Exodus 8:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.

NIV: and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained.

NASB: The Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.

CSB: The Lord did as Moses had said: He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people; not one was left.

NLT: And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms of flies to disappear from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly remained.

KJV: And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

NKJV: And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.

Well before Moses ever spoke to Pharaoh, the Lord knew how the Egyptian king would respond to divine commands (Exodus 3:19–20). Pharaoh would resist until the most extreme judgment had been delivered (Exodus 4:21–23). Here, Moses upholds his end of a bargain made with Pharaoh: to pray that God would end the plague of flies (Exodus 8:24), after which Pharaoh would release the Israelites (Exodus 8:28–29).

This verse doesn't describe God deciding how to react based on Moses' input. God responds to prayer (John 14:14; James 5:16) when requests are aligned with His will. Here, part of the Lord's plan was to add and remove plagues, to prove His own power and Pharaoh's invincible stubbornness. The flies miraculously appeared—and only on the Egyptian people (Exodus 8:22)—and they disappeared just as quickly and entirely. No room is left to doubt a supernatural act of Israel's God; this was clearly not something random or controlled by Egyptian idols.

As expected, Pharoah will go back on his word (Exodus 8:32). This pattern will continue through a total of ten devastating plagues. Only after the last will Pharaoh allow Israel to leave the country (Exodus 12:30–31, 41). Even then, he will once again change his mind (Exodus 14:6–7), leading to utter defeat (Exodus 14:26–27).

Exodus 8:20–32 presents the fourth plague in response to Pharaoh's continued resistance to Israelite freedom. This involves droves of insects: possibly flies or the larger, biting horseflies. The Hebrew word simply means "swarms." There are so many flies that they even cover the ground. This time, Israelite territory is specifically exempt from the disaster. That restriction further removes doubts that this was an unplanned coincidence. Pharaoh seems willing to allow some measure of freedom for Israel, but quickly changes his mind.

After Pharaoh ignores the first plague (Exodus 7:20–23), God sends a swarm of frogs. Pharaoh's magicians can summon frogs, but they can't get rid of them. So, he appeals to Moses. Though the plague is lifted, Pharaoh re-jects the command to release Israelite slaves. This leads to a plague of gnats and then one of flies, with similar results. The arrival of these creatures might have been caused by the corruption of the Nile River, but only God's supernatural work could make them disappear. Future plagues will be increasingly severe (Exodus 9:6, 10, 22; 10:4, 22; 12:29–32).

Moses and Aaron offered a sign to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:10–13), but he still refused to release the Hebrew slaves (Ex-odus 1:11–14). This triggered the first of the ten plagues of Egypt: turning water into blood (Exodus 7:20–21). This chapter includes the next three disasters: frogs, gnats, and flies. Pharaoh stubbornly refuses to concede each time. Upcoming plagues will escalate (Exodus 9:6, 10, 22, 10:4, 22), leading to the death of Egypt's firstborn (Exodus 12:29–32) and Israel's release (Exodus 12:41).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.