Ten Plagues

Text and Content

The account runs from Exodus 7:14 through 12:30. When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, refuses the demand of Moses and Aaron to let Israel go, a series of plagues strikes Egypt. "Ten Plagues" is a traditional designation; the text itself refers to these events by such terms as "wonders," "signs," and "plagues."

• Water turned to blood (7:14–25): The Nile and the other waters of Egypt are turned to blood.
• Frogs (8:1–15): Frogs cover the land.
• Lice (8:16–19): The dust becomes lice. The magicians cannot replicate this sign and declare, "This is the finger of God."
• Flies (8:20–32): Beginning with this plague, the land of Goshen, where the Israelites live, is spared.
• Pestilence on the livestock (9:1–7)
• Boils (9:8–12)
• Hail (9:13–35)
• Locusts (10:1–20)
• Darkness (10:21–29): Darkness covers the land of Egypt for three days.
• Death of the firstborn (11:1–12:30): The firstborn of Egypt die, both man and beast. The plague passes over the Israelite houses whose doors have been marked with the blood of a lamb. This is the origin of the Passover.

Background and Significance

Regarding the purpose of the plagues, the text states, "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD" (Exodus 7:5), and also, "against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" (Exodus 12:12). The plague narrative is therefore read as an account that reveals the sovereignty of the LORD over Egypt and its gods. The text does not specify when these events took place or who the reigning Pharaoh was, and scholars hold differing views on both questions. The narrative is followed by the Exodus, in which Israel leaves Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea.

Elsewhere in Scripture

Psalms 78 and 105 recount the plagues in song as acts of God's deliverance. In the New Testament, Paul cites Pharaoh as an example in Romans 9 in his discussion of God's sovereignty. Christ is called "our passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7). In the book of Revelation, the trumpet and bowl judgments again feature plague imagery such as blood, hail, darkness, locusts, and sores.

Interpretation and Debate

• The hardening of Pharaoh's heart: The text states both that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (8:15, 8:32) and that God hardened it (9:12 and elsewhere). The Calvinist tradition generally emphasizes God's sovereign decree. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions often read the text to mean that Pharaoh first refused of his own accord and that God then confirmed him in that choice. The question is bound up with the broader discussion of predestination and free will.
• Natural phenomena and miracle: Some scholars explain the plagues as a chain of natural phenomena in the Nile basin, holding that God made use of them. Others emphasize their supernatural character, noting that the plagues came at the times and with the scope foretold and that Israel was set apart from them.
• Claims beyond the text: The view that each plague targeted a specific Egyptian deity is an interpretation derived from Exodus 12:12; the text itself does not pair particular gods with particular plagues. Likewise, film portrayals that identify Pharaoh as a specific historical king go beyond what the text states.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the account is commonly used to warn against hardness of heart like Pharaoh's. It is also used to link the death of the firstborn and the Passover with Christ's atoning death on the cross. The story is a frequent subject of Sunday school lessons as well.