Exodus 9:15 - Printer Friendly

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.

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).

Exodus 9:13–26 explains the seventh plague on Egypt (Exodus 3:20). Because Pharaoh has stubbornly resisted the Lord (Exodus 5:2; 7:13–14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7), God has begun to harden Pharaoh's heart as a means of judgment (Exodus 9:12). Moses offers a warning for Egyptians to take shelter against a coming storm. Some listen, others do not. God sends a terrifying, brutal storm of hail and lightning that kills everything and everyone in the open fields. Only the Hebrew land of Goshen is spared.

After four devastating plagues, Pharaoh continues to resist God's command to free the Hebrew slaves. Through Moses, the Lord sends two more: death of Egyptian livestock and an epidemic of skin lesions. Pharoah refuses to respond to the first, and God makes him stubborn after the second. This leads to the most terrifying sign yet: the seventh plague of hail and fire. Pharoah claims to repent. Yet as soon as the hail stops, he again chooses obstinance. After this, the Lord will use Pharaoh as a tool to demonstrate divine judgment.

Moses and Aaron brought the Lord's command that Pharaoh should release Hebrew slaves (Exodus 5:1–4). Over and over, Egypt's king was obstinate. This resulted in divine plagues meant to demonstrate God's power and authority (Exodus 7:20; 8:6, 17, 24). In this chapter, God sends three more disasters: a plague on livestock, an epidemic of skin sores, and an obliterating storm of hail and lightning. Pharaoh will once again choose stubbornness, passing a point of no return (Proverbs 29:1). For the remaining plagues (Exodus 10—12) and after (Exodus 14:4), Pharaoh will be a living example of the Lord's divine judgment (Exodus 4:21).

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.