Exodus 9:15

ESV For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.

NIV For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.

NASB For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth.

CSB By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth.

NLT By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth.

KJV For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

NKJV Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

What does Exodus 9:15 mean?

Some read about the ten plagues (Exodus 3:20) and think God is unfair. Twice in this story (Exodus 9:27; 10:16), Pharaoh admits that God is right. At one point, he even asks for a blessing (Exodus 12:32). But starting with the eighth plague (Exodus 10:4), God deliberately makes Pharoh resistant (Exodus 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8). This verse is part of the answer to that concern.

Pharaoh has been given many chances (Exodus 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 21; 9:1) and has freely chosen to be obstinate (Exodus 5:2; 7:13–14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). The Lord could have responded by erasing Egypt from the face of the earth. The prior plagues could have been allowed to destroy the nation along with its king. Yet the Lord offered multiple chances for repentance. God did this, knowing the outcome, to demonstrate His own character (Exodus 9:16). Even after so many chances, Pharaoh will once again choose to openly defy God (Exodus 9:34–35). Only then will he be permanently cut off from any opportunity for mercy (Proverbs 29:1).

Though God the Father does not exist as a human body, Scripture often uses physical imagery to describe His actions. These include references to the ear, hand, and mouth, used in numerous ways to communicate His influence in the world. In a comparable way, God uses the idea of "cutting off," a term referring to separation. This phrasing is also used in the Torah regarding removing a person from the community of Israel for sin (Exodus 12:19; Numbers 19:20).

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