Exodus 9:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.

NIV: And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.

NASB: So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died.

CSB: The Lord did this the next day. All the Egyptian livestock died, but none among the Israelite livestock died.

NLT: And the Lord did just as he had said. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal.

KJV: And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

NKJV: So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.

Prior verses explained the Lord's pronouncement of a fifth plague (Exodus 3:20; 9:1–5). Exactly as prophesied, the pestilence strikes, apparently with an incredibly rapid effect. Also as promised, this only affects Egyptian animals, leaving Hebrew flocks untouched. Both Egyptians and Hebrews would have recognized this as supernatural. This could not have been an unusual disease or natural occurrence. The God of the Hebrews was showing His power over the false gods of Egypt.

The expression "all the livestock" in this passage is probably not meant to mean that every single last animal died. The following plagues are still said to impact Egyptian livestock (Exodus 9:9, 19–21). Even in modern speech, a farmer who loses 95% of his flock would probably say, "'all' my cows died." When tragedy strikes, one might say that "everyone in the world is mourning," which will never be true in the most literal sense. Further suggesting this idea is that later verses use precise language when noting that "not one" of Israel's animals died (Exodus 9:7). Egyptian animals impacted by the next plagues were likely the few which survived this pestilence, plus any the Egyptians were forced to buy from the Hebrews.

Exodus 9:1–7 describes the fifth of God's ten plagues on Egypt (Exodus 3:20). Through Moses, the Lord threatens to strike Egyptian livestock while leaving Hebrew animals safe. Pharaoh, Egypt's king, refuses to release the people, so the plague occurs. Despite this, Pharaoh remains stubborn.

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.