Exodus 9:22

ESV Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt."

NIV Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt."

NASB Now the Lord said to Moses, 'Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.'

CSB Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be hail throughout the land of Egypt—on people and animals and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt."

NLT Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt.'

KJV And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.

NKJV Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”

What does Exodus 9:22 mean?

Moses and Aaron are used as conduits for God's power (Exodus 4:21; 7:19; 8:5, 16; 9:8–9), though they have no innate power of their own. As promised, the Lord is about to send a catastrophic hailstorm against Egypt (Exodus 9:18). This will begin when Moses gestures with his staff. The result will be a vicious storm of hail and lightning which eradicates anything left out in the open (Exodus 9:24–25).

Not every person or animal will be killed, however. God spares the lands occupied by Israelites (Exodus 9:26). He also delivered a warning for Egyptians to bring animals and servants under shelter (Exodus 9:19). Those Egyptians who wisely followed that advice preserve their resources (Exodus 9:20–21). Crops, which cannot be moved, are still lost (Exodus 9:25, 31).

God used this plague to make a distinction between the people of Egypt and the people of Israel. When Israel finally leaves, it seems that many Egyptians came along, as well (Exodus 12:38, 43, 45; Leviticus 22:25; Deuteronomy 14:21; 15:3). The Lord doesn't judge based on ethnicity, or race, or culture—only whether a person expresses trusting faith.

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