Exodus 9:9
It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This plague highlights that God’s judgment isn't just abstract but deeply personal, manifesting as painful, festering sores that afflict both people and animals. It's not just about the ashes falling from the sky, but about a tangible, agonizing disease that shows God's power invading the very bodies of His adversaries.
Following the plague of hail, God instructs Moses and Aaron to take ashes from a furnace and cast them toward the sky in Pharaoh's presence. These ashes will then spread across Egypt, bringing forth painful boils on both people and livestock, an affliction even the magicians cannot withstand. This marks the sixth plague, intensifying the judgment upon Egypt after Pharaoh's continued defiance.
How can a handful of ashes paralyze an entire nation? This plague shows God isn't just using nature, but commanding it.
Moses is told to take handfuls of ashes from a furnace and sprinkle them toward the sky. This isn't a natural phenomenon. It’s a powerful display of God’s direct authority over the very elements – the air, the dust, and even the physical bodies of people and animals.
A Symbol of Judgment
Think about it: ashes are the remnants of destruction. By using them, God is showing that His judgment is thorough and pervasive. This isn't just random bad luck; it's a targeted attack, demonstrating His power over Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods who were supposedly in control.
Boils and blains sound awful. This plague wasn't just annoying; it was deeply personal and excruciating.
The plague isn't just dust falling from the sky; it transforms into 'boils breaking out with blains.' This points to a specific, painful affliction that affected both people and animals.
Beyond Mere Annoyance
Scholars suggest this was likely an intensely painful, inflammatory skin disease. It wasn't just itchy; it was likely blistering, festering, and agonizing. The word 'blains' suggests pustules or sores that brought intense suffering and discomfort. This wasn't a minor inconvenience; it was a profound physical torment designed to break the Egyptians' resistance and Pharaoh's will.
Pharaoh's magicians tried to replicate plagues, but this one stopped them cold. Why?
When the dust turned into boils, the magicians couldn't offer any counter-magic. They had previously mimicked the first two plagues (water to blood, frogs), but this one exposed their limitations and the true source of power.
The Silence of False Gods
Understand the original words
shechin · Hebrew Noun
A painful, inflamed, and pus-filled swelling of the skin. Biblically, these were often viewed as divine judgments or manifestations of ritual and physical impurity.
This plague, manifesting as painful boils and sores on both people and animals, was a direct assault on the Egyptians' physical well-being and their livestock, a primary source of wealth and sustenance. It demonstrated God's sovereign power over creation and His judgment against Egypt's defiance, leaving no doubt that this was a divine act, unlike anything the Egyptian magicians could replicate.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus begins
The Israelites, after centuries of slavery in Egypt, are led out of Egypt by Moses under the direct intervention of God. This marks the start of their journey to the Promised Land.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
The Ten Plagues culminate
The Egyptians suffer a series of devastating plagues sent by God to force Pharaoh to release the Israelites. The sixth plague, boils, directly affects both people and livestock throughout Egypt.
c. 1446 BC
Pharaoh's heart is hardened
Despite the devastating plagues, Pharaoh repeatedly refuses to let the Israelites go. God allows Pharaoh's heart to be hardened, demonstrating His power and resolve.
c. 1446 BC
The Passover observed
The night before the Exodus, God institutes the Passover to protect the Israelites from the final plague, the death of the firstborn, ensuring their deliverance.
This passage describes the specific skin afflictions, referred to as 'boils' or 'inflammation,' that were to be examined by priests, highlighting the biblical concern with such afflictions.
Deuteronomy 28:27This verse directly references the 'boil of Egypt' as a curse, linking this specific plague to a broader theme of divine judgment and its consequences for disobedience.
Job 2:7Job's suffering from 'painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head' offers a parallel to the widespread and agonizing nature of the boils inflicted on the Egyptians, emphasizing personal suffering under divine allowance.
Revelation 16:2This New Testament passage describes a plague of 'loathsome sores' that fall upon those who bear the mark of the beast, drawing a direct thematic link between ancient Egyptian plagues and future divine judgments.
calvinExodus 9:8-12: "And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh."
- And the Lord said unto Moses. God does not now postpone the time of the punishment, but redoubles the plagues in a continuous series; nor does he threaten Pharaoh, but, leaving him, executes the judgment which He decreed; both because it was now more than sufficiently manifested that admonitions were of no avail with…
gillExodus 9:9: "And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt."
And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt,.... Which ashes, thrown up into the air, should be so multiplied and spread as to be over all the land of Egypt, and come down like showers of snow or sleet everywhere, only of a hot and scalding nature; or these handfuls of ashes were to be cast up into the air,…
This plague highlights that God’s judgment isn't just abstract but deeply personal, manifesting as painful, festering sores that afflict both people and animals. It's not just about the ashes falling from the sky, but about a tangible, agonizing disease that shows God's power invading the very bodies of His adversaries.
Following the plague of hail, God instructs Moses and Aaron to take ashes from a furnace and cast them toward the sky in Pharaoh's presence. These ashes will then spread across Egypt, bringing forth painful boils on both people and livestock, an affliction even the magicians cannot withstand. This marks the sixth plague, intensifying the judgment upon Egypt after Pharaoh's continued defiance.
Following the plague of hail, God instructs Moses and Aaron to take ashes from a furnace and cast them toward the sky in Pharaoh's presence. These ashes will then spread across Egypt, bringing forth painful boils on both people and livestock, an affliction even the magicians cannot withstand. This marks the sixth plague, intensifying the judgment upon Egypt after Pharaoh's continued defiance.
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This plague was a decisive moment. It showed Pharaoh and his court that their magicians and gods were powerless against the God of Israel. While Satan's ministers (the magicians) can sometimes mimic God's power, they ultimately fail when faced with His direct and unassailable authority. This failure would have been deeply humiliating for them and a stark indicator of God's singular might.
"It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”" — This plague highlights that God’s judgment isn't just abstract but deeply personal, manifesting as painful, festering sores that afflict both people and animals. It's not just about the ashes falling…
