marked out the households God would pass over. That night Pharaoh finally sent Israel away (Exodus 12:31–32).

What the plagues mean for us

The plagues show that God hears the cry of the oppressed and keeps His promises. Matthew Henry notes that no act of God for Israel was remembered more often than the rescue from Egypt.

They are also a warning. Again and again Pharaoh admitted his wrong while the pressure was on, then hardened his heart as soon as relief came (Exodus 9:27–35). Henry observes that God’s mercy showed a way of escape even in the hail, but stubborn unbelief ignored the clearest warnings.

Above all, the plagues lead to the Passover, and the Passover leads to Christ.

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

1 Cor 5:7 · King James Version (1769)

MacArthur and the New Geneva Study Bible explain that the Passover lamb was a shadow of what Jesus would do: as the blood of the lamb saved Israel from judgment, so Christ’s death saves everyone who trusts in Him. To read more, see Why did Jesus die?

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