Exodus 8:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’"

NIV: Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ "

NASB: Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’?'

CSB: The Lord then said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt."

NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron, ‘Raise the staff in your hand over all the rivers, canals, and ponds of Egypt, and bring up frogs over all the land.’'

KJV: And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.

NKJV: Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ”

As with the first plague, Aaron receives a command to gesture with his staff to trigger a plague against Egypt (Exodus 7:19). Once again, the target is all of Egypt's surface waters, including ponds and canals. These were recently turned into blood (Exodus 7:20–23), Scripture doesn't specify if the first plague had ended (Exodus 7:25) when this one began. It seems likely that frogs would almost immediately flee the river once the water became blood. Regardless of the timing, the start and end of this plague are explicitly credited to the Lord (Exodus 8:9–10).

This plague will directly affect Pharaoh and his own household (Exodus 8:3–4). He may have escaped hardship in the first plague thanks to the labor of his servants (Exodus 7:24). That will not be possible this time.

Exodus 8:1–15 describes the second plague: frogs. The rotting Nile (Exodus 7:20–23) spits out a wave of frogs into Egyptian streets and homes. Pharaoh's conjurers can also summon frogs—but they can't remove them. So, Pharoh turns to Moses. They schedule a specific moment to lift the plague. This explicit timing made it clear that Israel's God, not the Egyptian frog goddess Heqet, was in control. As soon as the pressure of the plague is off, Pharoah changes his mind about releasing the Israelites.

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.