Exodus 9:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

NIV: hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

NASB: So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

CSB: The hail, with lightning flashing through it, was so severe that nothing like it had occurred in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

NLT: Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning.

KJV: So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

NKJV: So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

In the Old Testament, lightning is described with the word berāqim', but it can also be referenced using the term for "fire," which is ēs'. Here, the Hebrew says this "fire" was "flashing," using an expression implying clinging or joining. This means the epic hailstorm sent by God (Exodus 9:23) was a true "storm," not merely a torrent of ice (Exodus 9:28).

As predicted, the storm is like nothing the nation of Egypt had ever seen (Exodus 9:18). Hail had fallen there before; even desert climates can experience hailstorms, though they are rare. The Egyptians were a literate people and kept records of past events. The educated among the Egyptians would find nothing in past records to compare with this. That lack of precedent may be why some refused to believe the warning given before the hailstorm occurred (Exodus 9:19–21).

Scripture gives no measurement for these hailstones as in some other passages (Revelation 16:21). But the barrage seems "heavy" both in terms of volume and in the size of the hail. Hailstones can deal severe injuries when they reach the width of an adult's thumb. Even in the middle east, recorded hailstorms have included chunks of ice the size of a hand. At that bulk, or even larger, and in large volumes, this barrage would have pulverized unprotected people, plants, and animals (Exodus 9:25, 31).

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.