Exodus 8:2

8:1-15 Pharaoh is plagued with frogs; their vast numbers made them sore plagues to the Egyptians. God could have plagued Egypt with lions, or bears, or wolves, or with birds of prey, but he chose to do it by these despicable creatures. God, when he pleases, can arm the smallest parts of the creation against us. He thereby humbled Pharaoh. They should neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep in quiet; but wherever they were, they should be troubled by the frogs. God's curse upon a man will pursue him wherever he goes, and lie heavy upon him whatever he does. Pharaoh gave way under this plague. He promises that he will let the people go. Those who bid defiance to God and prayer, first or last, will be made to see their need of both. But when Pharaoh saw there was respite, he hardened his heart. Till the heart is renewed by the grace of God, the thoughts made by affliction do not abide; the convictions wear off, and the promises that were given are forgotten. Till the state of the air is changed, what thaws in the sun will freeze again in the shade.

And if thou refuse to let them go,.... Will not obey the orders: I will smite all thy borders with frogs; he gives him warning of the blow before he strikes, which shows his clemency and goodness, his patience and longsuffering; and this he did, not only that he might have time and space for repentance, and thereby avoid the blow; but that when it came, he might be sensible it was not by chance, or owing to second causes, but was from the Lord himself. I will smite all thy borders with frogs: fill the whole land of Egypt with them, to the utmost borders thereof on every side. Some (q) say the word signifies a large Egyptian fish, which in the Arabic tongue is called Altamsach, that is, a crocodile, with which the Nile abounded; but such a creature could not invade and attack them in the manner as is after related. (q) R. Chananeel apud Abendana, and some in Aben Ezra in Ioc.

Exodus 8:2-3 . All thy borders — All the land that is within thy borders. And the river — Nile, under which are comprehended all other rivers, streams, and ponds, as appears from Exodus 8:5 . But the Nile is particularly mentioned, because God would make that an instrument of their punishment and misery, in which they most gloried, ( Ezekiel 29:3 ,) to which they gave divine honours, and which was the instrument of their cruelty against the Israelites, Exodus 1:22 . Frogs shall go into thy bed-chamber — This plague was worse than the former, because it was more constant and more general: for the former in the waters did only molest them when they went to drink or use the water; but this troubled them in all places, and at all times, and annoyed all their senses with their filthy substance, shape, and noise, mingling themselves with their meats and drinks, and crawling into their beds, so that they could rest or be free from them nowhere. Into thine ovens — They shall come up in such swarms as even to enter the driest places, which they naturally shun.

With frogs - Some months appear to have elapsed between this and the former plague, if the frogs made their appearance at the usual time, that is in September. The special species mentioned here is of Egyptian origin. This plague was, like the preceding, in general accordance with natural phenomena, but marvelous both for its extent and intensity, and for its direct connection with the words and acts of God's messengers. It had also apparently, like the other plagues, a direct bearing upon Egyptian superstitions. There was a female deity with a frog's head, and the frog was connected with the most ancient forms of nature-worship in Egypt.

2 . And if thou refuse , &c.] The announcement to Pharaoh of what will follow, in case he refuses, as elsewhere in J ( Exodus 8:21 , Exodus 9:2 , Exodus 10:4 ; cf. Exodus 9:17 , Exodus 4:23 ). borders ] i.e. territory , as often: in J, here, Exodus 10:4 ; Exodus 10:14 ; Exodus 10:19 , Exodus 13:7 .

2. I will smite all thy borders with frogs—Those animals, though the natural spawn of the river, and therefore objects familiar to the people, were on this occasion miraculously multiplied to an amazing extent, and it is probable that the ova of the frogs, which had been previously deposited in the mire and marshes, were miraculously brought to perfection at once.

CHAPTER 8 Ex 8:1-15. Plague of Frogs. 1. the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh—The duration of the first plague for a whole week must have satisfied all that it was produced not by any accidental causes, but by the agency of omnipotent power. As a judgment of God, however, it produced no good effect, and Moses was commanded to wait on the king and threaten him, in the event of his continued obstinacy, with the infliction of a new and different plague. As Pharaoh's answer is not given, it may be inferred to have been unfavorable, for the rod was again raised.God sends Moses to Pharaoh that he might let the people go, Exodus 8:1. He threatens his denial with a judgment of frogs, Exodus 8:2-4. Aaron stretching forth his rod, Egypt is covered with frogs, Exodus 8:6. The magicians do so, Exodus 8:7. Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron to entreat the Lord to remove the frogs, and promises them to let them go, Exodus 8:8. Moses and Aaron cry to the Lord to take away the frogs, Exodus 8:12; which he did, Exodus 8:13. Pharaoh’s heart still hardened, Exodus 8:15. Aaron stretching forth his rod smites the dust, which becomes lice, Exodus 8:17. The magicians attempt the same, but could not, Exodus 8:18; which extorted a confession from them that this is the finger of God, yet Pharaoh is hardened, Exodus 8:19. Swarms of flies threatened, Exodus 8:20-23. God fulfills his word, Exodus 8:24. Pharaoh sends for Moses and Aaron, and permits a sacrifice in Egypt, Exodus 8:25.

The plague of Frogs, or the second plague, also proceeded from the Nile, and had its natural origin in the putridity of the slimy Nile water, whereby the marsh waters especially became filled with thousands of frogs. צפרדּע is the small Nile frog, the Dofda of the Egyptians, called rana Mosaica or Nilotica by Seetzen, which appears in large numbers as soon as the waters recede. These frogs (הצּפרדּע in Exodus 8:6 , used collectively) became a penal miracle from the fact that they came out of the water in unparalleled numbers, in consequence of the stretching out of Aaron's staff over the waters of the Nile, as had been foretold to the king, and that they not only penetrated into the houses and inner rooms ("bed-chamber"), and crept into the domestic utensils, the beds (מטּה), the ovens, and the kneading-troughs (not the "dough" as Luther renders it), but even got upon the men themselves.

[Bible] 7:24. And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 7:25. And seven days were fully ended, after that the Lord struck the river. Exodus Chapter 8 The second plague is of frogs: Pharao promiseth to let the Israelites go, but breaketh his promise. The third plague is of sciniphs. The fourth is of flies. Pharao again promiseth to dismiss the people, but doth it not. 8:1. And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao, and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Let my people go to sacrifice to me. 8:2. But if thou wilt not let them go, behold I will strike all thy coasts with frogs. 8:3. And the river shall bring forth an abundance of frogs; which shall come up and enter into thy house, and thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the houses of thy servants, and to thy people, and into thy ovens, and into the remains of thy meats: 8:4. And the frogs shall come in to thee, and to thy people, and to all thy servants. 8:5. And the Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand upon the streams, and upon the rivers and the pools, and bring forth frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8:6. And Aaron stretched forth his hand upon the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 8:7. And the magicians also, by their enchantments, did in like manner, and they brought forth frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8:8. But Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Pray ye to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. Pray ye to the Lord, etc... By this it appears, that though the magicians, by the help of the devil, could bring frogs, yet they could not take them away: God being pleased to abridge in this the power of Satan. So we see they could not afterwards produce the lesser insects; and in this restraint of the power of the devil, were forced to acknowledge the finger of God.