The fifth plague is a murrain among the cattle. The sixth, of boils in men and beasts. The seventh, of hail. Pharao promiseth again to let the people go, and breaketh his word.
The fifth plague is pestilence among the Aegyptians cattle. 8. The sixt boyles in men and beastes. 18. the seuenth, haile. 27. Pharao confessing God to be iust, and himselfe and his people impious, promiseth againe to dismisse the people, 34. but faileth to do it.
1And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao, and speak to him: Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to sacrifice to me.E il Signore disse a Mosè: Va' a trovare Faraone, e di' a lui: Queste cose dice il Signore Dio degli Ebrei: Lascia andare il mio popolo ad offerirmi sacrifizio.AND our Lord said to Moyses: Goe in to Pharao, and speake to him: This saith our Lord, the God of the Hebrewes: dismisse my people to sacrifice vnto me.Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen: Ingredere ad Pharaonem, et loquere ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Hebræorum: Dimitte populum meum ut sacrificet mihi. 2But if thou refuse, and withhold them still:Che se tu ancor sei restio, e lo rattieni,And if thou refuse, and holdest them:Quod si adhuc renuis, et retines eos, 3Behold my hand shall be upon thy fields; and a very grievous murrain upon thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep.Ecco che la mano mia si farà sentire sopra i tuoi campi, e sopra i cavalli, e gli asini, e i cammelli, e i bovi, e le pecore con atroce pestilenza.behold my hand shal be vpon thy fieldes: and vpon thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheepe, a verie sore pestilence.ecce manus mea erit super agros tuos, et super equos, et asinos, et camelos, et boves, et oves, pestis valde gravis. 4And the Lord will make a wonderful difference between the possessions of Israel and the possessions of the Egyptians, that nothing at all shall die of those things that belong to the children of Israel.E il Signore farà questo miracolo riguardo a quello che posseggono gl'Israeliti, e quello che posseggono gli Egiziani, che nulla perirà di quel che appartiene a' figliuoli d'Israele.And our Lord wil make a merueile betwene the possessions of Israel & the possessions of the Aegyptians, that nothing at al perish of those thinges that pertaine to the children of Israel.Et faciet Dominus mirabile inter possessiones Israël et possessiones Ægyptiorum, ut nihil omnino pereat ex eis quæ pertinent ad filios Israël. 5And the Lord appointed a time, saying: To morrow will the Lord do this thing in the land.E il Signore fissò il tempo, dicendo: domane il Signore adempirà questa parola sopra questa terra.And our Lord hath appointed a time, saying: To morow wil our Lord doe this thing in the land.Constituitque Dominus tempus, dicens: Cras faciet Dominus verbum istud in terra. 6The Lord therefore did this thing the next day: and all the beasts of the Egyptians died, but of the beasts of the children of Israel there died not one.Il Signore adunque fece il dì seguente quel che avea detto; e perirono tutti gli animali degli Egiziani: ma degli animali de' figliuoli d'Israele non ne perì uno.Our Lord therfore did this thing the next day: and al the beastes of the Aegyptians dyed, but of the beastes of the children of Israel nothing at al perished.Fecit ergo Dominus verbum hoc altera die: mortuaque sunt omnia animantia Ægyptiorum; de animalibus vero filiorum Israël, nihil omnino periit.
7And Pharao sent to see; and there was not any thing dead of that which Israel possessed. And Pharao’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go.E Faraone mandò a vedere: e non era morto nulla di quel che possedeva Israele. E si indurò il cuore di Faraone, e non lasciò partire il popolo.And Pharao sent to see: neither was there anything dead of that which Israel possessed. And Pharaoes hart was hardned, and he did not dismisse the people.Et misit Pharao ad videndum: nec erat quidquam mortuum de his quæ possidebat Israël. Ingravatumque est cor Pharaonis, et non dimisit populum. 8And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Take to you handfuls of ashes out of the chimney, and let Moses sprinkle it in the air in the presence of Pharao.E il Signore disse a Mosè, e ad Aronne: Alzate le mani piene di cenere del focolare, e Mosè la sparga verso del cielo alla presenza di Faraone.And our Lord said to Moyses, & Aaron: Take your handes ful of ashes out of the chimney, and let Moyses sprinkle it into the ayre before Pharao.Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron: Tollite plenas manus cineris de camino, et spargat illum Moyses in cælum coram Pharaone. 9And be there dust upon all the land of Egypt: for there shall be boils and swelling blains both in men and beasts, in the whole land of Egypt.E la polvere si spanda per tutta la terra d'Egitto, e ne verranno agli uomini, e ai giumenti ulcere, e grossi tumori per tutta la terra di Egitto.And be there dust vpon al the Land of Aegypt: for there shal be in men, & beastes boyles, and swelling bladders in the whole land of Aegypt.Sitque pulvis super omnem terram Ægypti: erunt enim in hominibus et jumentis ulcera, et vesicæ turgentes in universa terra Ægypti. 10And they took ashes out of the chimney, and stood before Pharao, and Moses sprinkled it in the air; and there came boils with swelling blains in men and beasts.E presero la cenere del focolare, e si presentarono a Faraone, e Mosè la sparse per l'aria: e ne vennero ulcere, e grossi tumori agli uomini, e ai giumenti.And they tooke ashes out of the chimney, and stoode before Pharao, and Moyses: sprinkled it into the ayre: and there were made boyles of swelling bladders in men and beastes.Tuleruntque cinerem de camino, et steterunt coram Pharaone, et sparsit illum Moyses in cælum: factaque sunt ulcera vesicarum turgentium in hominibus et jumentis: 11Neither could the magicians stand before Moses, for the boils that were upon them, and in all the land of Egypt.E i maghi non potevano stare dinanzi a Mosè per ragione delle ulcere, che erano addosso a loro, come a tutta la terra d'Egitto.neither could the enchanters stand before Moyses for boyles that were vpon them, and in al the Land of Aegypt.nec poterant malefici stare coram Moyse propter ulcera quæ in illis erant, et in omni terra Ægypti.
12And the Lord hardened Pharao’s heart, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.E il Signore indurò il cuore di Faraone, e non gli ascoltò, come il Signore avea detto a Mosè.And our Lord did indurate Pharaoes hart, & he heard them not, as our Lord spake to Moyses.Induravitque Dominus cor Pharaonis, et non audivit eos, sicut locutus est Dominus ad Moysen. 13And the Lord said to Moses: Arise in the morning, and stand before Pharao, and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to sacrifice to me.E il Signore disse a Mosè: Levati di buon mattino, e presentati a Faraone, e gli dirai: Queste cose dice il Signore Dio degli Ebrei: Lascia, che il mio popolo vada ad offerirmi sacrifizio.And our Lord said to Moyses: In the morning arise, and stand before Pharao, & thou shalt say to him: This saith the Lord, the God of the Hebrewes: Dismisse my people to sacrifice vnto me.Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Mane consurge, et sta coram Pharaone, et dices ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Hebræorum: Dimitte populum meum ut sacrificet mihi. 14For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayst know that there is none like me in all the earth.Perocché io questa volta manderò sul tuo cuore tutti i miei flagelli, e sopra i tuoi servi, e sopra il tuo popolo: affinché tu conosca, che non havvi simile a me in tutta la terra.Because this time I wil send al my plagues vpon thy hart, and vpon thy seruantes, and vpon thy people: that thou mayest know rhere is not the like to me in al the earth.Quia in hac vice mittam omnes plagas meas super cor tuum, et super servos tuos, et super populum tuum: ut scias quod non sit similis mei in omni terra. 15For now I will stretch out my hand to strike thee, and thy people, with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from the earth.Conciossiaché adesso stendendo la mano percuoterò di peste te, e il tuo popolo, e tu sarai sterminato dalla terra.For now stretching forth my hand I wil strike thee, and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from the earth.Nunc enim extendens manum percutiam te, et populum tuum peste, peribisque de terra. 16And therefore have I raised thee, that I may shew my power in thee, and my name may be spoken of throughout all the earth.E a questo fine ti ho sostentato per dimostrare in te la mia possanza, onde celebrato sia il nome mio per tutta la terra.And therfore haue I set thee, that in thee I may shew my might, and my name may be told in al the earth.Idcirco autem posui te, ut ostendam in te fortitudinem meam, et narretur nomen meum in omni terra.
17Dost thou yet hold back my people; and wilt thou not let them go?Tu rattieni tuttora il mio popolo, e nol vuoi lasciar partire?Doest thou yet hold backe my people: and wilt thou not dismisse them?Adhuc retines populum meum, et non vis dimittere eum ? 18Behold I will cause it to rain to morrow at this same hour, an exceeding great hail; such as hath not been in Egypt from the day that it was founded, until this present time.Ecco che io domani in questa stess'ora pioverò grandine senza misura, quale mai non fu in Egitto, dacché fu abitato fino al dì d'oggi.Behold I wil raine to morow this very houre haile exceeding much: such as was not in Aegypt from the day that it was founded, vntil this present time.En pluam cras hac ipsa hora grandinem multam nimis, qualis non fuit in Ægypto a die qua fundata est, usque in præsens tempus. 19Send therefore now presently, and gather together thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for men and beasts, and all things that shall be found abroad, and not gathered together out of the fields which the hail shall fall upon, shall die.Manda adunque sin da adesso a raunare i tuoi giumenti, e tutto quello che hai in campagna, perocché egli uomini, e i giumenti, e tutto quello che troverassi fuori, e non sia ritirato dalla campagna, venendogli sopra la grandine, perirà.Send therfore now presently, and gather together thy cattle, and al thinges that thou hast in the field for men & beastes, and al thinges that shal be found abroad, and not gathered together out of the fieldes, and the haile fal vpon them, shal die.Mitte ergo jam nunc, et congrega jumenta tua, et omnia quæ habes in agro: homines enim, et jumenta, et universa quæ inventa fuerint foris, nec congregata de agris, cecideritque super ea grando, morientur. 20He that feared the word of the Lord among Pharao’s servants, made his servants and his cattle flee into houses:Que' servi di Faraone, che ebbero timore della parola, del Signore, fecero che i loro servi, e i giumenti si fuggissero nelle case.He that feared the word of our Lord of Pharaoes seruantes, made his seruantes to flie, and his beastes into houses:Qui timuit verbum Domini de servis Pharaonis, facit confugere servos suos et jumenta in domos: 21But he that regarded not the word of the Lord, left his servants, and his cattle in the fields.Ma quelli che non fecero conto della parola del Signore, lasciarono stare i loro servi, e i giumenti alla campagna.but he that neglected the word of our Lord, let alone his seruantes, and his beastes in the fieldes.qui autem neglexit sermonem Domini, dimisit servos suos et jumenta in agris.
22And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand towards heaven, that there may be hail in the whole land of Egypt upon men, and upon beasts, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.E il Signore disse a Mosè: Stendi la tua mano verso del cielo, affinché cada grandine in tutta la terra d'Egitto, sopra gli uomini, e sopra i giumenti, e sopra tutte l'erbe dei campi della terra d'Egitto.And our Lord said to Moyses: Stretch forth thy hand towards heauen, that there may be haile in the whole Land of Aegypt vpon men, and vpon beastes, & vpon euerie herbe of the field in the Land of Aegypt.Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen: Extende manum tuam in cælum, ut fiat grando in universa terra Ægypti super homines, et super jumenta, et super omnem herbam agri in terra Ægypti. 23And Moses stretched forth his rod towards heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightnings running along the ground: and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.E Mosè stese la verga verso del cielo: e il Signore mandò tuoni, e grandine, e folgori, che volteggiavano sopra la terra: e il Signore piovve grandine sopra l'Egitto.And Moyses stretched forth his rodde toward heauen, and our Lord gaue thunders, and haile and running lightenings on the land: and our Lord rained haile vpon the Land of Aegypt.Extenditque Moyses virgam in cælum, et Dominus dedit tonitrua, et grandinem, ac discurrentia fulgura super terram: pluitque Dominus grandinem super terram Ægypti. 24And the hail and fire mixt with it drove on together: and it was of so great bigness, as never before was seen in the whole land of Egypt since that nation was founded.E la grandine, e il fuoco cadevano misti insieme: e quella fu di tale grandezza, che eguale non si vide giammai in tutta la terra d'Egitto, dacché fu fondata quella nazione.And the haile and fire mixt together did driue: and it was of so great bignes, as neuer before appeared in the whole Land of Aegypt since that nation was madeEt grando et ignis mista pariter ferebantur: tantæque fuit magnitudinis, quanta ante numquam apparuit in universa terra Ægypti ex quo gens illa condita est. 25And the hail destroyed through all the land of Egypt all things that were in the fields, both man and beast: and the hail smote every herb of the field, and it broke every tree of the country.E la grandine flagellò in tutta la terra d'Egitto quanto vi era alla campagna dagli uomini fino a' giumenti: e tutte l'erbe dei campi furon flagellate dalla grandine, e spezzata ogni pianta.And the haile smote in al the Land of Aegypt al thinges that were in the fieldes, from man euen vnto beast: and euerie herbe of the field did the haile strike, and euerie tree of the countrie it did breake.Et percussit grando in omni terra Ægypti cuncta quæ fuerunt in agris, ab homine usque ad jumentum: cunctamque herbam agri percussit grando, et omne lignum regionis confregit.
26Only in the land of Gessen, where the children of Israel were, the hail fell not.Solamente nella terra di Gessen, dove stavano i figliuoli d'Israele, non cadde grandine.Only in the Land of Gessen, where the children of Israel were, the haile fel not.Tantum in terra Gessen, ubi erant filii Israël, grando non cecidit. 27And Pharao sent and called Moses and Aaron, saying to them: I have sinned this time also, the Lord is just: I and my people, are wicked.E Faraone mandò a chiamar Mosè e Aronne, e disse loro: Ho peccato anche adesso: giusto è il Signore: Io, e il mio popolo siam empi.And Pharao sent, and called Moyses and Aaron, saying to them: I haue sinned now also, the Lord is iust: I and my people, impious.Misitque Pharao, et vocavit Moysen et Aaron, dicens ad eos: Peccavi etiam nunc: Dominus justus; ego et populus meus, impii. 28Pray ye to the Lord that the thunderings of God and the hail may cease: that I may let you go, and that ye may stay here no longer.Pregate il Signore affinché cessino i gran tuoni, e la grandine: affinché io vi lasci andare, e non restiate più qua.Pray ye the Lord that the thunders may cease, and the haile: that I may dismisse you, and ye tarie not here any longerOrate Dominum ut desinant tonitrua Dei, et grando: ut dimittam vos, et nequaquam hic ultra maneatis. 29Moses said: As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will stretch forth my hands to the Lord, and the thunders shall cease, and the hail shall be no more: that thou mayst know that the earth is the Lord’s:Disse Mosè: Uscito che io sia dalla città, stenderò le mie mani al Signore, e cesseranno i tuoni, e non grandinerà più: affinché tu conosca, che del Signore è la terra.Moyses said: When I shal be gone forth out of the citie, I wil stretch forth my handes to our Lord, and the thunders shal cease, and the haile shal not be: that thou maist know that the earth is our Lords:Ait Moyses: Cum egressus fuero de urbe, extendam palmas meas ad Dominum, et cessabunt tonitrua, et grando non erit, ut scias quia Domini est terra: 30But I know that neither thou, nor thy servants do yet fear the Lord God.Ma io ben so, che tu, e i tuoi servi non temete ancora il Signore Dio.but I know that neither thou, nor thy seruantes do yet feare the Lord God.novi autem quod et tu et servi tui necdum timeatis Dominum Deum. 31The flax therefore, and the barley were hurt, because the barley was green, and the flax was now bolled;Fu adunque guastato il lino, e l'orzo, perché l'orzo era verde, e il lino faceva il seme.The flexe therfore, and the barley were hurt, because the barley came vp grene, and the flaxe now was boulled:Linum ergo et hordeum læsum est, eo quod hordeum esset virens, et linum jam folliculos germinaret:
32But the wheat, and other winter corn were not hurt, because they were lateward.Il grano però, e il farro non furono danneggiati, perché sono serotini.but the wheate, and other winter corne were not hurt, because they were late ward.triticum autem et far non sunt læsa, quia serotina erant. 33And when Moses was gone from Pharao out of the city, he stretched forth his hands to the Lord: and the thunders and the hail ceased, neither did there drop any more rain upon the earth.E partitosi da Faraone Mosè, e dalla città, stese le mani al Signore, e cessarono i tuoni, e la grandine; e non cadde più stilla di pioggia sopra la terra.And Moyses going forth from Pharao out of the citie, stretched forth his handes to our Lord: and the thunders & haile ceased, neither did there droppe raine any more vpon the earth.Egressusque Moyses a Pharaone ex urbe, tetendit manus ad Dominum: et cessaverunt tonitrua et grando, nec ultra stillavit pluvia super terram. 34And Pharao seeing that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, increased his sin:Ma Faraone veggendo, come era cessata la pioggia, e la grandine, e i tuoni, aggravò il suo peccato:And Pharao seing that the raine, and the haile and thunders were ceased, he increased his sinne:Videns autem Pharao quod cessasset pluvia, et grando, et tonitrua, auxit peccatum: 35And his heart was hardened, and the heart of his servants, and it was made exceeding hard: neither did he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.E si ostinò il cuore di lui, e de' suoi servi, e s'indurò formisura: e non lasciò partire i figliuoli d'Israele, come avea ordinato il Signore per mezzo di Mosè.and his hart was aggrauated, and the hart of his seruantes, and indurate exceedingly: neither did he dismisse the children of Israel, as our Lord had commanded by the hand of Moyses.et ingravatum est cor ejus, et servorum illius, et induratum nimis: nec dimisit filios Israël, sicut præceperat Dominus per manum Moysi.
9:3
My hand. God inflicts the fourth, fifth, and tenth plagues without Moses.
9:5
Land. Moses related all this to the king, according to the Samaritan copy.
9:6
Challoner
All the beasts. That is, many of all kinds. (Challoner)
9:7
Menochius
Hardened. He did not beg for a deliverance, as the beasts were dead. (Menochius)
9:9
Calmet
Blains. Pestiferous buboes or burning swellings. (Calmet)
Menochius
Thus were the pride and luxury of the Egyptians punished by Moses; and they who had kept the Hebrews in an iron furnace, were themselves scorched with fiery ashes and ulcers. (Menochius)
9:11
Haydock
Stand before to oppose Moses. They could not screen themselves. (Haydock)
9:12
Challoner
Hardened, etc. See the annotations above, Exodus 5:21, Exodus 7:3, and Exodus 8:15. (Challoner)
The wicked man, when he is come into the depth of sins, condemneth: but ignominy and reproach follow him, Proverbs 18:3.
9:14
Haydock
Plagues of fire and hail, that thy heart may relent. But as all my chastisements will not produce this effect, I will be glorified in thy fall. (Haydock)
Calmet
I could now strike thee dead; (ver. 15,) but I reserve thee for a more dreadful punishment, (ver. 17,) in the waters of the Red Sea. (Calmet)
9:15
Menochius
Pestilence, or various evils which now came fast upon Pharao. (Menochius)
9:16
Calmet
Raised thee to the throne, or preserved thee hitherto from the former plagues. God disposes of things in such a manner, as to draw good out of the evil designs of men. (St. Augustine, City of God 11:17; Romans 9:17.) (Calmet)
9:19
Haydock
Cattle. Some had escaped the former plague, or the Egyptians had purchased more from their neighbours, and in the land of Gessen. (Haydock)
St. Augustine
God tempers justice with mercy. (St. Augustine, q. 33.)
Haydock
Die. This message was accordingly delivered to Pharao. (Samaritan copy) (Haydock)
9:24
9:32
9:35
Worthington
Hard. Hebrew, "and he hardened his heart." (Worthington)
9:6
All the beasts.... That is, many of all kinds.
9:12
Hardened, etc.... See the annotations above, chap. 4.21, chap. 7.3, and chap. 8.15.
9:3
The 5. plague Pestilence amongst cattel.
9:6
Not al the beastes died, for some died in the 7 & 10. plagues but al that died pertained to the Aegyptians.
9:7
In Hebr. •an••bad ••b Parhaoh Pharaoes hart hardned it selfe.
9:9
The 6 plague Boyles in men and beastes.
9:11
Poore Enchanters, that could neither escape, nor cure this plague.
9:16
In Hebrew I haue made thee stand, in the 70. and chalde paraphrasis I haue kept thee aliue. In the Latin. I haue put or set thee, that in thee, through thyn owne malice indurate, I may make knowen my powre to mā kind. S. Aug. de Predest. et Grat. c. 6. The 7. plague Terrible haile, thunders and lightnings.
9:18
Concordance Rom. 5.
9:35
In Hebrew. Vaiachbed libb• hu vahabadaf. And he hardned his ovvne hart, he and his seruants.
9:2
Origen † AD 254 Letter of Origen to Gregory 2
It is something of this sort perhaps that is enigmatically indicated in the directions God is represented in the Book of Exodus
9:10
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.11
… Can ye abide my wrath, saith the Lord. Has not My hand the power to inflict upon you other plagues also? There are still at My command the blains breaking forth from the ashes of the furnace,
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.15
… Aaron stretched it out, and the water of the river was turned into blood. None could drink the water, and all the Egyptians were perishing with thirst; but there was pure water flowing in abundance for the fathers. They sprinkled ashes toward heaven, and sores and burning boils came upon man and beast.
9:11
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 28
… had it been for punishment, he would have made him lastingly blind, but now it is not so, but “for a season” (and this), that he may gain the proconsul. For, as he was prepossessed by the sorcery, it was well to teach him a lesson by this infliction (and the sorcerer also), in the same way as the magicians (in Egypt) were taught by the boils. (
9:12
Eusebius of Caesarea † AD 339 The Life of Constantine 2.11
… but Licinius, far from renouncing his evil practices, still added crime to crime, and ventured on more daring atrocities than ever. Nay, once more tampering with the detestable arts of magic, he again was presumptuous: so that it might well be said of him, as it was of the Egyptian tyrant of old, that God had hardened his heart.
9:16
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 99
… “For the scripture saith unto Pharoah, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.”
9:17
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.1.9
… For why does He blame him, saying, “But since thou wilt not let My people go, lo, I will smite all the first-born in Egypt, even thy first-born,”
9:23
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.15
… None could drink the water, and all the Egyptians were perishing with thirst; but there was pure water flowing in abundance for the fathers. They sprinkled ashes toward heaven, and sores and burning boils came upon man and beast. They brought down hail mingled with flaming fire, and all things were destroyed upon the land.
9:25
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 78.24
… careful, that those things whereby they were afflicted should be all related in order, there is not found what this Psalm hath, “and He gave to the mildew their fruits.” This also wherein, when he had said, “and He gave over to the hail their beasts,” he hath added, “and their possession to the fire:” of the beasts slain with hail is read in Exodus;
9:28
Anonymous A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop 12
… Nor to Pharaoh himself, resisting with sacrilegious boldness, when formerly he was stricken with plagues from heaven, and, turning to Moses and to his brother, said, “Pray to the Lord for me, for I have sinned.”
9:29
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.15
… They sprinkled ashes toward heaven, and sores and burning boils came upon man and beast. They brought down hail mingled with flaming fire, and all things were destroyed upon the land. Moses prayed, and all things were restored to their former beauty. The hail ceased, the sores were healed, the rivers gave their wonted draught.
9:32
St Peter of Alexandria † AD 311 Fragments from the Writings of Peter 5.1
… evidently definite period, especially because in some places the reaping is early, and sometimes it is late, so as to be sometimes before the time and sometimes after it, as it happened in the very beginning of the giving of the law, before the Passover, according as it is written, “But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were not grown up.”
9:35
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.29
1. “But,” say they, “God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants.”
9:3
BEHOLD MY HAND SHALL BE UPON THY FIELDS. — "Hand," that is, my scourge, or, as it is explained by apposition, "a very grievous pestilence," which I alone by my hand and power, not Moses, nor Aaron, shall send, as also the preceding plague, infecting the air and bodies. For pestilence is a certain poisonous vapor concreted in the air, hostile to the vital spirit, which can infect all moisture; but especially blood, secondly choler, thirdly phlegm, fourthly melancholy: therefore those of sanguine temperament are first subject to the danger of contagion of pestilence, then the choleric, afterwards the phlegmatic, finally the melancholic, because cold and dry humor is unfit for inflammation and putrefaction, and has narrow passages, says Marsilio Ficino, Antidote to Epidemics, cap. II and seq.; where he also assigns remedies for pestilence, namely flight from infected air, recreation and joy, solid food, and drink strengthening the heart and spirits, to beware of foods which easily corrupt and putrefy; to purge often putrefying humors through aloe, myrrh and saffron; to use theriac, zedoary, citron; to fumigate with juniper, turpentine, frankincense; to change clothes frequently, and to put on clean ones; to wash the mouth and hands often with vinegar, and sometimes with strong wine. UPON THY FIELDS, AND UPON THY HORSES. — "And" signifies, that is, as if to say, This plague shall be pestilence upon thy fields, that is, upon thy horses, sheep and cattle which are in the fields; for this pestilence did not touch the fields themselves. Thus the Hebrew, Chaldean and Septuagint. Hence it is clear that by this pestilence struck, there perished not men, but animals, not indeed all, but only those which were in the fields. Tropologically, this fifth plague of pestilence signifies to the transgressors of the fifth commandment: "Thou shalt not kill," such as these were, murderers of infants, that God is accustomed to inflict pestilence and other kinds of death. Thus Rupert and Prosper, lib. I On the Promises, cap. XXXVI. Sheep and Cattle, — which the Egyptians nourished not for slaughter and eating, but for service, wool and merchandise. For they ploughed with oxen, from sheep they obtained milk and wool. Origens notes that the Egyptians are punished in their animals, because they worshipped them as gods, that they might be admonished of their madness, when they saw them perish.
9:4
Among possessions, — among the cattle which the Hebrews and Egyptians possessed. THAT NOTHING AT ALL MAY PERISH OF THOSE THINGS THAT BELONG TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — Behold here the wonderful providence of God concerning the Hebrews and Egyptians; so that, when the animals of both are mixed, yet only those of the Egyptians are touched by pestilence, and no contagion of the neighboring cattle harms those which belong to the Hebrews. Whence it is clear that into the land of Goshen, in which many Egyptians dwelt, this plague also was sent, yet in such a way that it did not touch the Hebrews. The same concerning all the other plagues is the opinion of Philo, Josephus and Abulensis, namely that the waters in Goshen also were turned into blood, and frogs were there, but only the Egyptians were harassed; similarly also gnats and flies, and therefore, cap. VIII, vers. 22, it is pointedly said: "I will make the land of Goshen wonderful, in which my people is," as if to say, Where my people is, from there I will keep away flies; but where the Egyptians shall be, I will make them fly there: for this was very wonderful; thus concerning the ninth plague of darkness it is said, cap. X, vers. 23: "Wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt, there was light," as if to say, In the same house, in the chambers of the Egyptians there were darkness, but in the chambers of the Hebrews there was light. Thus the last plague killed the firstborn of the Egyptians, even in the land of Goshen, with the Hebrews there unharmed. And the reason is, because it was fitting that those Egyptians especially should be punished, who had oppressed the Hebrews. But such were the inhabitants of Goshen, especially the overseers of works. You will say, why therefore did Pharao not before in the preceding plagues, but only now in this fifth, send scouts into Goshen, to know this distinction of Hebrews and Egyptians in this plague? I answer, because before the ways were impassable on account of frogs, flies and gnats occupying everything, and Pharao was so distracted by these scourges, that he did not think of this exploration, nor even in the preceding plague, in which however Moses had foretold him that the Hebrews would be distinguished from the Egyptians, cap. VIII, vers. 22.
9:6
AND ALL THE BEASTS DIED, — namely those which were then in the fields, as is clear from what has been said in vers. 3, and this is expressed in the following plague of hail, vers. 19. For there the remaining animals of the Egyptians, which were now in stalls, and therefore remained untouched, then went out to pasture in the fields, where they were struck by hail and perished.
9:7
AND THE HEART OF PHARAO WAS HARDENED. — Pharao does not pray here that the plague cease, as he had done before, because the animals were now dead; and therefore since there was no hope for him of removing the plague, his hard heart was hardened all the more by the plague, namely, so great was the love of ruling over the Hebrews and of increasing his own wealth through tyranny, that had taken root in Pharao's mind, that he did not regard the past scourges as scourges; nor did he think they were sent upon him on account of tyranny, but would rather expose himself to uncertain divine vengeance henceforth, than abandon certain prey.
9:8
THE LORD SAID TO MOSES (immediately) AND TO AARON, — mediately, that is through Moses: for God spoke to Moses alone, as I said above. TAKE HANDFULS OF ASHES FROM THE FURNACE. — In Hebrew it is: Take for yourselves handfuls full of cinders of the furnace, that is of ashes, which flowed down in the furnace and oven from the fire and coals; but properly in Hebrew piach signifies that white cinder, which has not yet been completely turned into ash, with which half-dead coals are covered. Fittingly by this cinder the burning pustules are demonstrated: for these become like ash from heat; and it was aptly done that the Egyptians, who had tormented the Hebrews in the brick furnace, should be tormented most bitterly by the same, for which reason Moses, speaking of Egyptian servitude, Deut. cap. IV, vers. 20, says: "He brought you out of the iron furnace of Egypt." AND LET MOSES SPRINKLE IT. — Note: Both, that is both Moses and Aaron are commanded to carry the ash from the furnace, but Moses alone to sprinkle it into the air; for Aaron had already produced his signs in the waters by bringing forth blood and frogs, and bringing forth gnats from the earth: but here and henceforth greater miracles are reserved for Moses, which are manifest in fire, heaven and air, as Philo says. Therefore Moses here sprinkles ash into heaven, so that it may signify that this plague is evoked and sent from heaven by God, and so that this ash sprinkled and converted into dust, carried partly by the wind, partly by angels upon men and animals, may be turned into blisters and sores.
9:9
"Let it be dust," that is, let it become dust, let it be turned into dust. Thus the Hebrew, Chaldean, and Septuagint. Note: This ash scattered was turned into dust, not such as is the dust of the earth; for this does not have the power of burning or generating pustules, but such as is wont to be generated from ash dissolved. Therefore this dust is burning ash. Secondly, Moses did not scatter more ash than what his hands had taken up and brought to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron, which was small; but God himself multiplied what was scattered in the air, so that in the manner of dense snow, or frost it continually fell upon the Egyptians and their animals. Thirdly, God impressed upon this ash a fiery and burning power, and by wind and angels carried into all Egypt, and sprinkled upon men and beasts, it forced and generated sores and pustules by its harmful heat. THEY SHALL BE IN MEN AND BEASTS,—not in all, but in most, says Cajetan; for the rest were destroyed by the following plague of hail. SORES AND SWELLING BLISTERS.—Blisters, says Pererius, are certain swellings raised on the skin by heat elevating and dissolving, which contain watery humours dissolved by the heat of fire from the more subtle and delicate parts of the flesh; then by heat more drying the skin of men and animals was consumed and contracted, and finally burst; which bursting of flesh opened was called a wound; but after the bursting of the skin that flesh opened and gaping, gradually putrefying and consumed, became an ulcer. But such watery blisters bring little pain, and are small punishments. Again, these blisters of the Egyptians did not generate ulcers, but rather ulcers generated blisters, as is evident from the Hebrew text, which thus reads, there shall be an ulcer, or an aposteme sprouting blisters, or swellings, or effervescences, that is, there shall be an ulcer or aposteme inflated, turgid and effervescing. Whence Our Lord shortly after translated: "Ulcers of swelling blisters." These blisters therefore were nothing other than the very ulcers turgid and swollen with burning and discharge, which tormented the Egyptians with great pain. Whence Josephus says the bodies of the Egyptians were ulcerated within the skin; hence also Scripture says here, verse 11: "Neither could the magicians stand before Moses, because of the ulcers which were upon them." Philo adds: "It appeared," he says, "one ulcer from the crown of the head to the ends of the feet, these which were scattered piecemeal, coming together in one continuous spreading sore." Hence Moses, Deuteronomy chapter XXVIII, threatens this plague as it were most grave to violators of the law, saying: "The Lord shall strike thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and with the part of the body by which dung is discharged, with scab also and with itching, so that thou canst not be healed." Tropologically, this plague, says Origen, has ulcers and blisters with burning: in the ulcers is reproved deceitful malice; in the blisters, swelling and inflated pride; in the burning, the madness of wrath and fury. For truly pride is swollen and raging madness. Sapor, king of the Persians, called himself king of kings, sharer of the stars, brother of the sun and moon, as testified by Herodotus, book II, and Pliny, book II; was he not foolish? Menecrates the physician demanded this one reward from those whom he healed, that freed they should confess themselves his servants, and call him Jupiter. Hence he wrote to the king with this title: "Jupiter Menecrates to King Agesilaus, greetings;" to whom he himself replied in this form: "King Agesilaus to Menecrates, a sound mind." Nestorius the heretic, having become bishop of Constantinople, the next day had an oration to the people full of arrogance, by which he promised he would give heaven to each one: the orthodox derided his foolishness. The first Emperor Domitian ordered himself to be called Lord and God, says Eusebius. The Romans laughed at the man's pride. Deservedly Aesop, asked by Chione, "what would Jupiter do?" answered: "He depresses the lofty, he exalts the humble." And Innocent III, Pontiff, in the book On the Worthlessness of Man: "Pride," he says, "overturned the tower of Babel, confused the tongue, prostrated Goliath, hanged Haman, killed Nicanor, destroyed Antiochus, submerged Pharaoh, slew Sennacherib. Alas! whence this pride of man? whose life laborious penalty rolls along, whose penalty a more penal necessity of death concludes; for whom to be is a moment, life a shipwreck, the world an exile; for whom death either presses upon, or threatens to press upon." Secondly, St. Prosper, first part, Promises, chapter XXXVI, and Rupertus: Those who violate, he says, the sixth precept, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," and burn with lust, these also burning with sulphurous fire and ulcerous, shall eternally bear burning in soul and body. "For all adulterers are as an oven heated by the baker," says Hosea, chapter VII. But St. Augustine adapts this plague to murderers, who burn with wrath, but he himself inverts here the order of the precepts of the Decalogue. "Thou shalt not kill" is indeed, not the sixth, but the fifth precept of the Decalogue.
9:11
NOR COULD THE SORCERERS STAND BEFORE MOSES BECAUSE OF THE ULCERS. — This is the third victory of Moses against the magicians. First indeed he conquered them, when his serpent devoured their serpents. Second, when he produced gnats, which the magicians could not produce. Third, here by torturing them with ulcers he overcame them completely. Thus Rupertus. From this it appears that the magicians, although conquered, nevertheless up to this point resisted Moses with words and calumnies and all their effort, and thus hardened Pharaoh more and more: for although they acknowledged God in the third sign, they did not glorify him or worship him as God. Calvin adds that the magicians produced by their incantations all the signs which Moses had made up to this point equally, namely blood, frogs, gnats, or, as Calvin prefers, lice, flies, pestilence and ulcers. Whence does Calvin say this, except from his spirit of dizziness? For Scripture asserts the contrary entirely, namely that they failed in the third sign, and could not produce gnats, by which it sufficiently insinuates that they could produce or effect no sign beyond that.
9:12
AND THE LORD HARDENED THE HEART OF PHARAOH. — Here for the first time God is said to have hardened the heart of Pharaoh, namely when the magicians, who had encouraged and hardened him up to this point, were now completely defeated and afflicted. See the remarks on chapter VII, verse 3.
9:14
IN THIS TIME I WILL SEND ALL MY PLAGUES UPON THY HEART, — that is to say, I have begun to press thee, O Pharaoh, I will continue now; for it is fixed with me not to cease, but to send one plague after another upon thee, until I drown thee, ever more rebellious and resisting, in the Red Sea. ALL MY PLAGUES, — not those which I can, but those which I have destined to send upon thee to destroy thee. UPON THY HEART, — that is to say, The preceding plagues have not wounded thee; come now, I will aim my weapons at thy very heart itself, and send those which will wound, touch and grieve thy heart.
9:15
NOW THEREFORE STRETCH OUT MY HAND AND I WILL STRIKE THEE AND THY PEOPLE WITH PESTILENCE. — "With pestilence," by which I will slay in the final plague thy firstborn, says Pererius. But it is uncertain whether the firstborn were slain by this pestilence, and that plague did not happen now, but after three others. Add that Pharaoh did not perish by this plague: but this is said here; for it follows, "and thou shalt be destroyed from the earth." Second, others from the Hebrew translate: And indeed if I had wished, I could have slain thee with pestilence (by which I slew thy cattle), and thou wouldst have perished from the earth; but for this reason I have placed and preserved thee, that I might show in thee my strength. Thus the Chaldean. But the Hebrew does not have "if," and they threaten Pharaoh pestilence and destruction assertively, not conditionally. I say therefore: pestilence here signifies every kind of destruction which God afterwards sent upon Pharaoh, that is to say, I will add plagues to plagues, until thou art destroyed from the earth. It is clear from the preceding verses, to which this causal particle "for" connects it; for verse 14 preceded: "In this time I will send all my plagues upon thy heart." With pestilence therefore, that is with destruction and death; for thus the Hebrew דבר deber, that is pestilence, our Interpreter translated, Psalm LXXVII, 50, when he says: "He shut up their cattle in death (in Hebrew in pestilence)"; and Hosea XIII, 14: "I will be thy death (in Hebrew deber, that is pestilence), O death." Thus we commonly call pests of the Republic pestilences. Thus Terence in the Adelphi calls that pimp "the pestilence of young men." In a similar way the sword signifies to the Hebrews any kind of destruction and death, as I said in chapter V, verse 21. AND THOU SHALT BE DESTROYED FROM THE EARTH. — The Hebrew has all these in the past tense: "Behold now I have stretched out my hand, I have struck, and thou hast perished," that is to say, Thus certainly have I decreed to destroy thee, as if I had already struck thee, and thou hadst perished. Behold how grave a threat God attempts and strikes the hardest heart of Pharaoh with, that it might be softened; but in vain: for as if it were adamant, so by striking it became more hardened.
9:16
FOR THIS CAUSE HAVE I APPOINTED THEE, THAT I MAY SHEW MY POWER IN THEE. — Some explain it thus: For this reason have I hardened thee, that I might have occasion to punish thee continually, and thus to show forth my power. But this is the blasphemous heresy of Calvin. I say therefore, for "appointed thee," in Hebrew it is העמדתיך heemadticha, that is, I made thee stand, which signifies two things. First, I appointed thee: whence Our [translation] renders it, "appointed thee;" and Paul, Rom. IX, 17, "raised thee up." Second, "I sustained thee;" for he who sustains another makes him stand and establishes him, that he may stand firm. Whence the Chaldean renders it, I sustained thee; and the Septuagint, thou wast saved. In either way St. Augustine reads here, Questions XXXII, and St. Ambrose in chapter IX on Romans. And both readings are true; for the latter completes the former in this way: first, "I appointed thee, and established thee," namely as king; second, "I sustained thee," namely as king, that thou mightest endure in thy kingdom. The sense therefore is, as if to say, I, God, have constituted thee, O Pharaoh, as king, sustained thee, preserved thee, and permitted thee to rise as a tyrant against my people; that I in turn might rise against thee as against an enemy with so many most powerful plagues, and finally submerge thee in the Red Sea, that thus all might acknowledge, fear and worship my justice and power. Thus Chrysostom and Photius in chapter IX on Romans. THAT I MAY SHEW MY POWER IN THEE. — Note: This was not the first and principal, but one among other causes, and the last one, why God appointed Pharaoh as king. For the first cause was, that Pharaoh might act well, and rule the people well, and thus by acting well be adorned with present and eternal rewards; for unto this was every man created. Whence also God bore with Pharaoh sinning in much patience, that he might correct his hardness, life and ways. For, as the Apostle says, Rom. II: "The patience and benignity of God leadeth thee to penance," that is, strives to lead thee. Therefore God scourged Pharaoh, that he by these scourges might be softened, and might bend himself to the obedience of God. But, because he himself by his hardness resisted God, therefore God decreed to add plague to plague, and finally to submerge him with his people in the Red Sea, to this end, that these plagues and disasters might set before all eyes the power of God, and might strike fear of God into the impious and rebellious, just as those plagues struck this fear into the Chanaanites, Joshua II, 9, and the Philistines, 1 Kings IV, 8. For God would never have endured such long and stubborn pertinacity of Pharaoh, unless from his malice He had thought to draw forth so great a vindication; for, as Boethius says, book IV of the Consolation of Philosophy, prose 6: "The divine power alone is such that even evils become good to it, when it uses them competently, drawing forth some good effect from them; for a certain order embraces all things, so that whatever has departed from the assigned reason of order, this same thing, though in another way, yet falls back into order: that nothing in the kingdom of providence be left to chance." Note: God long endured Pharaoh and other hardened ones, and endures them daily. First, that He might show how great an evil hardness is, and how they are hard and inflexible in all things. Second, that He might give them longer space for repentance, Rom. II, 4. Third, that He might show forth His power and longsuffering in them, Wisdom XII, 10. Fourth, that by their comparison the wonderful mercy of God toward the elect might appear, Rom. IX, 22.
9:17
DOST THOU STILL RETAIN? — In Hebrew, dost thou still tread, that is, as the Chaldean [renders it], thou retainest the subject, so unjustly and fixedly dost thou sit upon him, and dost straiten him, that thou art unwilling to relax for three days?
9:18
BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN TOMORROW AT THIS VERY HOUR. — God does not defer the punishment of sin. Behold, the hour of vengeance follows immediately upon the hour of guilt: therefore all the pleasure of sin is but for an hour; and our life too is but for an hour; and likewise the opportunity and time for earning eternal rewards is but for an hour. Hence the Hour was a goddess to the Gentiles, a goddess of providence, who would not permit men to be negligent and slothful: and from exhorting and inciting, she was called Horta. For Horta the goddess, when she lived, was called Hersilia, the wife of Romulus. Plutarch relates that the temple of this goddess was never accustomed to be closed, for this very reason, that she might always exhort that something glorious be done, and might admonish that there should never be cessation. Thus Giraldus, syntag. 1. A VERY GREAT HAIL (that is, very much hail), SUCH AS WAS NOT IN EGYPT, FROM THE DAY THAT IT WAS FOUNDED, — that is, from the day when it began to be inhabited by Mesraim (for Egypt is called in Hebrew Mesraim, and is called today by the Turks and inhabitants Mesra), the son of Ham, the first founder, or rather the first settler of Egypt. Thus it is explained in verse 24, where it is said: "Since that nation was founded," namely for 627 years; for Egypt began to be inhabited soon after the dispersion of nations made at Babel, Genesis XI. Now that dispersion was made in the year 470 after the flood, as I said there, namely 122 years before the birth of Abraham; for Abraham was born in the year 292 after the flood; in the 100th year of Abraham, Isaac was born; from the birth of Isaac to the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt, there elapsed 403 years, as I said in Genesis XV, 13. Therefore from the dispersion at Babel, when Egypt began to be inhabited, until this year, when the Hebrews departed from Egypt, there elapsed 627 years. For add 122 years from Babel to Abraham, and 100 to Isaac, and 403 to the departure, and you will have 627. Moses adds this appropriately to the Egyptians; for the Egyptians boasted of their antiquity, and fabulously arrogated to themselves an age of thirteen thousand years, and so, as Diodorus Siculus says, lib. I, cap. II, they vaunted that the first men created were in Egypt, on account of the fertility and convenience of the Nile. Some explain it thus: there was never such hail in that land, from the time when it was called Egypt, and whence the inhabitants are Egyptians; but they are wrong: for that land was called Egypt from Aegyptus, the brother and son of Belus, the Egyptian, to whom, when he died, the latter succeeded in the kingdom, having ejected his brother Danaus, who went into Greece, and from whom they were called Danaans, which Eusebius and St. Augustine, XVIII De Civitate Dei XI, relate to have happened when Joshua, who succeeded Moses, was ruling among the Hebrews, that is, 800 years after the flood. Therefore not then, but after these times, was Egypt called by that name.
9:19
GATHER TOGETHER THY CATTLE. — Behold the clemency of God, who even when angry tempers his wrath with clemency, and thereby moderates and mitigates the punishment. Thus St. Augustine, Quaest. XXXIII.
9:23
THE LORD GAVE THUNDER. — "The Lord" not by himself, but through an angel; for the sweet disposition of divine providence delights in its own order, so that it uses administrative spirits, namely angels, as far as their powers allow, that is, where he wishes something to be done which does not transcend the limits of nature, such as this thunder, hail and lightning, to be effected through natural causes, or by applying active things to passive things. For when a hot and dry exhalation in the clouds meets a moist and cold one, it breaks through it with violent eruption, and from this collision a sound arises, which is called thunder, and an ignition and inflammation of the exhalation, which is called lightning. Thus Aristotle, lib. II Meteor. cap. I and VIII. AND HAIL AND LIGHTNING RUNNING ACROSS THE EARTH. — This was the seventh plague in Egypt of hail; for as it is said in Psalm CXLVIII: "Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind, fulfilling his word;" and although these proceed from natural causes, yet often, with divine wrath ordering and sharpening those causes, they rage more fiercely. Note: For lightning in Hebrew it is אש esh, that is, fire, by which understand ignited exhalations, also lightning, which by flashing, burning, melting, dividing, destroying whatever they encounter, inflicted the gravest harm upon Egypt. Hence Ovid calls lightning three-pronged and three-forked, as if it had three edges with which it cuts and splits all things, as in Metamorph. II: "That Father and ruler of the gods, whose right hand is armed with three-forked fires, who shakes the world with a nod."
9:24
AND HAIL AND FIRE WERE MINGLED TOGETHER. — In Hebrew it is, there was fire receiving itself, or received in the hail; the Septuagint has, and there was hail and fire burning in the hail. This therefore was a remarkable prodigy, that together with hail and rain, as is said in verse 34, fire was mingled. Whence in Wisdom XVI, it is said of this: "It was a marvel that in water which extinguishes all things, fire had greater power, and above the strength of fire it burned; but snow and ice sustained the force of fire, and did not melt." In this plague therefore three elements raged against the Egyptians, air through thunders, water through hail, fire through lightning, so that even unwillingly the Egyptians were forced to acknowledge that they were struggling against the all-powerful Lord of the elements and the world. For, according to the saying in Wisdom V, the whole world fought for God against the senseless, and every creature armed itself against the impious; God therefore here showed that there are not other gods celestial, others aerial, others aquatic, others terrestrial, as the Gentiles thought, and the Syrians, saying that the God of Israel is the God of mountains, not of valleys; but that He is the true creator and Lord of all, says Theodoret. Note five wonderful and horrible things in this plague. First, that these things happened in Egypt, where rain, thunder and hail are rare and slight. Second, that this hail was of unusual magnitude, like stones, says Philo, and dense like rain, as is evident here, verse 18. Third, that, as Philo says, hail was intermixed with fires, by which nevertheless neither was it itself melted, nor did it extinguish the lightning, but both together were borne along with the same force. Fourth, these thunders were unusual and horrible, which wonderfully struck the Egyptians. The hail laid low and destroyed the crops, fruits and produce, indeed even animals, not those at home, but those in the fields; lightning struck trees and harder things, and animals and men. From which, says Philo, if anything survived, they carried about burned wounds to the terror of those seeing. But this does not seem true; for the Lord, verse 19, foretold that all things would die. Whence also verse 25 is said: "And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all things that were in the fields, from man even to beast, and all the herb of the field the hail smote, and broke every tree of the country." Fifth, that the land of Goshen alone was immune from this plague. Mystically, St. Augustine: "The seventh, he says, commandment is, Thou shalt not steal, and the seventh plague was hail in the fruits: what you withdraw from heaven by theft against God's commandment, you lose from heaven; for no one has unjust gain without just loss; he who steals acquires a garment, but by heavenly judgment loses faith: where there is gain, there is loss; visibly gain, invisibly loss. Gain by its blindness, loss, because he lives without equity; therefore, those who by their judgment steal outwardly, by God's just judgment are hailed upon inwardly: because namely by the guilt of eternal death they are struck in the soul." Whence secondly, this fiery hail, or this hailing fire was a type of infernal fire, which will hail upon and blow upon the damned. Who would not fear this fire, this hail? St. Jerome dreaded it, and therefore cast away all pleasures, and withdrew himself into the desert as into a harbor of safety. "I," he says himself in epistle 22 to Eustochium, "who on account of fear of Gehenna had condemned myself to such a prison, the companion only of scorpions and wild beasts." Cyril of Alexandria dreaded it in the oration On the Departure of the Soul: "Gehenna," he says, "I fear, inasmuch as it is endless; I shudder at Tartarus, as having too much heat in it; I dread the darkness, because it admits no light; I am afraid of the pestilential worm, because it is eternal." Rightly therefore Chrysostom compares us to children, who fear phantoms, not fire: for thus we fear phantoms of evils, namely temporal losses and hardships; but the evil itself, that is sin, and the eternal fire to which it leads us, we do not dread. Thus he himself in homily 5 to the People. Note: Elsewhere, and after these times, hail was not less, but greater subsequently. Ludovicus Clavitellius, folio 260, relates that in the year of the Lord 1514, on the 5th of August, it rained hail in Cremona of the size of a hen's egg. In the Northern regions it rains hail sometimes like a human head, as Olaus Magnus teaches in book I, chapter XXII, and the Conimbricenses in Meteora, chapter On Hail. Again, Clavitellius writes that in the territory of Bologna, in the year of the Lord 1537, in the month of August, it rained hail mixed with blood, from which grains weighed were found to be of 28 pounds. The Tripartite History, book VII, chapter XXII, relates that in the year of the Lord 369, on the fourth day before the Kalends of June, a hail of the magnitude of stones fell upon Constantinople. Thus in the year of the Lord 406, on the last day of September, when St. John Chrysostom was sent into exile, a terrible hail rained down upon Constantinople. So the Tripartite History, book X, chapter XX. At the end of the world great hail shall rain down like a talent, which contains 1500 ounces, Apocalypse XVI, 21. Thus the Amorites were crushed by hailstones in the time of Joshua, chapter X, verse 11. AND IT WAS OF SUCH MAGNITUDE, AS HAD NEVER APPEARED BEFORE IN ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT. — From this you may gather that it is false what some fabulously relate, that rain was never seen in Egypt, never hail. For if the comparison here is correct, it is permissible to infer: therefore hail was seen at some time, and much more rain in Egypt, but not so much as this. Hence also Diodorus Siculus, book I, chapter II, teaches that there are rains in Egypt, but very rare ones; and Philo: "Egypt," he says, "knows not winter, nor wintry storms: it is sprinkled about the winter solstice with small and rare rains in maritime places only: but above Memphis it experiences none at all;" and he adds the cause: "Because Egypt is not far distant from the torrid zone (for it is only 25 degrees away from the equinoctial), and consequently is hot; and because the inundations of the Nile sufficiently fertilize the fields, so that it is not necessary for nature to provide rains for Egypt." It is indeed wonderful and almost incredible what Philo adds, that the Nile inundating consumes the clouds from which rain is made: for the Nile does not swell up to the clouds, unless he means to say that the Nile overflowing by its violence prevents vapors from ascending and condensing into clouds, or that by some hidden sympathy it draws them to itself. Note: The inundation of the Nile begins at the summer solstice, ceases at the autumnal equinox, and helps the fields both by inundating them and by covering them with mud and enriching them. Seneca adds, book IV of Natural Questions, chapter II, that nature has so arranged it that at that time the Nile inundates Egypt, when the earth, burned by the greatest heat, draws in and absorbs water more deeply; so that it then draws in as much as may suffice for the annual drought. Various authors give various causes for this inundation: Solinus attributes it to the sun and stars. Secondly, Ephorus attributes it to the earth being rare and dry, and sweating in Egypt. Thirdly, Herodotus attributes it to the nature of the Nile, as if by its nature this river draws waters to itself, and thus overflows. Fourthly, others attribute it to subterranean cavities, which full of waters pour themselves into the Nile. Fifthly, Thales and Aelianus attribute it to the Etesian winds, which blowing from the opposite direction resist the descending Nile and reverberate it, so that it overflows. But experience has shown that the increase of the Nile is effected not from the opposite direction, but from the marshes, from which the Nile descends. I say therefore that the cause of the inundation of the Nile is the immense force of rainwater (add also the melting of snows) which at a fixed time of the year is gathered in the marshes and those upper places from which the Nile flows, and flows into the Nile, and thus increases it, so that it overflows more or less, according to the abundance or scarcity of rains and streams flowing into the Nile. But this inundation happens in Egypt in summer because those marshes and springs, as has been discovered in our own age, are in that part of the world where it is winter at the time when it is summer at Alexandria and in Egypt: hence they abound in rains then, with perhaps some heavenly force of some star dominating there concurring to this, as Scaliger wishes in exercise 47 against Cardano; and the Conimbricenses in Meteora, tract. IX, chapter X.
9:26
ONLY IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN, WHERE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE, DID HAIL NOT FALL. — As if to say, All Egypt was struck with hail, except Goshen, in which many were immune from it, namely the Hebrews, with their cattle and fields. For I have said that the Egyptians were struck with hail there as well as elsewhere, verse 6.
9:30
NOW I KNOW THAT THOU AND THY SERVANTS DO NOT YET FEAR THE LORD, — namely with the fear of piety, flowing from reverence and religion toward God: thus St. Augustine, Question XXXV; or even with servile fear of punishments, namely such that while it remains, when the scourges cease you will let the people go. Hence in Hebrew it is: I know that you will not fear the Lord. For otherwise their prayers during the time the plagues lasted testify that they feared the Lord for a time; which so changed their heart, at least for a brief time, that they seriously thought to let the people go: for this reason shortly after Pharao, freed from punishment and returning to his nature, is said to be hardened again.
9:32
BUT THE WHEAT AND THE RYE WERE NOT SMITTEN. — The Hebrews and Lyra understand by rye spelt, which is enclosed in husks even outside the chaff, whereas wheat is enclosed by the chaff alone. BECAUSE THEY WERE LATE, — In Hebrew, because they were dark, that is, because they had not yet come forth, and still lay hidden under the earth, or under thin grass; for this happened about the end of February, as is clear from what has been said in chapter VII, at the end of Question III.
9:35
AND HIS HEART WAS HARDENED. — The heart of Pharaoh, struck so many times, with so many signs given, so many plagues sent, was not softened, but was always hardened, and therefore became harder each day; in Hebrew it is, Pharaoh hardened his heart. BY THE HAND OF MOSES, — by Moses: for the hand is the instrument of instruments, as Aristotle says; it is a Hebraism.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
9:1
v. 4 « Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen : Ingredere ad Pharaonem et loquere ad eum : Haec dicit Dominus Deus Hebraeorum : Dimitte populum meum , ut sacrificet mihi ».
9:2
v. 9 « Quodsi adhuc renuts et relines eos »,
9:3
v. 9 « ecce manus med erit super agros tuos », — sed reliqui super pecora tua, quae sunt in agris, et sequens * Sylv. merito pronuntiat esse epexegeticum — zd est — « et super. equos et asinos et camelos et boves et oves, pestis valde gravis ». De equis et camelis apud Aegyptios, cf. quae diximus ad Gen. 12,16 et F. CAabas : Études sur l'antiquité historique, Paris 1873, p. 408 sqq. « Potuit quidem huius pestis initium fuisse ex naturali causa, ex ranarumi sc. sciniphumque putrefactione » (Sylv.), et ex aquarum corruptione. v. lk « Et faciet Dominus mirabile », seu potius segregabit (cf. ad 8,92), « 2nter possessiones Israel et possessiones Aegyptiorum, ut nihil omnino pereat ex his, quae pertinent ad. filios Israel ». Pro possessiones verte pecora.
9:5
v. 5 « Constituitque Dominus tempus dicens : Cras faciet Dominus verbum istud in terra ». Rursum Sam: inducit. Moysen et Aaron omnia haee verbotenus coram Pharaone repetentes.
9:6
v. 6 « Fecit ergo Dominus verbum hoc altera die, mortuaque sunt omnia animantia Aegyptiorum , de animalibus vero filiorum Israel nihil omnino periit ». Mirabatur iam Aug. (ad v. 19), dici hie omnia Aegyptiorum | pecora mortua esse, cum postea alia grandine interimantur, neque Pharaonem equi ad tot currus trahendos defecerint; responditque agere textum de solis iis animalibus, quae tum essent in agris, non in stabulis. Calm. ea insuper excipit animalia, quibus in caulas esset refugium. Textus omnino sic exponi potest et debet, ut omnia, quae mortua sint, fuerint Aegyptiorum, Hebraeorum mortuum sit nullum ; ergo absolutus mortuorum numerus nequaquam indicatur.
9:7
v. 7 « Et misit Pharao |ad videndum] : nec erat quidquam mortuum de his, quae possidebat Israel. Ingravatumque est cor Pharaonis, et non dimisit populum ». | Dum primae tres plagae in(lictae traduntur a Moyse per Aaron, dum in quarta et quinta Aaronis mentio non habetur, sexta ad nonam videntur ab ipso prae Aarone Moyse esse inflictae (9,11. 23; 10,13. 22; Aug.); attingebant autem eae plagae segetes et sanitatem, quae segetes Aegyptiis longe pretiosiores erant gregibus. Tandem ad ultimam plagam infligendam 11,4 Deus ipse egreditur. — Igitur sexta plaga non est variola, licet Philonis descriptio ei morbo satis quadret : variola siquidem multos interemisset, mortuorum autem in narranda plaga nulla fit mentio (Friedreich 1. 107). Nota etiam agi de morbo communi iumentis cum hominibus , qui sit DY23Y2N m5 pn, i. e. inflammatio erumpens in bullas, ergo morbus cutis. Varii eiusmodi morbi (vide ap. Dillm.) nascuntur, quo tempore Nili aquae crescunt, quos alii aquis corruptis, alii aestui adscribunt. An hi etiam pecora afficiant, non constat. Plurima in Aegypto etiam est scabies, tam animalia quam homines afficiens. Ceterum nota, non illud textum edicere, uno eodemque eutis morbo omnes, homines aeque atque pecora, esse affectos : potuere varii esse morbi.
9:8
v. 8 « Et dizit Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron : Tollite plenas manus cineris de camino, et spargatillum Moyses in coelum coram Pharaone », « ut Pharao videat, quod ista plaga veniat a Deo » (Sy/v.).
9:9
v. 9 « Sitque pulvis super omnem terram Aegypti », Hebr. sit (cinis) zn. pulverem. Porro cinerem illum sursum proiectum et in minutas particulas dilapsum pulveris instar circumvolitasse, per se patet : illud vero difficultatem habet, quomodo pulveris tantum, quantum duorum hominum manibus prehendi potuit, fuerit super omnem terram Aegypti. Ubi Men. cinerem censet miraculo fuisse multplicatum , Tos/. pulverem a cinere distinctum esse creatum. Sufficere videtur, ut pulvis ille seu cinis fuerit super omnem terram non physice, sed moraliter. Moyses cinerem versus quatuor coeli partes spargebat, simul verbis deeclarabat einerem ita sparsum symbolum esse plagae coelitus in universam Aegyptum immittendae. Apte sc. morbus contagione propagatus comparatur pulveri per aera cireumlato. « Erunt |enzm] Zn Aominibus et dumentis ulcera et vesicae turgentes in universa terra Aegypti ». Hebr. : et erit (cinis) àn homznibus pecoribusque in inflammationes etc., illas moralhter efficiet atque praesignat.
9:10
v. 10 « T'u/erunique cinerem de camino, et steterunt coram Pharaone , et sparsit illum Moyses in. coelum; factaque sunt ulcera. vesicarum turgentium in. hominibus et in umentis ».
9:11
v. 11 « Nec poterant malefici stare coram Moyse propter ulcera, quae in illis erant et in omni [terra Aegypti ». Hebr. verti potest et 2n omnibus Aegyptiis. Non puto verborum sensum necessario hune esse (Ca?.), maleficos attentasse hoc signum imitari. Expressio differt ab altera 7,11. 39; 8,1. 18. Cum Aegyptii munditiei essent perquam studiosi, nulla ratione fieri poterat, ut viri ulceribus foedati perseverarent coram rege et coram Moyse, qui regem adierat. Confunduntur malefici eo, quod non solum plagam alis nequeant infligere, sed ne se ipsos quidem a plaga defendere.
9:12
v. 12 « Induravitque Dominus cor. Pharaonis , et non. audivit eos, sicut locutus est Dominus ad Moysen ». Arg. — Priores plagae sex omnes cum fluminis inundatione quadamtenus connectebantur. Ubi iam illud anni tempus advenit, cui à germinatione segetum nomen, contra segetes convertitur Dei indignatio. Quae portentorum classis solemne v. 13-16 exordium habet, quo simul a praecedentibus evidentius discernitur. Ipsa septima plaga illustriore stilo deseribitur. De ea futura non sine ironia v. 17-19 Pharao edocetur, dies et hora indicitur, portenti magnitudo v. 18 emphatice annuntiatur, v. 23-95 vividius describitur; ad Moysis nutum incipit portentum, eo orante cessat; quam intercessionem efflagitaverat Pharao.
9:13
v. 13 « Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen : Mane consurge , et sta coram Pharaone, et dices ad eum : Haec dicit Dominus » Deus « Hebraeorum : Dimitte populum meum, ut sacrificet mihi ». Censet Tost., hac etiam vice Moysen convenisse regem, quando iret ad aquas : id tamen non est certum, potuit rex metu contagionis se domi continere. v. 14 tere possum, sed. « quas in te mittere destinavi » (Tost.), « super cor iuum » « induratum » (Dillm.), « et super servos tuos, et super populum. tuum : ut scias, quod non sit similis met in omni terra ». Omnia sequentia in unum (?n hac vice) colligit narrator, et speciali v. 17 sqq. grandinis comminationi generalem comminationem praemittit.
9:15
v. 15 .« Nunc enim extendens manum percutiam te et populum tuum peste , peribisque de terra ». Pestem interpretantur Tost., Sa primogenitorum interitum ; Bonfr., Men. omnes sequentes plagas; Cam. loeustas. Longe simplicius Kn». hunc versum iungit sequenti : Quia vel nunc extendissem manum ,, et te populumque tuum pereussissem peste, ut perires de terra : sed idcirco te praeservavl ete. Sic aut pestis nunquam inflieta est aut, si mavis, elfecta est interitu primogenitorum.
9:16
v. 16 « Idcirco autem posui te, ut ostendam 1n te fortitudinem meam, et narretur nomen meum in omnt terra ». Duplex divinae longanimitatis finis: manifestatio divinae omnipotentiae, et gloria inde Deo accrescens a ereaturis. Verba citat S. Paulus Rom. 9,17, addens : « ergo, cuius vult, miseretur et, quem vult, indurat ». ( v. 47 « Adhuc » post tot plagas « retzines populum meum , et non vis dimittere eum? » Haud refert, interrogativene accipias sententiam, an secus.
9:18
v. 18 « En pluam cras hac ipsa hora grandinem multam nimis, qualis non fuit in. Aegypto a die, qua fundata est », « qua incepit habitari » (Tost.), « usque in praesens tempus ». Indicitur non dies solum sed etiam hora, quo evidentius pateat calamitas a Iahve esse illata, et quo certius homines sibi praecavere possint. Recte e verbis infert S7/v., quandoque in Aegypto grandimem fuisse; eam ibi, licet raro, accidere recentiores observarunt (cf. Dil/m.).
9:19
v. 19 « Mitte ergo tam nunc, et congrega iumenta tua et omnia, quae habes in agro : homines enim et iumenta, et universa, quae inventa fuerint foris nec congregata, de agris, cecideritque super ea grando , morientur ». Haec monitio adiecta est imprimis pro servis Pharaonis (Sy/v.) : quoad Pharaonem ipsum verba habent acerbam ironiam. Sa. rursus inducit Moysen et Aaron verbotenus coram Pharaone repetentes verba v. 13-19.
9:20
v. 20 « Quz timut verbum Domini de servis Pharaonis , fecit confugere servos suos et iumenta in domos ». Ergo per servos Pharaonis in tota hac narratione imprimis intelliguntur aulici, qui alios sibi subditos haberent servos : quam. vocem LXX quidem ignorant.
9:21
v. 94 « Qu autem neglexit sermonem Domini , dimisit servos suos et iumenta n agris ».
9:22
v. 99 « Et dizit Dominus ad Moysen : Extende manum tuam in coelum », « non quod illa manus extensio aliquid operaretur, sed ut esset signum, quod ad voluntatem Dei mandante Moyse ista grando eveniret » (Tost.), « ut fiat grando in universa terra Aegypti super homines et super iumenta et. super omnem herbam agri in terra Aequpti ».
9:23
v. 93 « Extenditque Moyses virgam in coelum, et Dominus dedit tonitrua et grandinem ac discurrentia fulgura super terram , pluitque Dominus grandinem super terram Aegypti » ; « h. e., lapides grandinis ita descendebant, sicut pluvia solet defluere » (Sy/v.).
9:24
v. 24 « Et grando et ignis mista pariter ferebantur ». Hebr. : Et fuit grando et ignis se comprehendens (nmpora) in medio grandinis. Sed quid est ignis se comprehendens? Globi ignei, inquit Ke7/, et favet Ez. 1,4 et Symm. i»suodpsvov , volutus (?); fulgura continuo sibi succedentia, ait Dz//m. Mechanice vertit Aq. covavxAap6avSpsvov, et liberius LXX Chald. Syr. effulgens. Sequens 5N2 522 Vulg. ad magnitudinem re- ' fert, sed sufficit referre ad violentiam : « tantaeque futt magnitudinis, quanta ante nunquam apparuit in universa, terra Aegypti, ex quo gens illa condita est ». Rem poetice explicat Sap. 16,16 sq. —
9:25
v. 25 « Et percussit grando in omni terra Aegypti cuncta , quae fuerunt tn agris, ab homine usque ad tumentum; cunctamque herbam agri percussit grando », — istud cuncta intellige fere uti omnta v. 6 : superfuit, quod locustae destruerent — « et omne lignum regionis confreg1l », « arborum teneros ramusceulos » (Bonfr.). v. 26 « Tantum tn lerra. Gessen, ubi erant filii Israel, grando non cecidit ». Etiam natura sua grando certis finibus continetur, pagum unum visitat, alium omittit. Quod auctor sacer in hae inaudita plane grandine describenda sit aliquando facundior (cf. quae diximus de diluvii descriptione), non est ratio supponendi variarum narrationum centones hic consui. v. 25 « in omni terra Aegypti », et acta
9:26
v. 96 « in terra Gessen ».Si post v. 33 inserebantur, seiungebant narrationem v. 34 actorum, « postquam cessavit pluvia », a narratione v. 33 cessasse pluviam. Ubieunque ea verba inserebantur, adiectitium quid prae se ferebant : adiecta sunt igitur post narrata, quae Moyses egit apud Pharaonem, et ante narrata ea, quae acta sunt Moyse egresso a Pharaone. | Plurimum in Aegypto linum colebatur et tenuissima ex illo lintea texebantur ; cf. Erman p. 594 sqq.; Plin. 19,1 Tanin adnumerat iis Aegypti pagis, qui optimum linum produxerint. — rnY3D2 far, 9Xop« (cf. Ez. 4,9; idemque sonat Cc« Is. 28,25), Chald. ND*2 est triticum spelta (Linn.), quod in monumentis sculptura solet exprimi, imo panis e spelta passim in sepulcris reperitur. Viciam vero (cf. Vulg. ad Ez. 4,9 et Is. 18,25) Aegyptii ignorasse videntur. — .Hordewm et triticum in Aegypto fuisse, non est cur probemus : utriusque plantae paleae lateribus insertae reperiuntur : Erman p. 577 sq. — Antiquitus hordeum colligebatur sexto postquam serebatur mense, triticum septimo (Theophr. h. pl. 8, 3; Plin. 18,10, 6); spelta sane, uti nunc, eodem cum tritico tempore. E recentiorum testimoniis illud indubie eruitur, triticum mense saltem post hordeum maturescere, quibus noster textus confirmatur; item tempus, quo simul hordeum virescat, linum folliculos germinet, triticum vero et spelta prima germina exhibeant, esse fere mensem Ianuarium. Tamen, cum in his aliqua observetur diversitas pro ratione tempestatis, irrigationis et agricolarum industriae, vix ausim e dictis v. 31 sq. accuratius computare tempus septimae plagae numerumve hebdomadarum, quae inter plagas intercesserint, Cf. Kn., Dillm. Arg. — Portentum in hoe utique cernitur, quod plagae tempus (v. 4) et magnitudo (v. 6) accurate praenuntientur, quodque ea ad Moysis nutum incipiat eodemque orante cesset. Ubi Moyses hane plagam comminatus est, Pharao ipsis aulicis compellentibus se paratum profitebatur ad solos viros Israelitas in desertum dimittendos; exorta plaga Moysis intercessionem sollicitat. Sequentibus diversos auctores deprehendit Dillm. his nixus rationibus. 1) Dum secus, ubi Deus jussit Moysen ingredi ad Pharaonem, illico etiam quid Moyses Pharaoni dicere debeat subiungit, h. 1. istud nonnisi v. 3 subiicitur. Respondeo : tota difficultas, quantulacunque ea demum sit, evanescit, dummodo advertas v. 3 pro Tox vwow"s muB 5& purs nuns NIS Sam. legere ny»2 DN TWO". 2) v. 1 » ego enim induravi etc. » sensu caret, nisi post « Ingredere ad Pharaonem » suppleas « et novam annuntia plagam ». Respondeo, id reapse facillime suppleri. 2 we ts Deus dieitur indurasse cor Pharaonis, secus dicitur Pharao ipse illud indurare. Respondeo : ne tot nuntiis incassum perlatis Moysis fatiscat animus, Deus ostendit infelicem priorum nuntiorum successum non soli Pharaoni, sed Deo item sapientissime providenti esse attribuendum.. Cap. X
9:27
v. 27 « Misitque Pharao et vocavit Moysen et Aaron, dicens ad eos : Peccavi ettam, nunc ». Vox etiam non est in textu, facitque Pharaonem confitentem, se non hac vice solum, sed antea 1am peccasse (Drus.). « Dominus Zustus, ego et populus meus impii ».
9:28
v. 98 « Orate Dominum , ut desinant. tonitrua Dei », i. e. ingentia (Vat.), « et grando, ut di mittam vos, et nequaquam [hic] ultra maneatis ». | 3?*"^, quod potuit facile oriri corruptione sequentis 73233, videntur ignorasse Vulg. LXX : etenim desinant reddit praepositionem T2. Chald. Syr. paraphrasi utentes produnt sibi textum minime esse perspicuum. Versio « satis est fiendi tonitrua » (cf. Calm.) dura est, n3 certe abundat, neque constructio est plane eadem, atque 3 Reg. 12,28; Ez. 44,6; verba tandem in ore Pharaonis fere sapiunt irreverentiam. — Pro nnowvw? legebant LXX aAnowNS WNU tamen iidem v. 29 addebant pluviam (cf. v. 33), textum quandoque modificant.
9:29
v. 29 « Az Moyses : Cum egressus fuero de urbe, extendam palmas meas ad. Dominum », — « ille est gestus orantis » (Sylv.) — « et cessabunt tonitrua, et grando non erit : ut scias, quia Dominà est terra », qua voce imprimis Aegyptus (cf. Ca/m.) designatur; an vero Moyses extra civitatem habuerit aliquem locum, in quo cum Deo colloqui consueverit (Tost.), non liquet.
9:30
v. 30 « Novi autem, quod et tw et servi «ut necdum timeatis Dominum Deum ». Praedicit brevi futuram (Caz.) non Pharaonis tantum, sed quorumdam etiam magnatium (cf. v. 35) obdurationem. |
9:31
v. 931 « Linum ergo et hordeum laesum est, eo quod hordeum esset virens, et linum iam folliculos germinaret » ;
9:32
v. 32 « triticum autem et far non sunt laesa, quia serotina erant ». Quae verba ideo potissimum inserta sunt, ut perspiciamus, quomodo post tam immanem grandinem superfuerit quidquam a locustis corrodendum. Secundario verbis adiuvamur in tempore, quo grando locum habuit, approximative definiendo. Verba quibusdam videntur non sat apto loco esse inserta : leguntur quippe inter orationem v. 29 promissam et v. 33 praesitam. Non repugnat sane, ut auctor inspiratus minus apto loco quaedam inserat. Sed quinam locus aptior erat! Si inserebantur haec inter v. 95 et 96, post absolutam grandinis descriptionem, obscurabatur antithesis inter acta
9:1
They can, in some manner, be classified into 5 pairs: plagues from water (the river turned red, frogs: Ex. 7:14-8:15); plagues from the earth (gnats, flies: ibid. 8:16-32); plagues from fire (?) (murrain of the animals and outbreak of boils: ibid. 9:1-12); plagues from the air and the wind (hail, locusts: ibid. 9:13-10:20); plagues from the sky (darkness, death of the firstborn: ibid. 10:21-12:36).
9:8
Aaron (Heb. 'Ahărān, of uncertain etymology)
… the serpent devouring the rod of the soothsayers, and of the first three plagues: the waters of the Nile changed into blood, the invasion of frogs and of gnats (Ex. 7:10-8:19). An assiduous coadjutor of Moses, with him he received the orders of Yahweh (Ex. 9:8; 12:1, 28, 43, 50). The people associated them in trust as well as in murmurings and rebellions (Ex. 16:2). Ps. 76:21 regards them both as liberators of Israel.
The liberation and acquisition of the new people of God, which J. accomplishes, had its culmination in the shedding of blood, already necessary in the Old Testament to establish the covenant between God and man (cf. Ex. 9, 8; Hebr. 9, 15-22). But already in his public life J. began to form the new people, with new laws and a new spirit (the Sermon on the Mount) and established in his teaching the conditions …
9:9
… It is mentioned in many passages of the Bible and is indeed often called simply "the river" by antonomasia (Gen. 41:1-3; Ex. 1:22; 2:3; 7:17-22; 8:5-13; 9:9; Ps. 77 [78]:44; Jer. 46:7-8; Is. 19:6-9; 18:2). As is natural, it is always present in the life of the country: the pharaoh dreams of it in Genesis (41:1-3), when he sees …
9:13
… from water (the river turned red, frogs: Ex. 7:14-8:15); plagues from the earth (gnats, flies: ibid. 8:16-32); plagues from fire (?) (murrain of the animals and outbreak of boils: ibid. 9:1-12); plagues from the air and the wind (hail, locusts: ibid. 9:13-10:20); plagues from the sky (darkness, death of the firstborn: ibid. 10:21-12:36).
9:29
… in Wis. 16:16-19, where among other things it is said that rain and hail were accompanied by a fire that preserved, even in the midst of the water, its devastating energy and consumed the produce of the fields: even in the straightforward account of Ex. 9:29 there is mention of a fire: flashes and lightning.
9:31
'ABIB (Septuagint: μὴν τῶν νεῶν; Vulgate: mensis novorum frugum). - First month of the ancient Hebrew calendar (Ex. 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Deut. 16:1), called 'abib, "ear of grain" (Ex. 9:31; Lev. 2:14; Ex. 3:15: "Tell Abib"): it coincided with the beginning of spring. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.