Exodus 8:22

ESV But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.

NIV " ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.

NASB But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land.

CSB But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where my people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land.

NLT But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that I am present even in the heart of your land.

KJV And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.

NKJV And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land.

What does Exodus 8:22 mean?

When Israel first moved into Egypt, they settled in a region called Goshen (Genesis 45:10). This was apparently close to the main cities of the Nile Delta, but not in the exact same territory. Some modern archaeologists place it northeast of modern-day Cairo. At first, the separate location was meant to keep unpopular Israelite practices away from Egyptians who may have been offended (Genesis 46:34). Eventually, the arrangement would allow Egypt to control their slaves without needing to integrate them into their daily lives (Exodus 1:11–14). Here, we see this distinction made for the first time in reference to the plagues (Exodus 3:19–20).

The Lord promises the flies will cause problems only for the Egyptians. The given reason is to show that God is the One True God. Each of the ten plagues expresses the Lord's control over all things. Most of the catastrophes also strike against belief in various Egyptian idols. Gods associated with the Nile, insects, weather, light, and disease appear helpless against the God of Israel.

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