7 Plagues Egyptian Old Testament. Eighth Egyptian plague. Dogfly punishment
What is the most dangerous animal on the planet? Here you can remember a lot of terrible predators - a tiger, an anaconda, a white shark ... Many are dangerous despite their small size - scorpions, poisonous jellyfish, snakes, spiders. But one animal is superior to all others. And although it does not have sharp claws, huge fangs or deadly poison, it rightfully bears the title of one of the worst enemies of mankind. This locust is an insect that got into the Bible as one of the heavenly punishments.
Disaster
Outwardly, the locust looks quite harmless. This is a relatively large grasshopper with short antennae, chirping in the grass for most of its life, as it should be for a grasshopper. In peacetime, locusts are colored green and do not bring the slightest trouble. But under certain circumstances, everything changes - the locust changes into yellow, increases in size, flocks and sets off to conquer the world.It even sounds funny - an insect that wants to conquer the world. But the smile slips from the face, it is worth at least once to see a live swarm of locusts, or at least hear the numbers. Millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, billions and tens of billions of individuals go on a hike! This is a solid black cloud that obscures not only the sun, but the entire sky. A cloud that descends to the ground to devour all the vegetation there. Hungry locusts do not care about preserving the environment or even a banal check on the quality of food - they eat tree bark and young shoots, thatched roofs of houses, canvas, clothes ... Following one flock, another comes, cleaning up what their predecessors did not eat. And so - until the flowering area turns into a kind of desert. IN ancient world the locust invasion was considered one of the worst manifestations of the wrath of the gods, along with severe drought, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Where the locust passed, thousands of people died of starvation, left without their crops. And although in our time the danger is not so great, it still has not disappeared anywhere.
Mysterious Transformation
Locusts are one of the most mysterious creatures on the planet. For starters, the phase change from green (single) to yellow (gregarious) is an absolutely unique property not found in other insects. Initially, scientists believed that the green female at some point simply begins to lay yellow offspring, but more recent studies have shown that this is not entirely true. It all starts with the fact that due to weather conditions, the locust population is increasing. The green locust begins to see other locusts around it, is forced to share territory and food with it. This triggers a series of processes that make the adult green locust become more active. She sheds her green skin to grow a yellow one, lays eggs more often, eats three times a day, and discovers her flying skills. Finding itself in a society of its own kind, the locust does not move randomly, but in a certain direction, together with the swarm. Why?IN ancient greece the function of a fighter with insects was performed by the famous Apollo - the god of the sun and the patron of the arts. It is curious that the name "Apollo" according to one of the popular versions just means "disgusting". And then it was possible to add the necessary epithet to it. Let's say Apollo Smintey protected from mice, and Apollo Parnopius - just from locusts.
But the most famous locust, of course, received thanks to the Bible. There she is mentioned twice, exclusively as a terrible punishment. The first time - in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, concerning the departure of the Jews from ancient Egypt. When Pharaoh refused to let Moses' people go, God brought down ten plagues on the Egyptians, one worse than the other. The eighth plague was the locust, which devoured everything to the last blade of grass. Another mention of a harmful insect in the Bible is the Revelation of John the Theologian, also known as the Apocalypse. True, the locust in John's description was not interested in vegetation. She was supposed to eat only "people, without the seal of God on their foreheads," and for this she grew scorpion tails, teeth like lions and dressed in steel armor. The demon Abaddon, the personification of the all-devouring black abyss, led the locusts into battle. In Greek, by the way, his name sounds like "Apollyon", which is a clear allusion to "Apollo". A paradoxical situation, because in the Greek myths, Apollo could not stand the locust.
Tasty and healthy food
Probably, as some compensation for the all-consuming gluttony, a wonderful dish is obtained from the locust itself. Especially rich in protein. Locusts are eaten with pleasure in Asia, Africa and South America. It is fried, stewed and marinated, served on sticks and wrapped in cakes. In some places it is considered a delicacy, in others it is a familiar part of the daily diet. Mexico and China are especially distinguished - they can easily buy fried insects in large quantities at any street eatery.One can see a certain irony in the fact that the all-devouring insect benefits us only when it is itself served on a platter. That one of the most dangerous, truly monstrous enemies of mankind has turned into a crunchy snack these days. Alas, it would be premature to celebrate the victory. The locust threat has not passed. It still flocks into multi-billion dollar flocks and devastates farmers' fields. And we still do not understand many of the reasons for its emergence and disappearance. Only when people have all the information will the shadow of the eighth plague of Egypt finally recede into legend.
Evtushenko Sergey
Egyptian executions- ten punishments of God that befell Egypt for Pharaoh's refusal to release the people of Israel from Egyptian captivity. Described in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus ().
The religion of Egypt at that time was polytheism - belief in several deities. The Egyptian pantheon included a large number of deities of various significance. Each city had its own, especially revered cults. Natural phenomena were also deified: the sun, stars, wind, natural disasters. Animals, birds, reptiles and even insects also became objects of worship.
In addition, the ancient Egyptians mixed human and animal principles in their beliefs. An example is the goddess Sakhmet, a healer of diseases, depicted as a woman with the face of a lioness. Many pharaohs identified themselves with sphinxes during their lifetime and commanded to imprint this in stone. A number of sculptures of sphinxes, which are now in the Cairo Museum, testify to this. Some of them have survived to this day.
One of the key roles in the religion of Egypt was played by the pharaoh himself, who acted as the only "intermediary" between people and gods. The pharaoh was the supreme ruler and at the same time the high priest.
According to the beliefs of the Egyptians, the first pharaoh was the god Ra himself. Other gods ruled behind him. Later, the son of Osiris and Isis, the god Horus, appears on the throne. Horus was considered the prototype of all Egyptian pharaohs, and the pharaohs themselves were his earthly incarnation. Every real pharaoh was considered a descendant of both Ra and Horus.
From his very birth, the pharaoh was revered both as the supreme ruler and as a deity. It is quite natural that the ruler of Egypt asked Moses: “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him [and] let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go ”(). Moses' request was immediately rejected by Pharaoh. Then the Lord said something very unusual to Moses: “Look, I made you God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet” (). Thus, the pharaoh had a "rival". The living God of Israel opposed one of the earthly gods.
When reading the story of the ten plagues, one often comes across the repeated phrase: “ And you will know that I am the Lord your God» (; ; ; ; ). This phrase emphasizes the meaning of everything that happens. The Lord wanted to show both the Egyptians and the Jews that He is the true, all-powerful God. Therefore, even to the Pharaoh himself, the Lord said in the midst of 10 Egyptian plagues: "I have kept you to show my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth"().
Ten plagues of Egypt followed one after another, after another refusal of the pharaoh to let the people of Israel go:
- Turning water into blood ()
- Invasion of toads ()
- Invasion of midges ()
- Dogfly punishment ()
- Pestilence ()
- Ulcers and boils ()
- Thunder, lightning and fiery hail ()
- Locust Invasion ()
- Dark ()
- Death of the firstborn ().
Some interpreters point out that the Egyptian executions consistently humiliated and shamed the Egyptian idols (Ra, Isis, Hapi, Amon, etc.) who were unable to protect those areas on which the Egyptians attributed influence.
The total duration of executions falls within the period from July of one year to March of the next.
All ten plagues of Egypt are reflected in the psalms and.
Psalm 77:41-51 «… they did not remember his hand, the day when he delivered them from oppression, when he did his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Zoan; and turned their rivers and their streams into blood so they can't drink; sent to them insects to sting them, and toads to destroy them; gave their earthly growth to the caterpillar, and their labor locust; grapes killed them hail and their sycamores with ice; gave up their livestock to hail and their flocks to lightning; He sent upon them the flame of His anger, and indignation, and fury, and disaster, an embassy of evil angels; leveled the path with his wrath, he did not guard their souls from death, and the cattle betrayed them pestilence; hit everyone firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of power in the tents of Ham»;
Psalm 104:26-36 « He sent Moses his servant, Aaron, whom he had chosen. They showed among them the words of His signs and His wonders in the land of Ham. sent darkness and made darkness and did not resist his word. He turned their water into blood, and killed their fish. The earth has produced many toads even in the bedroom of their kings. He said and different people came insects, sketches to all their limits. Instead of rain sent to them hail scorching fire upon their land, and crushed their vines and their fig trees, and crushed the trees within them. Said and came locust and caterpillars without number; and they ate all the grass in their land, and ate the fruit of their fields. And hit everyone firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength».
Priest Gennady Egorov. " Holy Bible Old Testament":
What is the fault of Pharaoh, if God, as it is said, "hardened the heart" his ()? After all, the pharaoh turns out in this case just a toy in the hands of God? This is not entirely true. The same action of God in different ways different people affects, depending on their own location. God's assistance to the Israelites serves as a strengthening of faith for the Israelites, and for Pharaoh as a source of more and more fierce resistance (cf. - "Pharaoh's heart hardened"; ). “The point is not that the opposition was put into the soul of the pharaoh by divine will, but that he, by his own choice, due to his tendency to vice, did not accept arguments that soften this opposition.” The more God performs His miracles and assists the Israelites, the more hardened Pharaoh becomes. Just like in gospel story we see: the more the Lord Jesus Christ reveals His messianic dignity, reveals His divinity, the more and more madly opponents take up arms against Him.
Commentary of the New Geneva Bible:
"I will harden the heart of the pharaoh" (). This expression means "I will make hard" rather than "cruel". In other words, the Lord will not influence Pharaoh in any way so that he changes his mind - Pharaoh will convince Moses by word and signs.
Explanatory Bible Lopukhin:
The pharaoh himself is the culprit of this state insofar as, due to his pride and self-interest, he does not want to obey the higher divine will recognized by himself and those around him (;): during the execution he is ready to release the Jews, after passing it refuses to do so. But, on the other hand, the pharaoh's sinful inclination would not have developed to such an extent if the divine command to release the Jews had not been addressed to him. In this respect, God is responsible for the hardening of his heart.
The opinions of interpreters regarding the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, which is here attributed to God, are different. There are only ten such statements. Eight of them (; ; ; ; ) contain the word chazaq, which means that the Lord made Pharaoh's heart "hard", immovable, so that his feelings for Israel did not change. Another Hebrew word qashah is used, meaning that the Lord made Pharaoh's heart "hard" or "insensitive". In 10:1, the third word kabed is used, indicating that God made Pharaoh's heart "heavy" or insensitive to divine influence. An examination of the context shows that these different words are used more or less interchangeably.
The other ten statements say that Pharaoh himself hardened his heart. Four of them (; ; ). He also continued to refuse after the fourth and fifth plagues, which fell upon the Egyptians, but did not touch the Israelites, which was reported to the king (). The hardness of his heart is even more evident in his breaking his promise to let Israel go on the condition that Moses and Aaron stop the execution, and in his forced confession of his sin (). Thus, when Moses was told before coming to Egypt that the Lord would harden the heart of Pharaoh (). But just as the sun has a different effect on different materials in accordance with their nature - it melts wax, but hardens clay, for example, so the action of the Spirit of God on people's hearts has a different effect depending on the state of the heart. The repentant sinner allows the Holy Spirit to lead him to change and salvation, but the unrepentant one hardens his heart more and more. The same manifestation of God's mercy in one case leads to salvation and life, and in the other - to condemnation and death - in each case at the person's own choice.
The ten plagues of Egypt, a description of which can be found in the Pentateuch (the Law of Moses, the first five books of the canonical Jewish and Christian Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers of Deuteronomy.) Troubles that befell the people of Egypt for the pharaoh's refusal to release the captured sons of Israel.
According to the book of Exodus, Moses, in the name of God, demands that Pharaoh release his people, promising that if Pharaoh does not do this, God will severely punish Egypt. Pharaoh did not take the words of Moses seriously, and the following disasters fell on Egypt:
- Execution in blood
- Execution by frogs
- Invasion of midges
- Dogfly punishment
- Pestilence
- Ulcers and boils
- Thunder, lightning and fiery hail
- Locust Invasion
- Unusual darkness (Egyptian darkness)
- Death of the firstborn
And it so happened that all the water of the Nile and other reservoirs turned into blood, but remained drinking water for the Jews. From now on, the Egyptians could only drink water, for which they paid money to the Jews. Then the sorcerers of the pharaoh bought water from the Jews and began to conjure. They were able to turn it into blood, and the pharaoh decided that the blood punishment was just witchcraft, and did not let the Jews go.
2. Execution by frogs
« they will go out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and onto your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and into your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneaders.»
And it so happened that the frogs filled the whole land of Egypt. The Egyptian sorcerers began to conjure, they made it so that there were more frogs, but they do not know such witchcraft that will save the frogs. Then Pharaoh told Moses that he would believe that God had punished Egypt and let the Jews go if God removed the frogs. And God removed all the frogs. However, the pharaoh reneged on his promise.
3. Invasion of midges
And it so happened that a horde of midges fell upon Egypt, which attacked the Egyptians, stuck around them, climbed into their eyes, nose, ears. The sorcerers could not help the pharaoh, and said that they did not know witchcraft from midges, and that this was all true punishment of the Lord, and the captives should be released. However, the pharaoh was again adamant.
4. Punishment with flies
Clouds of flies covered the people and their houses. This insect combined the properties of flies and dogs, was distinguished by ferocity and assertiveness. Like an arrow, it rushed at a person or animal and, rapidly attacking, drank in a sting. (Under the dog flies, we mean the gadflies that haunted the Egyptians and their herds of animals).
5. Pestilence
The livestock of all the Egyptians died out, the attack did not touch only the livestock of the Jews. And Pharaoh realized that God was taking care of the Jews, but he still did not let the Jews go.
After that, the Lord commanded Moses to take the soot from the oven and throw it high up. And the bodies of the Egyptians and animals were covered with terrible sores and boils. And the pharaoh was afraid that he would suffer all his life because of ulcers and abscesses and decided to let the Jews go. But God gave him the courage to act according to his convictions, for he wanted Pharaoh to let the Jews go not out of fear, but out of the understanding that no earthly king could argue with God.
7. Thunder, lightning and fiery hail
And a storm began, and thunder roared, and lightning flashed ... a fiery hail fell on Egypt. The Egyptians saw that a flame was burning in every hailstone, they realized that this was the wrath of the One Who can change the nature of things. Pharaoh then confessed to Moses, asked to pray to God for the hail to stop, and promised that he would let the Jews go. Moses prayed to God, and the hail stopped. But again the pharaoh did not keep his promise.
8 Locust Invasion
A strong wind blew, hordes of locusts swept over Egypt, devouring all the greens to the last blade of grass on the land of Egypt.
And again Pharaoh asked Moses to beg for mercy from God, and promised to let the Jews go. Moses called to God, and the wind blew in the other direction, and he carried away the locust. But again God strengthened the heart of Pharaoh, and again he did not let the sons of Israel go free.
9. Unusual darkness
It was thick and dense, so that you could touch it; and candles and torches could not illuminate the earth. Only the Jews had light, while the Egyptians were forced to move in darkness. But soon the darkness became even thicker, fettering the movements of the Egyptians, and they could not even move. And Pharaoh called Moses, and said that he was letting the Jews go, only they should leave the cattle. Moses told Pharaoh that the Jews would not leave their cattle. Then Pharaoh ordered Moses not to come again, promising that if he came, he would be executed. And then Moses said that he would not come, but a punishment would come upon Egypt, more terrible than all, for all the first-born sons would perish in Egypt.
10. Death of the firstborn
And the punishment promised by Moses did not pass by Egypt, and at midnight the widespread death of the firstborn followed. After the first-born (with the exception of the Jews) died overnight in Egypt, the pharaoh surrendered and allowed the Jews to leave Egypt, and so the Exodus began.
INTRODUCTION:
The Bible details the ten Egyptian plagues in the book of Exodus: Exodus 7:8-12:31 and also refers to this event in the book of Psalms:
Psalm 77:41-51 «… they did not remember his hand, the day when he delivered them from oppression, when he did his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Zoan; and turned their rivers and their streams into blood so they can't drink; sent to them insects to sting them, and toads to destroy them; gave their earthly growth to the caterpillar, and their labor locust; grapes killed them hail and their sycamores - with ice; gave up their livestock to hail and their flocks to lightning; He sent upon them the flame of His anger, and indignation, and fury, and disaster, an embassy of evil angels; leveled the path with his wrath, he did not guard their souls from death, and the cattle betrayed them pestilence; hit everyone firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of power in the tents of Ham»;
Psalm 104:26-36 « He sent Moses his servant, Aaron, whom he had chosen. They showed among them the words of His signs and His wonders in the land of Ham. sent darkness and made darkness and did not resist his word. He turned their water into blood, and killed their fish. The earth has produced many toads even in the bedroom of their kings. He said and different people came insects, sketches to all their limits. Instead of rain sent to them hail scorching fire upon their land, and crushed their vines and their fig trees, and crushed the trees within them. Said and came locust and caterpillars without number; and they ate all the grass in their land, and ate the fruit of their fields. And hit everyone firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength».
If you carefully read passages from these Psalms, it is easy to see that in each of them not all Egyptian executions are described, but only some of them, selectively. But if you combine the descriptions of the Egyptian plagues from both passages, you get a description of all ten plagues.
Let us consider in detail the ten Egyptian plagues described in the book of Exodus. But first, let's list all 10 plagues in the order in which the Lord sent them to Egypt:
Listing the ten plagues in their order:
1. Water turned into blood
2 Toad Invasion
3. Punishment by midges
4. Dogfly punishment
5. Pestilence
6. Punishment with boils
7. Hail
8 Locust Invasion
9. Darkness
10. Death of the firstborn
On closer examination, it becomes clear that some executions caused more trouble and inconvenience than suffering (for example, bloody water or an invasion of toads). The following executions harmed the economy: pestilence destroyed livestock, hail killed crops, swarms of locusts devoured the remnants of the harvest that had survived the hail. The tenth plague was the culmination of God's wrath. These executions humiliated and shamed the Egyptian gods and idols, who were unable to protect their areas of activity (water in the Nile River, livestock, health of people and livestock, the life of the firstborn, etc.).
Let's look at each of the ten plagues in detail.
FIRST EXECUTION: WATER TURNED TO BLOOD
Exodus 7:19-25 « And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of the Egyptians: over their rivers, over their streams, over their lakes, and over every reservoir of their waters, and turn into blood and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and of stone. And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. And Aaron lifted up the rod and struck the water of the river before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water in the river turned to blood, and the fish in the river died out, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water from the river; and there was blood over all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their charms. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. And Pharaoh turned and went to his house; and his heart was not moved even by this. And all the Egyptians began to dig near the river to find water to drink, because they could not drink water from the river. And it was seven days after the Lord struck the river».
The first execution is the transformation of the water in the Nile into blood. Most theologians are inclined to believe that the expression " the water in the river turned to blood” should be taken figuratively, like the expression “the moon will turn into blood” in Joel 2:31 « The sun will turn to darkness and moon - in the blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes". They are inclined to believe that during the first Egyptian plague, the water in the Nile acquired a bloody hue and a poisonous taste, from which the fish died out and the whole river stank.
Against what was this execution directed? The Nile River was considered one of the deities of Egypt, to whom Egypt owed its birth, existence and prosperity.
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"IN Ancient Egypt The Nile, the "great river", has always been the source of life, the common property of the two lands - Upper and Lower Egypt. Herodotus' saying is widely known: "Egypt is the gift of the Nile". Many texts emphasize the cosmic nature of the Nile, its underground and heavenly character. There were ideas according to which the boat of the Sun floats along the heavenly Nile during the day. There is also the Nile underground, along which the Sun, having descended beyond the horizon, travels at night. The image of the underground Nile was closely associated with death, with the souls of the dead and their judgment in afterlife. Turning to God, the Egyptian said: "You created the Nile in the underworld and brought it to earth at your will, in order to prolong the life of people, just as you gave them life by creating them." |
Another deity of the Nile - Khnum(who was revered by the Egyptians as the creator god who created man on the potter's wheel) was also considered the guardian of the sources of the Nile and was depicted as a ram-headed man with spirally twisted horns. Another deity - Sebek- V Egyptian mythology was considered the god of water and the flood of the Nile. Since his sacred animal was the crocodile, he was most often depicted as a crocodile man or a man with the head of a crocodile.
The Egyptians worshiped not only the Nile and the patron idols of the Nile, but also some of the fish that lived in this river.
To shame all these Egyptian deities, the Lord God turned the water of the Nile into blood, and as a result, the water became unfit for drinking and irrigating the land, and all the fish died out.
Attention should be paid to the fact that the Egyptian sorcerers were able to repeat this miracle with their witchcraft powers, which contributed to the hardening of the heart of the pharaoh.
SECOND EXECUTION: TOADS
Exodus 8:1-14 « And the Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me; but if you refuse to let go, behold, I will strike all your region with frogs; and the river shall swell with frogs, and they shall come out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and into your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and into your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneaders, and upon you, and upon the people yours, and frogs will come up on all your servants. And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams, and over the lakes, and bring out the frogs into the land of Egypt. Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came out and covered the land of Egypt. The Magi did the same with their spells and brought the frogs out into the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: Pray to the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people of Israel go to sacrifice to the Lord. Moses said to Pharaoh: appoint me yourself when to pray for you, for your servants and for your people, so that the frogs disappear from you, in your houses, and remain only in the river. He said tomorrow. Moses answered: It will be according to your word, so that you may know that there is none like the Lord our God; and the frogs will depart from you, from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people; only in the river they will remain. Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses called to the Lord about the frogs that He had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses: the frogs died out in the houses, in the yards and in the fields; and gathered them in heaps, and the earth stank».
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“In ancient Egypt, with the head of a frog (or toad), the male primary deities of the Germanic Ogdoada, the great eight of the original deities, were depicted. The forces of primordial Chaos were opposed by creative forces - four pairs of deities, personifying the elements. The male deities of the figure eight - Huk (Infinity), Nun (Water), Kuk (Darkness) and Amon ("Invisible", that is, Air) - had the appearance of people with the heads of frogs. They corresponded to female deities with snake heads. |
The Lord God laughed at the superstition of the Egyptians and at their deities, sending hordes of frogs and frogs all over Egypt. At the word of Moses, frogs came out of the Nile River and filled all the dwellings of the Egyptians.
The sorcerers were also able to imitate this miracle, but since they could not rid the country of the invasion of frogs, the pharaoh became convinced of God's superiority and even asked Moses and Aaron to pray for him and even promised Moses that he would let the Israelites go into the wilderness for a while: verse 8 « And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: pray to the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people of Israel go to sacrifice to the Lord". But then he hardened his heart and changed his mind.
THIRD EXECUTION: MOSHKI
Exodus 8:15-19 « And Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and hardened his heart, and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and the dust will become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. And so they did: Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and midges appeared on people and on cattle. All the dust of the earth became midges throughout the land of Egypt. The magicians also tried to produce midges with their charms, but they could not. And there were midges on people and on cattle. And the wise men said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said».
What were these midges? Theologians are divided. According to the Septuagint translation (Greek translation of the Old Testament), at the blow of the rod, many "sknips" appeared from the ground. Here is what is written about it in Psalm 104:31 « He said, and various insects came, sketches all over them". In the old days, lice were called sknips in Rus'. It was a translation from the biblical original, where the word "kinnim" is used.
The ancient Greek philosophers Philo and Origen believed that they were midges and mosquitoes - the usual scourge of Egypt during periods of flooding of the Nile. Other philosophers and researchers (such as Josephus Flavius) adhere to a different point of view, understanding the word "kinnim" as lice or fleas. This is how this word is translated from Syriac and Arabic.
One way or another, this execution was aimed at shaming the Egyptian deities of the earth, sky, air and health, who were unable to protect the people and cattle of Egypt from the invasion of midges.
The sorcerers could not reproduce this miracle and signed their impotence, recognizing this execution as "the finger of God." They stopped competing with Moses, recognized the power of God, and therefore began to advise Pharaoh to let the Jews go at the word of Moses.
FOURTH EXECUTION: DOG FLY
Exodus 8:20-32 « And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise early to-morrow, and appear before the face of Pharaoh. Behold, he will go to the water, and you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. but if you do not let my people go, then, behold, I will send flies on you and on your servants and on your people and on your houses, and the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with flies and the very land on which they live; And in that day I will separate the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, and there will be no flies, so that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; I will make a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow there will be a sign. And so the Lord did: a multitude of dog flies flew into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and over all the land of Egypt: the land perished from dog flies. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Go, offer sacrifice to your God in this land. But Moses said: this cannot be done, for our sacrifice to the Lord our God is disgusting for the Egyptians: if we begin to offer a sacrifice disgusting for the Egyptians in their eyes, will they not stone us? we will go into the wilderness, three days' journey, and offer sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he will tell us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but do not go far; pray for me. Moses said: behold, I will go out from you and pray to the Lord, and the dog flies will be removed from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people tomorrow, only let Pharaoh stop deceiving, not letting the people offer sacrifice to the Lord. And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses and removed the flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people: not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart and this time did not let the people go.».
Clouds of these flies covered the people and filled the houses of the Egyptians. “According to Philo, the insect that served as the instrument of the fourth execution combined the properties of flies and dogs, was distinguished by ferocity and persistence. From afar, like an arrow, it rushed at a person or animal and, rapidly attacking, dug into the body with a sting and, as it were, stuck to it ”(Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible). Most likely, the dog flies mean gadflies that haunted the Egyptians and their herds of animals.
The main lesson of this execution was that God openly revealed to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians the difference between them and the Jews. Dog flies were everywhere, except for the region of Goshen, in which the Jews lived; they were in all houses except the houses of the Israelites: verses 22-23 «… I will separate the land of Goshen in that day, where my people dwell, and there will be no flies, so that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; I will make a division between my people and your people».
Such a division between the two peoples and their areas of residence in Egypt showed the pharaoh that the God of Israel is the Lord who sent the Egyptian executions, and that it is He who is the God over Egypt, surpassing all Egyptian deities and idols in strength and power.
FIFTH EXECUTION: PETITION PULSE
Exodus 9:1-7 « And the Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of the Jews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me; for if you do not want to let go and still hold on to him, then, behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your livestock, which is in the field, on horses, on donkeys, on camels, on oxen and sheep: there will be a pestilence very heavy; and the Lord shall divide between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and of all the cattle of the sons of Israel not one shall die. And the Lord appointed a time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord will do it in this land. And the Lord did this the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died out; none of the livestock of the children of Israel died. Pharaoh sent to find out, and behold, none of the livestock of Israel died. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go».
Pestilence is a disease of animals. A big blow to the Egyptian gods. The bull and cow were considered the main deities of the Egyptians and were the sacred animals of Egypt. They offered sacrifices and incense. The bull was kept in luxury in many Egyptian temples. After the death of such a bull, they embalmed and with a ceremony befitting only a king, they buried it in a magnificent sarcophagus. In addition, many Egyptian deities were depicted with the head or body of a calf or cow. So, Apis was considered the god of fertility; he was depicted as a bull with a solar disk. amon, being the patron of the city of Thebes, was also the god of air and harvest, the creator of the world; depicted with the head of a man, and sometimes a bull or a ram, with a two-pronged crown and a long scepter in his hand. Goddess Isis often depicted as a woman with cow horns and a sun disk on her forehead, holding a papyrus stalk in her hand. Hathor- the goddess of love and fate, the goddess of the sky; nurse of the pharaohs and ruler of distant lands. Depicted as a cow or a woman with cow horns, sometimes with only one ear. In general, the Egyptians depicted many of their gods with the heads or bodies of animals. Against faith in these gods, the fifth execution was directed.
So, the animals of Egypt suffered a pestilence, and among the Israelites not a single animal died: Exodus 9:7 « Pharaoh sent to find out, and behold, from the cattle of Israel nothing died
". It is worth bearing in mind that the expression “all the cattle of Egypt died out” does not mean that literally all the cattle died out in Egypt. After all, the next sixth plague also touched the animals (verses 8-9). By the expression "all the livestock of Egypt died out" is meant all the livestock that was in the fields. He died from a pestilence. Moses warned Pharaoh about this 3rd verse « the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle, who is in the field
».
SIXTH PENALTY: BURNS
Exodus 9:8-12 « And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Take a full handful of ashes from the furnace, and let Moses throw it up to heaven in the eyes of Pharaoh; and dust will rise up over all the land of Egypt, and there will be inflammation on people and on cattle, with boils, in all the land of Egypt. They took the ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it to heaven, and there was inflammation with boils on people and cattle. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the inflammation, because the inflammation was on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord told Moses».
Many theologians believe that it was something of smallpox. This execution affected both people and animals, and even sorcerers after Moses threw the ashes to the sky at the word of the Lord God.
The order to throw up the ashes taken from the furnace is related to one of the ancient religious customs of Egypt. Wind-blown ash from sacrifices in honor of the god Seta(the god of evil and failure), according to the belief of the Egyptians, averted evil, the evil eye or damage from all those limits where he fell. But now the ashes thrown by Moses to the sky spread, in denunciation of Egyptian superstition, not prosperity and well-being, but a curse from the God of Israel, and caused boils on the bodies of people and cattle.
Among other things, the fact that the sorcerers could not protect themselves and the pharaoh from abscesses on the body was evidence of impotence Egyptian gods-healers led by Isis, who could not prevent the sixth plague sent to Egypt by the God of Israel.
SEVENTH EXECUTION: GRAD— Exodus 9:17-35.
It should be noted that there was not just hail, but a very large hail: presumably the size of an orange. In addition, this hail was accompanied by lightning. Lightning is spoken of as fire in Exodus 9:23-25 « And Moses stretched out his staff to heaven, and the Lord brought forth thunder and hail, and fire spilled over the ground; and the Lord sent hail into the land of Egypt; and there was hail and fire between hail, a very strong hail, such as has not been in all the land of Egypt since the time of its population". In another place it is directly written that the hail was accompanied by lightning: Psalm 77:47-49 « ... the grapes beat them hail and their sycamores - ice; cattle betrayed them hail and their flocks lightning; sent to them the flame of his anger, and indignation and rage and disaster, the embassy of evil angels».
Before the hail came, God gave the Egyptians a very merciful warning to gather their flocks and take them to a shelter. And then hail fell all over Egypt and killed everything: verse 25 « from man to cattle, and all the grass of the field was destroyed by hail, and all the trees in the field were broken”, and in the region of Goshen (or Goshen), where the Jews lived, there was no hail.
The amazing thing about this execution was that those of the Egyptians, " who feared the word of the Lord, hastily gathered their servants and their flocks into their houses” (verse 20), and thus saved both their slaves and livestock from destruction. Thus, the Lord God demonstrated to Pharaoh and all of Egypt that life awaits those who obey God, and death awaits those who oppose God.
Among other things, this execution was directed against the gods of heaven, air, rain and fertility, who were fanatically worshiped by the Egyptians, led by the pharaoh, and who were unable to protect their people from this execution. However, Pharaoh hesitated and continued to harden his heart.
EIGHTH PENALTY: LOCUST- Exodus 10:1-20.
The locust punishment was one of the worst. The locusts swooped in in great clouds and ate all the greenery that survived the seventh plague. And at the end of the day, locusts covered the ground 12 cm thick with a stench.
This execution was primarily directed against the gods of the earth, harvest and fertility. Here are just a few of them: Osiris- the god of the vital forces of nature and fertility, the lord of the underworld; Ptah(Pta) - the god of fertility of the earth; Apis- a symbol of fertility; Min- the god of fertility, the producer of crops; Nehebkau- the god of time, fertility and the giver of food. The Egyptians saw that all these numerous deities were not able to protect their people from the next execution of the God of Israel, as a result of which the whole country was left without a harvest and was practically doomed to a terrible famine.
After that, even the servants of the pharaoh were convinced of the need to let the Jews go: Exodus 10:7 « Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, How long will he torment us? let these people go, let them serve the Lord their God; do you still not see that Egypt is perishing?» The sudden appearance and disappearance of executions on such a vast scale, according to the word of Moses, served as proof of the strength and power of God.
A striking achievement of this execution was the recognition by the pharaoh of his own impotence and sinfulness before the God of Israel, as well as the impotence of the Egyptian gods to protect their gardens and fields from the invasion of locusts: “ Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said: I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you; now forgive my sin again and pray to the Lord your God that He only avert this death from me» ( Exodus 10:16-17).
NINTH EXECUTION: DENSE DARKNESS
Exodus 10:21-27 « And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out your hand to heaven, and there will be darkness in the land of Egypt, palpable darkness. Moses stretched out his hand to heaven, and there was thick darkness over all the land of Egypt for three days; did not see each other, and no one got up from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Pharaoh called Moses and said: go, serve the Lord, let only your flocks and cattle remain, and let your children go with you. But Moses said: also give into our hands our sacrifices and burnt offerings, to offer to the Lord our God; let our herds go with us, not a hoof will be left; for we will take of them as a sacrifice to the Lord our God; but until we get there, we do not know what to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not let them go».
Having punished Egypt with darkness, God belittled and laughed at the Egyptian deity Ra - the god of the sun. Midnight darkness over Egypt lasted three days. And where Israel lived, it was light. " The three-day darkness that enveloped Egypt served as obvious evidence of the impotence of the supreme god Ra, the god of the sun, who now obeyed the will of the Almighty and was unable to give his admirers at least a particle of light."(Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible). In addition to the supreme god Ra, other gods of the sun and light were also put to shame, such as: Aton- the god of the sun, depicted in the form of a solar disk, the rays of which ended with open palms. Gore(Chorus) acted in two guises: as the lord of heaven, the king of the gods, the god of the Sun, and also as the earthly king, the pharaoh. He was depicted as a falcon, a man with a falcon's head, a winged sun. His symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings. Atum- the god of the evening setting sun. Xepri- the god of the morning, rising sun (unlike Ra - day and Atum - evening). Mnevis- a deity in the form of a black bull - was revered as a living embodiment of the sun god and was depicted with a solar disk between the horns.
TENTH EXECUTION: DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN- Exodus 11-12 chapters.
This was the worst punishment for the Egyptians. But if not for this execution, then the Jews would have been slaves in Egypt to this day.
The tenth plague was directed firstly at the protector gods of the pharaoh (such as the god Gore and goddesses Satis, sikhmet And Uto), as well as the last deity of Egypt - the pharaoh. " The pharaohs were the "servants of Horus", the successors of his power over Egypt. Horus protects the king with his wings (on the statue of Pharaoh Khafre, a falcon is depicted on the back of the head, covering his head with wings). The name of Horus was included as an obligatory component in the five-term title of the pharaoh"(Article "Ancient Gods of Egypt" http://gellett.narod.ru/bogiegipta.html).
Since ancient times, the pharaohs were revered as gods. And many Egyptian gods were considered pharaohs in the past (such as Min and Horus).
But the Lord dispelled the superstition that the pharaohs are or become gods. The failure of the pharaoh to protect his people and his own family from the death of his firstborn belied the pharaoh's claims to the title of god.
Among other things, the tenth plague, according to many theologians, is the revenge of the Lord God for all Israeli babies killed in Egypt.
CONCLUSION:
The Egyptians were idolaters. They believed that their deities were stronger than all other gods. The Ten Plagues were the ten plagues of Egypt, and were aimed at humiliating the Egyptian idols, to show the Egyptians and the whole world that the God of Israel is the only true God, and that He is above all gods and idols.
When reading the story of the ten plagues, one often comes across the repeated phrase: “ And you will know that I am the Lord your God» ( Exodus 6:7; 7:5; 8:22; 10:2; 14:4). This phrase emphasizes the meaning of everything that happens. The Lord wanted to show both the Egyptians and the Jews that He is the true God—the God of heaven and earth, and the God of the people of Israel. Therefore, even to the Pharaoh himself, God said in the midst of 10 plagues of Egypt: “ I saved you to show you my power, And that my name be proclaimed in all the earth
» ( Exodus 9:16).
Through what happened in Egypt, the glorious name of the Lord God was proclaimed throughout the earth. And today there is no excuse for people who heard about the ten Egyptian plagues, but continue to worship other gods and idols.
And do not forget that the ten Egyptian plagues are not only a demonstration of God's power and authority over the forces of nature and the fate of mankind, but they are also a warning about the punishment coming to people who oppose God and His Word.
Egyptian executions- miraculous actions that struck Egypt before the exodus of the Jews (Ex. . 7
, 14-11, 10. 12
, 29-32). The Bible names ten such plagues, namely:
1) the transformation of water into blood in the Nile and in all the reservoirs of Egypt ( 7
, 14-25);
2) the extermination of frogs that covered the whole land of Egypt ( 8
, 1-14);
3) the appearance of "Kinnim" (פום LXX σκνιφες ) - mosquitoes (according to Philo, Origen and some recent studies) or lice (φθτεϊρες , pediculi according to Josephus Flavius and the testimony of the Samaritan, Syrian and Arabic Pentateuch, Targum Onkelos);
4) the appearance of many flies (צר ב , LXX κυνόμνια ), the bite of which causes various diseases ( 8
, 20-32);
5) a message of pestilence on cattle ( 9
, 1-6);
6) diseases - inflammation and abscesses ( 9
, 8-11);
7) lightning and hail, which destroyed everything that was in the field - from man to cattle ( 9
, 12-26);
8) an invasion of locusts that destroyed the vegetation that survived the hail ( 10
, 1-15);
9) three days of darkness that covered the land of Egypt ( 10
, 21-23), and
10) the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt - from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the last of the slaves ( 12
, 29-32).
During these executions one can notice a certain consistency in the sense of increasing power and action.
The first executions - the transformation of water into blood, the message of toads and sknips - did not bring significant harm to the Egyptians and, mainly, warned the pharaoh against further danger. In the next series of executions (3-6), the destructive nature was already more decisive, and these executions already struck only the Egyptians, bypassing the land of Hesse. Further executions dealt a heavy blow to the well-being of Egypt, and terrible manifestations, testifying to the wrath of God, reached amazing proportions in them. Finally, in the last plague, the power of Jehovah, the God of Israel, was already revealed with such force that the stubbornness of the pharaoh was finally broken and the liberation of the Jews from slavery was achieved.
The main feature of the Egyptian executions that preceded the Exodus is that they were associated for the most part with natural phenomena characteristic of the Nile Valley, due to the climate and nature of this country. So, the first execution - the transformation of the water of the Nile into blood - is an analogy to the natural, annually repeated phenomenon of staining the Nile water during the spill. The second plague - the message of the toads - also recalls the annual appearance in Egypt of many frogs, breeding due to soil moisture from the flood of the river. Similarly, the third and fourth plagues can be connected with the abundance - in the East in general and in Egypt in particular - of all kinds of insects, the fifth - with epizootics that are often repeated here, etc. But, while similar to the usual phenomena characteristic of Egypt , the executions of the outcome, as can be seen from the biblical narrative, differed significantly from them. This difference, first of all, consisted in the fact that the executions began and ended at the word of Moses or at the wave of his staff at predetermined moments, and that the region of Egypt where the Jews lived was excluded from their scope. A further difference between the executions and the ordinary phenomena of the nature of Egypt was the extraordinary, special force with which natural factors acted in the executions. So, the first execution - the transformation of the water of the Nile into blood - represented some analogy to the annual phenomenon of staining the Nile during the flood. But the event described in the Bible, as can be seen from the narrative of the book of Exodus, differed from the annual staining of the Nile in the following ways: 1) it happened, one should think, not during the flood of the Nile, when there is a natural staining of the water (cf. Ex. 9 , 31-32; 7, 15); 2) the water of the Nile during the execution was not just colored, but, according to the interpretation of bliss. Theodoret (Questions on the book. Ex. XIX Russian translation Creator. part 26, p. 117), Ephraim the Syrian (Russian translation of the Creator of the Holy Fathers vol. 22, 421) and Cyril of Alexandria (Comment, in Joan. VI, 53), turned into blood and therefore began to have a destructive effect , as a result of which all fish died out; 3) finally, the transformation of water into blood extended not only to the Nile River, but to all the reservoirs of water in the land of Egypt. The biblical narrative notes a similar extreme strengthening of natural factors in the second plague. The difference between this execution and the usual appearance of frogs in the Nile Valley after the end of the flood of the river was that the frogs, at the wave of Aaron's rod, appeared in huge numbers, rushed, contrary to their natural way of life, into houses, at people, at household utensils and, then, instantly died out, according to the word of Moses. In general, while similar to natural phenomena, the Egyptian executions at the same time contained something exceeding these phenomena and were supernatural, miraculous actions. True, in view of these analogies, representatives of negative criticism are inclined to regard the supernatural element in the biblical narrative of executions as a later embellishment and fabrication. But it is much more fair, together with bibliologists - apologists, to see in this similarity of the miraculous actions that preceded the Exodus from Egypt, with natural phenomena characteristic of the Nile Valley, precisely the proof of the antiquity and reliability of the biblical narrative of the executions. If this narrative, as representatives of negative criticism believe, had been invented at a later time, then, no doubt, the writer would have tried to tear his stories off the natural soil, would have invented such actions that have no analogies in the natural phenomena of Egypt, so that the brighter expose the miraculous nature of these actions.
The fact that the natural phenomena of the Egyptian country served as the instrument of divine punishment in the Egyptian executions may be explained by the purpose of the executions to reveal the power of Jehovah, the God of Israel, to crush the stubbornness of the Pharaoh and induce him to release the Jews. But the power of Jehovah could stand out most clearly for the Egyptians precisely in those disasters that were brought about by the hand of Moses. These disasters revealed that Jehovah was in command of all the forces of nature, that all the sources of Egypt's life and well-being were in His control. In addition, the executions of the exodus had the meaning of the judgment on all the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12 12: "I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt"). Striking Egypt with grave disasters, Jehovah proved by this the insignificance of the Egyptian gods, whom the people considered the source of their prosperity. Since the Nile was one of the main deities revered throughout Egypt, and was deified under the name of Osiris (Usiri) or, later, Serapis, then, obviously, the defeat of the Nile water was not only a punishment for the people, but also a humiliation for the deity. In a similar way, the extermination and extermination of the toads by the word of Moses served as evidence of the impotence of the goddess Heket, revered by the Egyptians, whose symbol and personification was considered to be a toad; the message of pestilence on cattle was a blow to the cult of animals that dominated Egypt, and especially the cult of the apis; three days of darkness meant for the Egyptians the victory of Moses over Ra - supreme deity Egypt - the deity of the sun and over the entire host of Egyptian gods, representing the personification of various moments in the movement of the sun.
In general, in the Egyptian executions, all the main deities of Egypt were called to court by the Almighty God of Israel and were struck by His right hand. As a result, the executions could have an impact not only on the Egyptians, but also on the Jews. They could warn the latter against being carried away by pagan cults and strengthen them in the faith of the fathers, which was especially important for Jewish people before starting a new free life.
Literature
a) Russian:
†Prof. A. P. Lopukhin, Bible Story v. 1.
G. Vlastov, Holy Chronicle, II, St. Petersburg. 1878.
M. I. Savvaitsky, Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, St. Petersburg. 1889 (master's thesis, in which see and detailed bibliography),
† A. P. Lopukhin, Explanatory Bible vol. I, St. Petersburg. 1904.
b) Foreign:
Kohler, Lehrbuch Bibl. Geschichte, 1875,
I-te Half. Vigouroux. La Bible et les découvert, modern., 1882.
See also Encyclopedias Hastings "a Hauck'a, Smith" a, Gheync and etc.
* Vladimir Petrovich Rybinsky
Master of Divinity, Professor Extraordinary and
Inspector of the Kyiv Theological Academy.
Text source: Orthodox theological encyclopedia. Volume 7, column. 831. Edition Petrograd. Appendix to the spiritual magazine "Wanderer" for 1906 Spelling modern.
