Exodus 9:21

9:13-21 Moses is here ordered to deliver a dreadful message to Pharaoh. Providence ordered it, that Moses should have a man of such a fierce and stubborn spirit as this Pharaoh to deal with; and every thing made it a most signal instance of the power of God has to humble and bring down the proudest of his enemies. When God's justice threatens ruin, his mercy at the same time shows a way of escape from it. God not only distinguished between Egyptians and Israelites, but between some Egyptians and others. If Pharaoh will not yield, and so prevent the judgment itself, yet those that will take warning, may take shelter. Some believed the things which were spoken, and they feared, and housed their servants and cattle, and it was their wisdom. Even among the servants of Pharaoh, some trembled at God's word; and shall not the sons of Israel dread it? But others believed not, and left their cattle in the field. Obstinate unbelief is deaf to the fairest warnings, and the wisest counsels, which leaves the blood of those that perish upon their own heads.

And he that regarded not the word of the Lord,.... Or "set not his heart" (f) "unto it", took no notice of it, but treated it with the utmost contempt; and of this sort it may be thought there were the far greatest number: everyone of this cast left his servants and cattle in the field; let them remain there, and took no care of them, nor thought about them, and so took no methods to preserve them; in which he acted a foolish part, to his own detriment and loss. (f) "non posuit cor suum", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Fagius.

Verse 21. - He that regarded not . If there were men who believed in the power and truthfulness of Jehovah, there were probably more who did not believe. As Lot "seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law" ( Genesis 19:14 ), so Moses and Aaron appeared to the great mass of the Egyptians. As observed above, a hail-storm that could endanger life, either of man or beast, was beyond all Egyptian experience, and must have seemed almost impossible. Exodus 9:21

20, 21. He that feared the word of the Lord … regarded not, &c.—Due premonition, it appears, had been publicly given of the impending tempest—the cattle seem to have been sent out to graze, which is from January to April, when alone pasturage can be obtained, and accordingly the cattle were in the fields. This storm occurring at that season, not only struck universal terror into the minds of the people, but occasioned the destruction of all—people and cattle—which, in neglect of the warning, had been left in the fields, as well as of all vegetation [Ex 9:25]. It was the more appalling because hailstones in Egypt are small and of little force; lightning also is scarcely ever known to produce fatal effects; and to enhance the wonder, not a trace of any storm was found in Goshen [Ex 9:26].

The good advice to be given by Moses to the king, to secure the men and cattle that were in the field, i.e., to put them under shelter, which was followed by the God-fearing Egyptians ( Exodus 9:21 ), was a sign of divine mercy, which would still rescue the hardened man and save him from destruction. Even in Pharaoh's case the possibility still existed of submission to the will of God; the hardening was not yet complete. But as he paid no heed to the word of the Lord, the predicted judgment was fulfilled ( Exodus 9:22-26 ). "Jehovah gave voices" (קלת); called "voices of God" in Exodus 9:28 . This term is applied to the thunder (cf. Exodus 19:16 ; Exodus 20:18 ; Psalm 29:3-9 ), as being the mightiest manifestation of the omnipotence of God, which speaks therein to men ( Revelation 10:3-4 ), and warns them of the terrors of judgment. These terrors were heightened by masses of fire, which came down from the sky along with the hail that smote man and beast in the field, destroyed the vegetables, and shattered the trees. "And fire ran along upon the ground;" תּהלך is a Kal, though it sounds like Hithpael, and signifies grassari, as in Psalm 73:9 .

[Bible] 9:18: Behold 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. 9:19. Send 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. 9:20. He that feared the word of the Lord among Pharao's servants, made his servants and his cattle flee into houses: 9:21. But he that regarded not the word of the Lord, left his servants, and his cattle in the fields. 9:22. And 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. 9:23. And 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. 9:24. And 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. 9:25. And 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. 9:26. Only in the land of Gessen, where the children of Israel were, the hail fell not. 9:27. And 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. 9:28. Pray 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. 9:29. Moses 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:

[Reformed Biblical] takes what is done to or against his people as done to or against himself. See Zec_2:8 Mat_25:40,45 Acts 9:4,5. Exodus 9:18 Since they were a kingdom or a nation. Exodus 9:19 This forewarning God gives, partly, to initiate the severity of the judgment; partly, that a considerable number of horses might be reserved for Pharaoh’s exp edition, Exo 14; partly, to show the justice of God in punishing so wicked and obstinate people, as would take no warning neither from God’s words, nor from his former works; and partly, to make a difference between the penitent and the incorrigible Egyptians. Exodus 9:20 Exodus 9:21 Exodus 9:22 ## Upon man, i.e. upon those men that presumed to continue in the field after this admonition. Exodus 9:23 ## The fire ran along upon the ground, devouring both herbs and cattle which were upon it, Psa_78:47,48 105:32,33 Exodus 9:24 Which strange mixture much increased the miracle. That hail and rain did sometimes, though but seldom, fall in Egypt, is attested by divers eye-witnesses. Exodus 9:25 ## i.e. Most of them; or herbs and trees of all sorts, as appears from Exo_10:12,15. See Poole " Exo_9:6 " . Exodus 9:26 It seems the Egyptians that dwelt there were spared for the sake of their neighbours the Israelites; which great obligation probably made them more willing

[Reformed Biblical] their utmost power and diligence to prevent it. Exodus 8:27 For we know not what kind or number of sacrifices to offer to him till we come thither. Exodus 8:28 Exodus 8:29 Exodus 8:30 Exodus 8:31 Exodus 8:32 ## Exodus 9:1 EXODUS CHAPTER 9 God threatens to smite his cattle with a pestilence, Exo_9:1-3; but spares Israel’s, Exo_9:4. Appoints a time for the execution hereof, Exo_9:5; wherein the Egyptians’ cattle dies, Exo_9:6. Pharaoh’s obstinacy, Exo_9:7. God strikes all Egypt with boils, which is the sixth plague, Exo_9:10. The magicians are not able to stand before Moses, Exo_9:11. Pharaoh’s heart hardened according to the word of the Lord, Exo_9:12. God commands Moses to repeat his message, Exo_9:13; and threatens P haraoh with more grievous plagues, Exo_9:14. God’s end in raising up Pharaoh, Exo_9:16. The seventh plague, viz. hail and rain, Exo_9:18. God’s counsel for the securing of their cattle, Exo_9:19. The execution of this plague, Exo_9:23. The effects of it, Exo_9:25. The land of Goshen is preserved, Exo_9:26. Pharaoh’s confession, Exo_9:27. Moses’ prayer for him, Exo_9:29. He foretells Pharaoh’s obstinacy, Exo_9:30. By Moses’s entreaty the plague is stayed, Exo_9:33. Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, Exo_9:34,35. Exodus 9:2 Exodus 9:3 The hand of the Lord; in an immediate manner, not by my rod, that thou mayst know it is not I, but the Lord, which doth all these things to thee. ##