Exodus 9:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

NIV: The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

NASB: Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

CSB: The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

NLT: The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.

KJV: Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

NKJV: Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

Egyptians have now seen several supernatural disasters which affected them but didn't touch the lands of the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 8:22; 9:4, 7). The most recent is a horrific hailstorm that pummels every living thing in Egypt (Exodus 9:24–25). However, the Goshen territory is spared from destruction.

The man God named Israel—Jacob (Genesis 32:28)—and his sons went to Egypt escape a massive famine (Genesis 46:26–27). Goshen was the region where Joseph's family settled when they first moved in (Genesis 47:1, 11). Over time, their warm welcome turned into fear, oppression, and then brutal slavery (Exodus 1:8–14). The fact that Goshen—the Hebrew territory—is spared emphasizes that these are judgments from the God of Israel against the nation of Egypt. Further, it shows that there is no power in Egyptian idols; only the Hebrew God is real.

Another clear separation of God's people will come during the ninth plague (Exodus 10:22–23). The last disaster, involving the death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:4–7), will strike anyone who fails to follow God's instructions (Exodus 12:27).

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.