Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 8:16
And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
16. lice ] Marg. gnats. The Heb. kinnm or kinnm occurs only Exo 8:16-18, Psa 105:31, and doubtfully in the sing. Isa 51:6; and it as been differently interpreted. Both the renderings here given are ancient: gnats are found in LXX. ( 1 [121] ), Vulg. sciniphes; lice in Pesh. and Targ. (so Jos. Ant ii. 14. 3). Gnats, or, as we should say, mosquitos, are abundant in Egypt: they are generated from the water (which is full of their larvas); and in the autumn especially, when the Nile is still overflowing, and the rice-fields stand in water, they rise from it in such swarms that the air is sometimes darkened with them. Their sting occasions swelling and irritation; and the annoyance caused by them is often alluded to by travellers in Egypt. Lice, on the other hand, are nothing characteristic of Egypt. Hence most moderns (Ges., Keil, Dillm. &c.) agree that gnats is the most probable rendering. The gnats in Egypt often look like clouds of dust; accordingly, they are described here as produced from the dust.
[121] Philo ( Vit. Mos., p. 97) describes the as small insects, which not only pierced the skin, but also set up intolerable itching, and penetrated the ears and nostrils; and OriExo ( Hom. in Exo 4:6) as small stinging insects, i.e. mosquitos. Herodotus (ii. 95) also mentions how troublesome the , another species of gnat, were in Egypt.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16 19. The third plague. The dust of the land turned to gnats. Entirely P.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
It is observed by Hebrew commentators that the nine plagues are divided into three groups: distinct warnings are given of the first two plagues in each group; the third in each is inflicted without any previous notice; namely, the third, lice, the sixth, boils, the ninth, darkness.
The dust of the land – The two preceding plagues fell upon the Nile. This fell on the earth, which was worshipped in Egypt as the father of the gods. An special sacredness was attached to the black fertile soil of the basin of the Nile, called Chemi, from which the ancient name of Egypt is supposed to be derived.
Lice – The Hebrew word occurs only in connection with this plague. These insects are generally identified with mosquitos, a plague nowhere greater than in Egypt. They are most troublesome toward October, i. e. soon after the plague of frogs, and are dreaded not only for the pain and annoyance which they cause, but also because they are said to penetrate into the body through the nostrils and ears.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 8:16-19
That it may become lice.
The plague of lice
I. The plague itself.
1. This punishment was sent without any previous warning.
2. This plague was inflicted by a very small insect.
3. This plague could not be imitated by the magicians. This rendered Pharaohs refusal to humble himself all the more unpardonable.
II. Its teaching.
1. Its infliction produced no real good. How soon the human mind becomes accustomed to novelties, even of the most extraordinary character. So the fallen soul becomes naturalized to the paths of sin and the lessons of Gods judgment.
2. Observe the resources of God. The least thing in His hand can become an instrument of torment.
3. How foolish, then, and how mad, to resist the will of this Divine Being! (Homilist.)
Lessons
1. The devil will try his utmost to counterwork God.
2. The devil is impotent upon the least check from God.
3. Gods power sets on His judgments when the power of Satan fails (Exo 8:18).
4. The devils instruments are forced at last to say they are against God, and He against them.
5. Gods finger or the least of His power makes the devil and his instruments fail.
6. Innate unbelief loves to be kept up by liars, but will not yield when they fail.
7. Treble hardening comes on the wicked by treble judgments.
8. Gods word faileth not which He hath spoken of the sin and judgment of wicked persecutors (Exo 8:19). ( G. Hughes, B. D.)
The plague of lice; or, an enforced recognition of a Supreme Power in the dire retributions of human life
I. That men are slow to recognize the Supreme Power in the retributions of life.
1. Because they have not right views of the character of God.
2. Because they have not a due consciousness of sin and its demerit.
II. That wicked men are made by continuous retributions ultimately to recognize the Supreme Power against them. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. God sometimes plagues men until they acknowledge Him. The events of life are charged with retributions which cannot be hidden by the art of the sorcerer.
III. That when wicked men are made to acknowledge the Supreme Power in the retributions of life they may nevertheless continue in open opposition to it. And Pharaohs heart was hardened. Lessons:
1. That the retributions of life are designed to lead men to the performance of moral duty.
2. That there are many deceptions calculated to blind men to the hand of God in the events of life.
3. That wicked men are not able to contend with God, and are at times brought to acknowledge His supremacy. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Dangerous dust
Dangerous dust in the air is circulated by the elevated railways in New York. A member of the staff of The Scientific American hung a magnet under the track of the elevated road, and when a few minutes later he took it down it was coated with minute particulars of iron dust. This dust, he said, is the cause of many severe cases of eye troubles. The swift passing trains grind off showers of iron particles, which often fall or are blown into the eyes of pedestrians. The microscope shows, that the particles are of innumerable shapes, and they usually have jagged fringes, and many of them have barbs like a fish hook. When lodged in the eye they cannot be attracted therefrom with a magnet, but a gouge-shaped instrument the size of a sewing needle had been devised for the purpose. This peculiarity of the dust resembles that of moral evil It is in the air, and when once it finds a lodgment in the human heart it cannot be withdrawn without difficulty and suffering. This is the of finger God–Like Phidias, who in his image carved his own name, there is God engraven upon every creature. Not in characters of human writing is it written, but in the character of the work. Phidias needed not to have written the word phidias in so many letters, for the masters hand had a cunning of its own which none could counterfeit. An instructed person had only to look at a statue and say at once, Phidias did this, for no other hand could have chiselled such a countenance; and believers have only to look either at creation, providence, or the Divine Word, and they will Cry instinctively, This is the finger of God. Yet, alas, man has great powers of wilful blindness, and these are aided by the powers of darkness, so that, being both blind and in the dark, man is unable to see his God, though His presence is as clear as that of the sun in the heavens. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The limit of false religion
Human religions can go to a certain point in good works, especially if they have borrowed their systems and copied their charities from the teachings of Christ, which most of them have done. But beyond a certain point they cannot go. It has been observed that the magicians could not bring living things out of the dust of the ground, as Moses did. And a false religion cannot bring life out of death, as the gospel does. Morality and certain good works it can conjure up; but spiritual life it cannot produce. Atheism, in the form of scientific materialism, may point to some notable and heroic disciple, such as Professor Clifford, who died without fear, steadfast in his faith that death was the end of him; but it cannot enable a man to die as Stephen and Paul died. It is not unworthy of our passing thought that the scientific magicians of our day, who are saying, Who is the Lord? have tried very hard to generate a living thing out of the dust; but they have as utterly and signally failed as the magicians did in the days of Moses. We may confidently keep a good courage in these days, when the scientific and religious magicians are trying to discredit the Word of God with their enchantments. Be sore that if the conflict is pushed far enough they will come to signal grief. In the end God will give glorious victory to those who stand by His truth, and who continue to cast their rods down in the face of an unbelieving world. (G. F. Pentecost, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
The THIRD plague – LICE
Verse 16. Smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice] If the vermin commonly designated by this name be intended, it must have been a very dreadful and afflicting plague to the Egyptians, and especially to their priests, who were obliged to shave the hair off every part of their bodies, and to wear a single tunic, that no vermin of this kind might be permitted to harbour about them. See Herod. in Euterp., c. xxxvii., p. 104, edit. Gale. Of the nature of these insects it is not necessary to say much. The common louse is very prolific. In the space of twelve days a full-grown female lays one hundred eggs, from which, in the space of six days, about fifty males and as many females are produced. In eighteen days these young females are at their full growth, each of which may lay one hundred eggs, which will be all hatched in six days more. Thus, in the course of six weeks, the parent female may see 5,000 of its own descendants! So mightily does this scourge of indolence and filthiness increase!
But learned men are not agreed on the signification of the original word kinnim, which different copies of the Septuagint render , , and , gnats; and the Vulgate renders sciniphes, which signifies the same.
Mr. Harmer supposes he has found out the true meaning in the word tarrentes, mentioned by Vinisauf, one of our ancient English writers; who, speaking of the expedition of King Richard I. to the Holy Land, says, that “while the army were marching from Cayphas to Caesarea, they were greatly distressed every night by certain worms called tarrentes, which crept on the ground, and occasioned a very burning heat by most painful punctures; for, being armed with stings, they conveyed a poison which quickly occasioned those who were wounded by them to swell, and was attended with the most acute pain.” All this is far fetched. Bochart has endeavoured to prove that the kinnim of the text may mean lice in the common acceptation of the term, and not gnats.
1. Because those in question sprang from the dust of the earth, and not from the waters.
2. Because they were both on men and cattle, which cannot be spoken of gnats.
3. Because their name comes from the radix kun, which signifies to make firm, fix, establish, which can never agree to gnats, flies, c., which are ever changing their place, and are almost constantly on the wing.
4. Because kinnah is the term by which the Talmudists express the louse, &c. See his Hierozoicon, vol. ii., c. xviii., col. 571.
The circumstance of their being in man and in beast agrees so well with the nature of the acarus sanguisugus, commonly called the tick, belonging to the seventh order of insects called APTERA, that I am ready to conclude this is the insect meant. This animal buries both its sucker and head equally in man or beast and can with very great difficulty be extracted before it is grown to its proper size, and filled with the blood and juices of the animal on which it preys. When fully grown, it has a glossy black oval body: not only horses, cows, and sheep are infested with it in certain countries, but even the common people, especially those who labour in the field, in woods, c. I know no insect to which the Hebrew term so properly applies. This is the fixed, established insect, which will permit itself to be pulled in pieces rather than let go its hold and this is literally baadam ubabbehemah, IN man and IN beast, burying its trunk and head in the flesh of both. In woodland countries I have seen many persons as well as cattle grievously infested with these insects.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
God, it seems, gave him no warning, because he showed himself in the very last plague to be both perfidious and incorrigible. Others think he was forewarned, though that be not here expressed.
Lice, so the Hebrew word is rendered by all the Jewish and most other interpreters. But it is probable that what is said of the locusts, Exo 10:14, was true of these, that they were much more loathsome and troublesome than ordinary.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. smite the dust of the land,&c.Aaron’s rod, by the direction of Moses, who was commandedby God, was again raised, and the land was filled with gnats,mosquitoesthat is the proper meaning of the original term. Inordinary circumstances they embitter life in Eastern countries, andtherefore the terrible nature of this infliction on Egypt maybe imagined when no precautions could preserve from their painfulsting. The very smallness and insignificance of these fierce insectsmade them a dreadful scourge. The magicians never attempted anyimitation, and what neither the blood of the river nor the nuisanceof the frogs had done, the visitation of this tiny enemy constrainedthem to acknowledge “this is the finger of God”properly”gods,” for they spoke as heathens.
Ex8:20-32. PLAGUE OFFLIES.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord said unto Moses,…. On the twenty seventh day of the month, according to Bishop Usher, the same day the flogs were removed; no warning is given him of the next plague, at least there is no account of any:
say unto Aaron, stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land; in some one part of the land, that place nearest to him where there was a quantity of dust; for it cannot be imagined that he should smite all the dust of the land in every part of it, but smiting one part served for the whole:
that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt: not gnats, as some, nor flies, as others, but lice, though perhaps not of the common and ordinary sort, but new and extraordinary, and it may be of different sorts, suitable to different creatures.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Gnats, or the third plague. – The , or (also , probably an old singular form, Ewald, 163 f), were not “ lice, ” but , sciniphes , a species of gnats, so small as to be hardly visible to the eye, but with a sting which, according to Philo and Origen, causes a most painful irritation of the skin. They even creep into the eyes and nose, and after the harvest they rise in great swarms from the inundated rice-fields. This plague was caused by the fact that Aaron smote the dust of the ground with his staff, and all the dust throughout the land of Egypt turned into gnats, which were upon man and beast (Exo 8:17). “Just as the fertilizing water of Egypt had twice become a plague, so through the power of Jehovah the soil so richly blessed became a plague to the king and his people.”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. 19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Here is a short account of the plague of lice. It does not appear that any warning was given of it before. Pharaoh’s abuse of the respite granted to him might have been a sufficient warning to him to expect another plague: for if the removal of an affliction harden us, and so we lose the benefit of it, we may conclude it goes away with a purpose to return or to make room for a worse. Observe,
I. How this plague of lice was inflicted on the Egyptians, Exo 8:16; Exo 8:17. The frogs were produced out of the waters, but these live out of the dust of the earth; for out of any part of the creation God can fetch a scourge, with which to correct those that rebel against him. He has many arrows in his quiver. Even the dust of the earth obeys him. “Fear not then, thou worm Jacob, for God can use thee as a threshing instrument, if he please,” Isa 41:14; Isa 41:15. These lice, no doubt, were extremely vexatious, as well as scandalous, to the Egyptians. Though they had respite, they had respite but awhile, Rev. xi. 14. The second woe was past, but behold the third woe came very quickly.
II. How the magicians were baffled by it, v. 18. They attempted to imitate it, but they could not. When they failed in this, it should seem they attempted to remove it; for it follows, So there were lice upon man and beast, in spite of them. This forced them to confess themselves overpowered: This is the finger of God (v. 19); that is, “This check and restraint put upon us must needs be from a divine power.” Note, 1. God has the devil in a chain, and limits him both as a deceiver and as a destroyer; hitherto he shall come, but no further. The devil’s agents when God permitted them, could do great things; but when he laid an embargo upon them, though but with his finger, they could do nothing. The magicians’ inability, in this less instance, showed whence they had their ability in the former instances which seemed greater, and that they had no power against Moses but what was given them from above. 2. Sooner or later God will extort, even from his enemies, an acknowledgment of his own sovereignty and over-ruling power. It is certain they must all (as we say) knock under at last, as Julian the apostate did, when his dying lips confessed, Thou hast overcome me, O thou Galilean! God will not only be too hard for all opposers, but will force them to own it.
III. How Pharaoh, notwithstanding this, was made more and more obstinate (v. 19); even those that had deceived him now said enough to undeceive him, and yet he grew more and more obstinate. Even the miracles and the judgments were to him a savour of death unto death. Note, Those that are not made better by God’s word and providences are commonly made worse by them.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 16-19:
The third “stroke” was upon the soil of Egypt. Aaron smote the ground, and the very dust brought forth the plague. The Egyptians worshipped the earth as a deity, just as they worshipped the River Nile. This “stroke” demonstrated God’s superiority over this important deity in Egypt’s pantheon.
“Lice” ken or kennim (p1), mentioned only here and in Ps 78:46. Identification of this insect is uncertain, though some suggest it was a small sandfly, capable of inflicting a painful sting. These insects permeated the entire land of Egypt, tormenting both man and beast. Oxen and horses were particularly affected. The small insects swarmed in the air, flying into the eyes and nostrils of the animals, driving them to madness.
The magicians of Egypt tried to duplicate this plague, but were unable to do so. They reported to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of a god” (lit.), or “this is beyond man’s power; it is supernatural,” much as Nicodemus was convicted regarding the miracles of Jesus, Joh 3:2. The inference: “This is in no way attributed to Moses and Aaron. We are vanquished, not by Moses and Aaron but by a power greater than them and us.” Pharaoh hardened his heart once more, and refused to agree to Jehovah’s demand.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
16. And the Lord said unto Moses. In this place again, as before, Aaron is commanded to act as the inferior of Moses in punishing the tyrant; and this as being more ignominious than as if Moses alone had been employed. The nature of this third plague is very remarkable. God troubles Egypt not only with frogs, but with lice; for although the Hebrews are not entirely agreed as to the כנם, kinim, yet they admit that they were little animals or insects, which produced shame together with annoyance even to the meanest of men. We see then how magnificently God trampled upon the pride of Egypt, by inflicting a punishment full of affront and disgrace; for although it would have been painful to sink under a powerful and warlike enemy, yet was it far more sad to be basely destroyed by lice. Nor can we doubt that God prepared such an army as this, principally that He might openly manifest how easily He can bring to nought in derision all earthly strength and power. And surely, unless the Egyptians had been something more than stupid and beside themselves, this calculation would have come into their minds; what would hereafter happen, if the Maker of heaven and earth should apply Himself to their destruction with all His might, when they perceived themselves to be wasted away in this almost ludicrous contest with Him? But let us learn from this history, that all creatures are ready at God’s lightest command, whenever He chooses to make use of them to chastise His enemies; and again, that no animal is so vile and contemptible as not to have the power of doing injury when God employs it; and, finally, that reprobates obtain this at last by their proud doings, viz., that they are, with the greatest infamy, made to yield to the worms themselves, or to lice.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Exo. 8:16. Lice] GnatsGes. F. Dav.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 8:16-19
THE PLAGUE OF LICE, OR, AN ENFORCED RECOGNITION OF A SUPREME POWER IN THE DIRE RETRIBUTIONS OF HUMAN LIFE
The third plague was now sent upon the land without any warning. The two previous plagues arose from the river, this arises from the dust of the earth which was quickened into life, by a miraculous power. Here was another blow aimed at the false deities of Egypt. The priests were very particular not to harbour vermin, and considered it a profanation of their temples if any animalcule were carried into them. This plague was general (Psa. 105:31). The Egyptians were accustomed to humble themselves in many of their religious ceremonies, and especially in their acts of mourning, by throwing dust upon their heads. This plague was a rebuke to their superstition. The magicians were baffled by this retribution. The finger of God was sufficient to curb the power of Satan.
I. That men are slow to recognize the Supreme Power in the retributions of human life. As we read the history of those plagues we cannot but wonder that Pharaoh and his people should have been so long in recognizing the finger of God. The first plague was enough to subdue their haughty spirit, and to give them to see that they were in conflict with the power of the Most High. They ought to have recognized the hand of God in these retributions:
1. Because of the warnings given by the servants of God. Moses and Aaron had warned the king that if he did not give Israel their freedom, he and his nation would be smitten with sore plagues. But these indications of woe were neglected and despised, and in no way rendered Pharaoh sensitive to the claims of duty. And there are multitudes in our own day warned by the ministers of the Gospel of dire retribution to come upon them if they give no heed to the commands of God, to repent and believe in Christ, and even when the sorrows of life come upon them they see not the finger of God. There are many warnings of retribution in this life to those who persists in doing evil. But men see them not.
2. Because of the miraculous element in the-retribution they were called to experience. The great River of Egypt was turned into blood. Their homes were tilled with croaking frogs. The dust of their land was smitten into lice. True these occurrences were apparently brought about by the effort of Moses and Aaron, but the Egyptians must have seen that these two men were but the agents of a higher Power. But even when the events of life are striking and evidently the outcome of Divine intervention, men will not behold in them the finger of God.
3. Because of the suffering through which they were called to pass. We should have thought that the suffering through which the Egyptians were called to pass would have made them readily acknowledge the finger of God. In the hour of pain men generally turn their souls to heaven. But in affliction men will not always see the retribution of God. Why are men so slow to recognize the hand of God in the retributions of human life?
1. Because they have not right views of the character of God. They may have theoretical notions of the Divine character, correct and true, but not such as to influence moral conduct. Men want not merely to know that God is just in His method of government, but to feel that He is. If they were deeply impressed with a sense of the Divine justice they would see retribution written in large letters upon many of the circumstances of life, which now they regard with complacency.
2. Because they have not a due consciousness of sin and its demerit. Men know that they have sinned against God and against the moral good of the community, but they contemplate not the great injury they have done, the offence of which they are guilty. They have no deep consciousness of personal sin. Hence they do not regard the events of life as a rebuke to them. They link not the pain of society to their own demerit. Hence when the retributions of heaven come upon them, they are more ready to acknowledge their own improvidence or indiscretion, the unfavourable working of natural law, the fortuitous combination of circumstances, rather than the finger of God. In this we see the moral blindness of the unregenerate soul.
II. That wicked men are made by continuous retributions ultimately to recognize the Supreme Power against them. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. These sorcerers endeavoured to imitate the retribution of heaven. In so doing they were prompted and aided by Satan. But the power of Satan is limited by the Divine will. Heaven can show men the delusions of hell. Hence the deluded are without excuse. Sometimes the servants of the devil are made unconsciously to minister to the truth. The sorcerer may announce to his dupe that the hand of God is against him. It may be asked, how came these magicians to make this confession to Pharaoh? It is not unlikely that they made it upon a sudden impulse, prompted by the Holy Spirit. And so there will come a time when all the artifices which bind men, and prevent them from seeing the retributive hand of God, will be made known, defeated, and brought to an open shame. God sometimes plagues men until they acknowledge Him. The events of life are charged with retributions which cannot be hidden by the art of the sorcerer.
III. That when wicked men are made to acknowledge the Supreme Power in the retributions of life they may nevertheless continue in open opposition to it. And Pharaohs heart was hardened. The magicians by their recognition of the finger of God did not wish to undo the moral injury they had done to Pharaoh. They had established him in obstinate rebellion against God, and they had no wish that his obstinacy should cease. The agents of Satan do not wish to nullify the evil influence of their hellish art. Unbelief remains when the lies that wrought it are made known. The magicians here refer this calamity to a Providence of God altogether beyond their control. They regard it as the outcome of Divine power. They did not intend by this confession to give glory to the God of Moses, but simply to protect their own honour. LESSONS:
1. That the retributions of life are designed to lead men to the performance of moral duty.
2. That there are many deceptions calculated to blind men to the hand of God in the events of life.
3. That wicked men are not able to contend with God. and are at times brought to acknowledge His supremacy. Many commentators think that the magicians referred to the gods of Egypt when they made mention of the finger of God. But we cannot accept this interpretation, as the gods of Egypt were defeated by this retribution; and, moreover, Pharaoh had previously identified Moses with the God of Israel in asking him to seek the removal of the plagues.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exo. 8:16-19. At Gods word dust shall become lice to torment proud sinners.
Gods servants are obedient in executing His commands for vengeance.
All creatures are at Gods command to plague His enemies.
The poorest creatures armed by God hath power enough against greatest kings.
The devil will try his utmost to counterwork God.
The devil is impotent upon the least check from God.
There is not the least doubt that the creatures here named is the mosquito gnat. In the Greek Septuagint the word is , which denotes gnats. And in a warm climate we can imagine what a terrible infliction this would be.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY THE
REV. WM. ADAMSON
Lice! Exo. 8:16. Travellers speak of the dust of Egypt as in itself almost a plague. Yet the soil of Egypt was worshipped. The black mud of the Nile was especially an object of superstitious veneration; and to throw this dust over them was to give a special sanctity to their fasting and mourning. When it became dry under the rays of the sun, it generated this vermin, concerning which Mr. Lane says in very thrilling terms that they are a sort of tick, not larger than a grain of sand which, when filled with blood, expands to the size of a hazel nut. Sir Samuel Baker says that at certain seasons these prevail to such an extent that it is as though the very dust were turned into lice. Oftentimes God sends innumerable minute sufferings before He sends greater ones; but great and small are alike designed to lead us to repentence.
Oh! let me suffer, till I find
What plants of sorrow can impart,
Some gift, some triumph of the mind,
Some flower, some fruitage of the heart.
Uphan.
Finger of God! Exo. 8:19. At the time of the battle of Waterloo, the Iron Duke was still without an experimental knowledge of true religion. Yet God prompted himupon a sudden impulse, perhaps by the Holy Spirit, to pen a few brief words, which have come down to posterity. When the dreadful fight was over, the Dukes feelings, kept so long at the highest tension, gave way. As he rode among the dying and wounded on the field of battlesaw the reeking carnageand heard the shout of conquerors and vanquished fainter and fainter through the gloom of night, he wept. Soon after he wrote these words: I have escaped unhurt; the Finger of God was on me. Alike are the preserving mercies and judicial visitations the Finger of Jehovah. It is in such seasons that even the most godless feel their frail mortality, and acknowledge that a Supreme Being guides and governs all things:and
That man, who madly deems himself the lord
Of all, is naught but weakness and dependence.
Thomson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE THIRD PLAGUE. (16, 17)
It is disputed whether this plague was one of lice or of mosquitoes. Josephus and the Jewish commentators generally take the former view, while the latter is supported by the LXX. and Vulgate, by the authorities of Philo, Artapanus, Origen, and St. Augustine in ancient, and by those of Rosenmller, Michaelis, dmann, Gesenius, Keil, and Kalisch in modern times. The word used (kinnim) seems connected with the Greek , or , and is reasonably regarded as formed by onomatopoeia, from the sharp tingling sound given out by the insect when on the wing.[58] The trouble caused to the Egyptians of the Delta by mosquitoes is noticed by Herodotus (ii. 95); while moderns, as Forskal (Descript. Anim. p. 85), declare that they amount to an absolute pest at certain seasons. They are most troublesome towards October, and are said to attack not only the exposed parts of the skin, but especially the ears, the nostrils, and the eyes, where they do great damage. Some have thought that mosquitoes do not molest cattle (Exo. 8:17); but Kalisch says, They molest especially beasts, as oxen and horses, flying into their eyes and nostrils, driving them to madness and fury, and sometimes even torturing them to death.
[58] In Egyptian the word for mosquito is Khnemms, (Brugsch, Diet. Hierogl. p. 1103).
It is to be noticed that the third plague, whatever it was, came without warning. It was Gods judgment on Pharaoh for hardening his heart and breaking his promise (Exo. 8:15); and he was not given the option of avoiding it by submission to Gods will.
(16) Smite the dust of the land.Dust prevails in Egypt to an extent that is highly inconvenient. We travelled to Ashmim. says one writer, through clouds of dust, raised by a high wind, which intercepted our view as much as if we had been travelling in a fog. There is one great source of discomfort, says another, arising from the dryness of the atmosphere, namely, an excessive quantity of dust. When all the dust of the land became mosquitoes (Exo. 8:17), the plague must indeed have been great.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THIRD PLAGUE LICE, Exo 8:16-19.
16. Smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice The Hebrew word here rendered lice occurs only in the account of this miracle, and its meaning has been much disputed, many considering that the insect was a gnat or mosquito; but Josephus and the Rabbies all give the same rendering as our English version . The Septuagint has been erroneously supposed to establish this meaning, but its word, , may mean any small biting or stinging insect, whether winged or wingless . Modern travellers describe the louse as a great pest in Egypt; and Sir Samuel Baker, especially, speaks of the abundance of the vermin in almost Scripture language “It is as though the very dust were turned into lice.”
This plague struck at the Egyptian idolatry less directly, but even more effectually, than either of the preceding. It made all the sacred animals, and the priests themselves, unclean, so as to cut off the worship in the temples. The priests were most scrupulously attentive to cleanliness, being always careful to have their linen garments fresh washed, scouring their drinking cups each day, bathing in cold water twice each day and twice each night, and shaving not only the head and beard, but the “whole body every other day, that no lice or other impure thing might adhere to them when engaged in the service of their gods.” ( Herod., 2: 37.) Think of these fastidiously cleanly servants swarming with lice, and finding their gods covered with them also! Thus the word of Moses smote every temple and every god in Egypt.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Third Plague – The Plague of Insects ( Exo 8:16-19 ).
This can be analysed as follows:
a Aaron was to stretch out his staff and smite the dust so that it became insects (Exo 8:16).
b Aaron did so and there were insects all over Egypt on both man and beast (Exo 8:17).
b The magicians sought to imitate it but could not, and they said ‘this is the finger of God’ (Exo 8:18-19 a).
a And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he did not listen to them as Yahweh had said (Exo 8:19 b).
The basic lessons from the parallels is that in ‘a’ Aaron reveals his obedience and manifests the power of Yahweh and in contrast Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to listen. In ‘b’ the lesson is that the insects all over Egypt, ‘produced’ by Aaron, are declared, even by the magicians, to be the finger of God. They admitted that what Aaron did they could not do. Central to the whole incident is the failure of the magicians to imitate God’s wonders in contrast to the previous ‘successes’. They had to admit that Yahweh was greater than their gods.
Exo 8:16-17
‘And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and smite the dust of the earth that it may become insects throughout all the land of Egypt’.” And they did so, and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and smote the dust of the earth, and there were insects on both man and beast. All the dust of the earth became insects throughout all the land of Egypt.’
This time there was no warning. We do not know where the eggs came from. They may have come down the Nile with the red earth, or they may have come from the dead frogs, or they may have been latent in the soil, or all three, but known only to Yahweh the land was covered with insect eggs waiting to hatch. And when Aaron stretched out his staff, hatch they did. He ‘smote the dust of the earth’. This would be done in full sight of important Egyptians. It was necessary that they recognised that what followed came from Yahweh.
“All the dust of the earth became insects.” This was how it seemed to the participants. The language is pictorial, not literal. Everywhere they looked insects were there, proliferating among the dust. The whole land seemed alive with them.
“Insect.” The word ‘ken’ may cover a number of types of insects. The rotting carcasses of the fish and frogs, and what they contained, could encourage many forms of insect life to develop, as might excessive deposits of the red earth which may have brought insect eggs with them. Insects proliferated throughout the land. These might include lice and also the tick, an eight-legged arthropod and bloodsucking parasite and carrier of disease, as well as fleas.
Exo 8:18
‘And the magicians performed with their enchantments to produce insects, but they could not. And there were insects on man and on beast.’
The magicians tried to emulate the production of the tiny insects but the dust just would not change and insects so small were difficult to conjure with. And in the end they gave up. In fact they themselves could not get away from them. They were on man and beast. Not only could they not use their conjuring to produce them, they had no way of avoiding them. They were uncontrollable.
Exo 8:19
‘Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of a god.” And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened (was strong) and he did not listen to them just as Yahweh had said.’
The magicians had to cover up for their inability. They had to confess that this was beyond them and could only be imputed to a divine source. But still Pharaoh was obstinate, ‘just as Yahweh had said’. Not aware of the dangers of disease that could follow he did not think these as bad as the frogs. At least they were not in his bed.
“The finger of a god.” In Egyptian texts we find reference to the “finger of Seth” and “the finger of Thoth”. This was thus a typically Egyptian way of expressing the situation. We would say, ‘God must have had a hand in this’. Note the use of ‘God’. They were not thinking of Yahweh specifically, but of the divine.
The sad thing about this episode is that those who professed to be experts in religion were as much in the dark as those whom they sought to lead. It was a case of the blind leading the blind. The magician priests could have admitted the greatness of God openly and called on Pharaoh to repent. How it might have changed history. But instead they nodded their heads wisely and declared that what was happening was a religious mystery. The world is full of people who claim to be religious experts, and who nod their heads wisely and assure each other how wise they are. But unless they respond to the revealed word of God their wisdom is nothing. Like these magician priests they simply utter platitudes forgotten by the next generation. Furthermore, like these magician priests they may gain a great reputation in the world and be lauded to the skies, but it will all prove useless and empty unless they come to and respond to the word of God.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Third Plague (Lice) – Exo 8:16-19 tells us about the third plague in which lice filled the land of Egypt.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Plague of the Lice
v. 16. And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. v. 17. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. v. 18. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, v. 19. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
THE THIRD PLAGUE. The breach of promise on the part of Pharaoh (Exo 8:15), was punished by the third plague, which was inflicted without being announced. It is disputed among the best critics, whether the plague was really one of “lice”(as given in the Authorised Version) or of mosquitoes. To the present writer the arguments in favour of mosquitoes seem to preponderate; and he believes the kinnim to represent those subtle pests. Such is the view of the LXX. translators, of Philo, Artapanus, Origen, Rosenmuller, Gesenins, Geddes, Boothroyd, Keil, and Kalisch. Mosquitoes are, under ordinary circumstances, a terrible annoyance in Egypt, when the inundation is going off, especially about October. Their power to annoy is witnessed to in ancient times by Herodotus (2.95), Philo, and St. Augustine; in modem by Wilkinson and others. That Aaron was ordered to produce them out of “the dust of the land,” whereas mosquitoes come from larvae deposited in stagnant waters (Cook), is only a proof that God can transform any kind of matter into any other. He who made man of the dust of the ground (Gen 2:7) could with still greater ease have transformed that dust into gnats. It is undoubtedly remarkable that the magi-clans could not produce the kinnim; but this disability does not help us to determine what exactly the kinnim were. Conceivably, the magicians were tired of the contest, and feeling that they would ultimately be worsted in it, withdrew before the circumstances compelled them to withdraw.
Exo 8:16
Lice. Kinnimthe word is only found here and in the Psalms which celebrate the Exodus (Psa 78:46; Psa 105:31). It was understood as “lice”by Josephus, the Talmudical writers, Bochart, Pool, and our translators in the reign of James I. But the great weight of authority is in favour of the rendering “gnats” or “mosquitoes.” See the preceding paragraph. It must also be berne in mind that the nearest Egyptian equivalent, khennems, has the signification of mosquito.
Exo 8:17
And in beast. Kalisch notes that mosquitoes – molest especially beasts, as oxen and horses, flying into their eyes and nostrils, driving them to madness and fury, and sometimes even torturing them to death.” He quotes Theodoret, Hist. Ecc 8:1-17.26.
Exo 8:18
The magicians did so with their enchantments. The magicians stretched out their rods over certain collections of dust, but no gnats were produced; which would be the natural result, if they had made no secret arrangements. No reason can be assigned why they should not have seemed to produce gnats, as easily as frogs, if they had employed all the arts of which they were masters in so doing. But events had convinced them that they could not cope with Moses and Aaron; and it would seem that they therefore declined further contest,
Exo 8:19
The magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. Or “of a God.” It is not probable that the magicians believed in a single God, or intended in what they said to express any monotheistic idea. All that they meant to say was”This is beyond the power of manit is supernaturalsome god must be helping the Israelites.” No doubt they had come to this conclusion by a careful scrutiny of all the miracles hitherto wrought by Aaron. He hearkened not unto them. The magicians were minded to resist no longer; but Pharaoh was otherwise minded. It is quite possible that the mosquito plague did not greatly annoy him. He would probably possess lofty apartments above the height to which the mosquito ascends (Herod. 2.95); or he may have guarded himself by mosquito curtains of the finest Egyptian muslin. His subjects would naturally suffer from such a plague far more than he. As the Lord had said. See the comment on the same phrase in Exo 8:11
HOMILETICS
Exo 8:19
Moral avalanches not easily arrested when once set in motion.
The magicians had begun by exciting Pharaoh to obstinate unbelief and resistance to the Divine Will They had, by artifice or otherwise, persuaded him that there was nothing so very marvellous in the wonders wrought by Moses and Aaron, nothing that indicated a Divine author of the wonders. They had thus encouraged and stimulated him to embark upon a fatal course. Now, they would fain have stopped him, but they could not. His pride and self-conceithis honour, as no doubt he thought it, were concerned in the struggle upon which he had enteredto give way would be to acknowledge himself worsted in a contest with two contemptible Hebrews. In vain did the magicians change their tone, and make the acknowledgment”This is the finger of God”their altered spirit had no effect upon him. Nowhoever changed or blenchedhe would perseverehis heart had become hardenedif now and then he quailed, and seemed on the verge of yielding, yet after a time he drew backalways provoking God more and more by his continual perverseness, until at last all Egypt was involved in destruction (Exo 12:29, Exo 12:30; Exo 14:27-30). The magicians, who had had a large share in causing his entrance upon an evil course, found themselves unable to arrest his steps, and must be regarded as in part responsible for the final catastrophe. So nations are often urged by evil counsellors into wars or rebellions, which they soon bitterly regret; but it is too late to stop the evil. Men in business are recommended to adopt questionable means of pushing or retrieving their fortunes, and embark on courses from which their advisers would fain withdraw them; but it is impossible. Advisers should recognise the greatness of their responsibility from the first, and set themselves against the very beginning of evil, else they will find the course of affairs soon get beyond their controlthey will be utterly powerless to stop the avalanche which they have set in motion.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
Exo 8:16-19
The plague of lice.
The precise nature of the visitation is matter of dispute. The word “Kinnim” seems to include various kinds of poisonous flies and insects (Geikie; and see Exposition). Some take it to denote mosquitoes. The plague stands at any rate in immediate relation to the natural troubles of the country. Travellers tell how, as the Nile waters spread over the surface of the land, and moisten its fine dust, gnats and flies burst from their pupae, and spring into perfect existence. They “vivify instantaneously on the dust absorbing moisture enough to discolour it. As the flood advances slowly onwards, a black line of moving insects on the extreme verge moves with it”(Osburn). There is a terrible “tick” described by Sir Samuel Baker, which lives in hot sand and dust, and preys on the blood of animals. “From the size of a grain of sand, in its natural state, it swells to the size of a hazel nut,” and is “the greatest enemy to man and beast.” Here, then, was a new horror, the intolerableness of the plague being increased by the insignificance of the enemy, and the hopelessness of fighting it down. Note
I. THIS PLAGUE CAME FROM THE LAND, AS THE TWO FORMER FROM THE RIVER. Aaron “smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice (Kinnim) in man, and in beast”(Exo 8:17). This was a new blow at Egyptian idolatry, the earth being worshipped as well as the river. The suddenness, extent, and fearfully aggravated character of the plague, and its appearance in immediate connection with Aaron’s act in smiting the earth, proved it to be of supernatural origin, while cognate with the phenomena of the country.
1. At the stroke of God’s anger, trouble may be made to break forth upon us from any quarter of our existence. Now, the river; again, the dust. The quarter it comes from is not likely to be that from which we are expecting it.
2. Troubles spring not from the dust (Job 5:6); but they may be made to rise so thickly around us that it may almost seem as if they did spring from it.
3. The most insignificant agencies (and circumstances) may be made the means of severe retribution. It is intensely painful to be made to suffer through things which we despise.
4. God’s retributions are often such as strike home to our tenderest points. The Egyptiansespecially the priestly classeswere extremely cleanly, and this plague, if it was one of vermin, must have been a grievous infliction to them.
II. THE THIRD PLAGUE CAME UNANNOUNCED. We forfeit our claim to warnings by acting presumptuously (Pro 29:1).
III. IT LED THE MAGICIANS TO GIVE UP THE CONTEST (Exo 8:19). We find them still standing before Pharaoh (Exo 9:11), but from this point we hear of no more attempts at imitation. They may have abandoned the contest
1. From a sense of shame. The paltriness of their attempts at imitating the miracles of Moses and Aaron was so apparent, that the magicians must almost have blushed at them. They would rather give up the attempt than expose themselves to more humiliations.
2. From astonishment. As experts in magical arts, they knew very well the difference between false miracles and real ones. They are confounded to find men who can work wonders of so stupendous a character, and this, manifestly, by the real assistance of Deity.
3. From fear and pain. They had no interest in courting a continuance of these terrible plagues, which they recognised as true works of God. They were as painful to them as to others, and they dreaded the consequences of perseverance in so unequal a conflict. We see from this
(1) That involuntary testimony to the truth is often extracted from those whose inclinations would lead them to oppose it. There are remarkable examples in the life of Christ, e.g. “Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him,” etc. (Joh 11:47, Joh 11:48); and in the lives of the Apostles, e.g. Act 4:16; Act 16:17. The confessions of the demons in Christ’s history are of the same order. Many testimonies of an extraordinary kind have come from unbelievers.
(2) That there are great differences in degree of moral hardihood. Pharaoh held out, but the magicians gave in. They were not converted to the truth, in the sense of becoming servants of Jehovah, but they thought it prudent not to go further in open opposition. Even this degree of submission saved them from being hardened as Pharaoh was subsequently.
IV. THE PLAGUE HAD NO GOOD EFFECT ON PHARAOH (Act 16:19). In itself, it was as likely to have produced submission as the previous one, and Pharaoh had now, in addition, the testimony of his own magicians to the reality of the wonder. But to place against this, there was the fact that he had already submitted, and had broken his promise. It was doubly bard to submit again, and stronger means would be required to bring him to the point of a second entreaty. Thus do the influences that work for our good gradually lose their power over us, because so frequently resisted. Every time a vow is made and token, a good resolution formed, and not kept, it is rendered harder to repeat the act.J.O.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG
Exo 8:16-19
The third plague-the gnats: the finger of God.
I. CONSIDER THE PLAGUE ITSELF. From the water God comes to the land. He who has power over every drop of water has power over every grain of dust. Everywhere at his touch the inorganic becomes the organic. And he still keeps in the same line of action which has been begun with the frogs. He produces small creatures in immense numbers, rather than larger creatures in fewer numbers; that thus he may the more irritate and humiliate Pharaoh. Individually, the gnats are nothing; their delicate little bodies may be crushed out of existence between thumb and finger. Collectively, they amount to the dimensions of a plague.
II. CONSIDER THE VERDICT OF THE MAGICIANS UPON THIS PLAGUE. The noticeable thing in the plague of the gnats is not so much the new agents of chastisement as the discomfiture of the magicians. Not that they had been really successful before. On any view of their proceedings they were deceivers, for what they did was done either by trickery or by the power of God working through them; whereas they took it all to their own credit and the credit of Egypt’s deities. This was not success. No man can be called successful when he has the daily fear that his resources are coming to an end. Much that is reckoned success is only failure after all, ingeniously and impudently delayed. The verdict of the magicians was worthless so far as it seemed to indicate the real state of affairs. They say, “This is the finger of God,” but we see only too clearly the motive of their admission. When an admission is extorted, as theirs was, it is deprived of all virtue and grace. That the magicians talked of the finger of God was no proof that the finger of God was present. They talked thus because they had no other way of cloaking their own shame, and accounting for their failure. The finger of God was not more evident in the gnats than in the frogs or in the bloody streams, or in the converted rod. He who could really see the finger of God in one of these, could see it in all the rest. That finger had been pointing all the time just as it pointed now. It was a question of hand rather than finger; and the hand was certainly pressing more heavily. Still, though the magicians took up this way of speaking merely for excuse, we have to thank them for an expressive and appropriate phrase. They, in their blind selfishness, speak of the finger of God, not knowing all they say; but the finger of God is a great and helpful reality to those who will lock for it and be guided by it. It should ever be our business to look for this great finger. In a world of weathercocks, blown about with changing and conflicting opinions, that finger ever points in one direction; and yet while it teaches us to maintain a rigorous adhesion to Christian principles, teaches us at the same time to maintain them in a spirit of wise expediency. He has no true eye for the finger of God who knows not when to bend that he may not break. Pharaoh would not recognise the finger even when his own magicians were compelled to make a show of recognition. When they were defeated he seemed to think they were no longer of any account among his advisers. Thus we have to notice again what poor judges we are of the relative severity of the plagues. Pharaoh was more affected by the frogs than by the gnats. Perhaps he was so disgusted with the failure of the magicians as to be filled with a more rebellious spirit than ever. They said they saw the finger of God; he stubbornly refused to see it. Whether a man will really see this finger depends on what he is looking for. Equally pernicious is it to see Divine power where it is not, and to fail in seeing it where it is.Y.
HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART
Exo 8:16-19
I. THERE IS A LIMIT TO THE DIVINE MERCY. This, like every third plague, came without warning. Opportunity was given twice to avert coming judgment. None is given now. Unannounced it startles them in the midst of their fancied security.
1. When men have baffled the servants of God by unrepentant stubbornness and broken vows the matter is not ended. God who has spoken will also act.
2. God will not always strive. Those who resist mercy pass on to meet sudden destruction.
II. THE JUDGMENT UPON THE IDOLATRY OF EGYPT. In the two first plagues God’s hand was laid upon the river which the Egyptians worshipped as the giver of life. In this it was laid upon the landalso an Egyptian god and the giver of their food, etc. God proves that these are his servants, and that they will bless or harm according to his word. The works of God’s handsearth, sea, etc.are still regarded as bestowing good independently of his will. Let us not need Egypt’s chastisements to teach us that all are serving him, both in blessing and in judgment.
III. THE WORLD‘S WISDOM TURNED INTO FOOLISHNESS. They who have hitherto contended so proudly with God are confounded before the basest of all the miracles.
1. The wisdom that seeks to rob man’s heart of God is brought to nothing before the gospel. With all its vaunted power it could not bring peace to a sinner’s heart nor change to his life.
2. Atheistic science, that can see God nowhere, will yet be confounded before his judgments.U.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Exo 8:16. The Lord said unto Moses We observed on Exo 8:1 that God, in mercy, was pleased to warn Pharaoh of his judgments before they came: but now, he having notoriously falsified his promise, and shewed a disposition which would not be reclaimed, God orders Moses to bring a third plague, without any sort of warning. The word kinnim, which we render lice, signifies a species of insects. LXX, , or . So the Vulgate, sciniphes or cyniphes, gnats. Origen describes them as winged insects, but so small as to escape any but the acutest sight; and says; that when settled on the body, they pierce it with a most sharp and painful sting. So that these insects seem to have their name from their settling or fixing upon the bodies of men and beasts, and eating into the contexture or substance of them. I have no doubt but they were of some of those species which the Egyptians worshipped as their representative gods; and so, probably, of the cantharides, scaraboeus, or beetle kind. See Parkhurst on the word, and the next note. Bochart strongly supports the idea which our version gives us. If they were lice, they were, most probably, of a kind peculiarly offensive; and, considering the cleanliness for which the Egyptians were so famous, one cannot conceive a more noisome and grievous plague to them than this, in the single view of neatness, separate from its other inconveniences.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
C.The gnats
Exo 8:12-15 [Exo 8:16-19]
12 [Exo 8:16]And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice [gnats] throughout all the 13 [17]land of Egypt. And they did so; for [and] Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth [land], and it became lice [gnats] in [on] man, and in [on] beast; all the dust of the land became lice [gnats] 14 [18]throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments [secret arts] to bring forth lice [the gnats], but they could not: 15 [19]so [and] there were lice [gnats] upon man, and upon beast. Then [And] the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaohs heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had said.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Exo 8:12 [Exo 8:16] seq. Gnats. or . Josephus, the Rabbins, [the A. V.], and Luther render: lice. The LXX., ; the Vulg., sciniphes. Very small, painfully stinging gnats, crawling on the skin, and even in the nose and ears. They are very abundant in Egypt. The dust marks the transition from the mire to the time of drought. The transformation of the dust into gnats is a symbolic act, like the transformation of water into blood. They come out of the dust, and fly around like the dust, too small to measure or to seize. Keil says: The gnats come out of the eggs laid in the dust or ground by the preceding generation. The miracle consists in both cases not in an immediate creation, but in the pre-announcement, and the corresponding sudden creative (?) generation and supernatural (?) increase of these animals. Out of the eggs, and at the same time supernaturalthis is discordant.
Exo 8:14 [Exo 8:18]. The scribes.. Of the three forms of designation, sorcerers, wise men, and , Egyptian scribes, attached to the court, interpreters of hieroglyphic writings, the chief one is here selected, making the expression of their impotence the stronger. They cannot imitate this miracle. Why not? Knobel says: Because, according to the writers view, this was a case involving the production of creatures. Keil: Because Gods omnipotence in the case of this miracle put a check upon the demoniacal forces which the sorcerers had employed. Strange that the characteristic mark of magic wonders is again continually overlooked. The agency of Satan consists in lying forces and signs and miracles. Satan, in all that he says (Matthew 4) is the liar. If we take Exo 8:13 literally, we might say that Moses had already transformed all the dust of Egypt into gnats, and that hence there was no dust left for them to work miracles on. But it is more obvious to assume that in this case they found the deception harder, or rather, that they were seized with a religious terror, and now declared to Pharaoh that they could go with him no further, in order to induce him to retrace his steps. This seems to be implied in their declaration: This is the finger of God. According to Bochart this means: nos non cohibent Moses et Aaron, sed divina vis, ulrisque major. Keil adds: If they had meant the God of Israel, would be used. But did they know Jehovah? And did they not also, as Egyptian priests, refer all their doings to the influence of the Godhead? According to Kurtz, by finger they meant an indication [Fingerzeig], a warning of the Egyptian gods themselves. Keil, on the other hand, finds in the finger of God simply an expression of creative omnipotence, as in Psa 8:4 [3]; Luk 11:20; Exo 31:18. Yet the educating wisdom of God is emphasized, especially in Exo 31:18. The recognition of the fact that Gods finger displayed itself is the prelude of the perception of His strong hand and His outstretched arm. Therefore the phrase cannot be intended to designate either the gods of Egypt, who could not possibly, in the mind of the priests, take part with Moses and Aaron, or the God of Israel according to the Egyptian notion of Him, but only the deity, as conceived by a general overpowering religious feeling.
Exo 8:15 [Exo 8:19]. Was hardened. Keils inference, This punitive miracle, therefore, made on Pharaoh no impression, obliterates the antithesis which the text brings out [viz., that although the magicians saw a divine hand in the miracle, yet Pharaoh remained obdurate].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Psa 105:31 . Reader! remark with me, what small and apparently contemptible instruments the Lord works with. He might have commissioned beasts of prey, or sent scorpions among them: but he chooses, as in the gospel dispensation, weak things to confound the mighty.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Ver. 16. Stretch out thy rod. ] Here is no warning given; which shows great wrath. Impenitency makes God “weary of repenting.” Jer 15:6 Absolute in his threatenings, if any; resolute in his executions, as Deu 29:19-20 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the LORD (Hebrew. Jehovah. said. See note on Exo 3:7, and compare note on Exo 6:10
lice. An Egyptian word = mosquito-gnats. Note that this third plague (like the sixth and ninth) falls with- I out warning.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Plagues of Lice and of Flies
Exo 8:16-32
Exo 8:22 gives us the clue to these successive visitations-To the end that thou mayest know. The Egyptians worshiped the river from which the frogs came; were extremely punctilious in their purity by perpetual bathing; and sacrificed to the deities who presided over the noisome insect tribes. It was necessary to prove, therefore, that these gods were no gods, but that the Lord made the heavens. The just and righteous Jehovah could not expect Pharaoh to obey His voice, until He had shown Himself to be God of gods and Lord of lords, and that He was Lord in the middle of the earth. He is not an absentee; but nearer than breathing.
Notice the severance in Exo 8:22! We do not belong to this world, because we have been crucified to it in Christ, and in Him have risen to the heavenly places.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Stretch: Exo 8:5, Exo 8:17
lice: The word kinnim is rendered by the LXX , , or , and by the Vulgate sciniphes, Gnats; and Mr. Harmer supposes he has found out the true meaning in the word tarrentes, a species of worm. Bochart, however, seems to have proved that lice, and not gnats, are meant; because:
1. They sprang from the dust, and not from the waters;
2. They were on both man and beast, which cannot be said of gnats;
3. Their name is derived from koon, to make firm, fix, establish, which cannot agree with gnats, flies, etc., which are ever changing place, and almost constantly on the wing;
4. The term kinnah is used by the Talmudists to express the louse.
This insect must have been a very dreadful and afflicting plague to the Egyptians, and especially to the priests, who were obliged to shave all their hair off, and to wear a single linen tunic, to prevent vermin harbouring about them.
Reciprocal: Exo 7:19 – stretch Exo 9:8 – Take to Exo 9:22 – General Psa 105:31 – and lice
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 8:16-19 P. 3. Lice or Gnats (i.e. mosquitoes) Swarm.In autumn, when much water is standing in the rice fields, swarms of mosquitoes, like clouds of dust, arise from their breeding-grounds. Perhaps that is why they are here described as generated from dust. Both renderings can plead ancient authority, but both scholarship and experience favour the second.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Gnats (the third plague) 8:16-19
The Hebrew word translated "gnats" (kinnim) probably refers not to lice or fleas but to gnats. Kaiser suggested that mosquitoes may be in view. [Note: Kaiser, "Exodus," p. 353.] The frogs had invaded the Egyptians’ homes, but the gnats afflicted their bodies.
They were ". . . a species of gnats, so small as to be hardly visible to the eye, but with a sting which, according to Philo and Origin, causes a most painful irritation of the skin. They even creep into the eyes and nose, and after the harvest they rise in great swarms from the inundated rice fields." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, 1:483.]
"The dust . . . became gnats" (Exo 8:17) probably means that the gnats rose from the dust, resembled the dust in that they were so small, and were as numerous as the dust. Moses evidently used the language of appearance (here a metaphor).
The magicians failed to reproduce this miracle (Exo 8:18). They had to confess that it was of divine origin and not the result of Moses and Aaron’s human ability. The "finger of God" (Exo 8:19) is a phrase denoting creative omnipotence in Scripture (Exo 31:18; Psa 8:3; Luk 11:20). It is probably another synecdoche as well as an anthropomorphism (a depiction of God in human terms). Here the finger of God, a part, represents the totality, namely, all His power. See 1Sa 6:9 and Psa 109:27 where the "hand of God" also pictures His power.
"The new element introduced in the account of the third of the mighty acts is the realization by Pharaoh’s learned men that God or a god is in the midst of what is happening in Egypt." [Note: Durham, p. 109.]
"At this point in the narrative we, the readers, see that the Egyptian magicians were using tricks in their earlier signs. Their confession plays an important role in uncovering the writer’s real purpose in recounting these events." [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 255.]
The magicians gave credit to "God" (Elohim), not Yahweh. They did not ascribe this miracle to the God of the Israelites but were only willing to say it had some supernatural origin.
"It is not clear against what specific deities this particular plague was directed. It is entirely possible, however, that the plague was designed to humiliate the official priesthood in the land, for it will be noted in Exo 8:17 that these creatures irritated both man and beast, and this included ’all the land of Egypt.’ The priests in Egypt were noted for their physical purity. Daily rites were performed by a group of priests known as the Uab or ’pure ones.’ Their purity was basically physical rather than spiritual. They were circumcised, shaved the hair from their heads and bodies, washed frequently, and were dressed in beautiful linen robes. [Note: Montet, p. 177.] In the light of this it would seem rather doubtful that the priesthood in Egypt could function very effectively having been polluted by the presence of these insects. They, like their worshipers, were inflicted with the pestilence of this occasion. Their prayers were made ineffective by their own personal impurity with the presence of gnats on their bodies.
"The priests in Egypt were a group of people to be reckoned with not only religiously but economically and politically. They controlled to a large degree, the minds and hearts of the people." [Note: Davis, p. 103.]
The Egyptian priests wore animal masks representing various gods to help the people understand the god the mask portrayed and his activities. [Note: Arelene Wolinski, "Egyptian Masks: the Priest and His Role," Archaeology 40:1 (January-February 1987):22-29.] This practice continues in some pagan religions even today.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
THE THIRD PLAGUE.
Exo 8:16-19.
There is no sufficient reason for discarding the ordinary opinion of this plague. Gnats have been suggested (with beetles instead of flies for the fourth, since gnats and flies would scarcely make two several judgments), but these, which spring from marshy ground, would unfitly be connected with the dust whence Aaron was to evoke the pest. Sir Samuel Baker, on the other hand, has said of modern Egypt that “it seemed as if the very dust were turned into lice” (quoted in Speaker’s Commentary in loco).
Two features in this plague deserve attention. It came without any warning whatever. The faithless king who gave his word and broke it found himself involved in fresh miseries without an opportunity of humbling himself again. He was flung back into deep waters, because he refused to fulfil the terms upon which he had been extricated.
It must be understood that the act of Aaron was a public one, performed in the sight of Pharaoh, and instantly followed by the plague. There was no doubt about the origin of the pest, and the new and alarming prospect was opened up of calamities yet to come, without a chance to avert them by submission.
Again, it will be observed that the magicians are utterly baffled just when there is no warning given, and therefore no opportunity for pre-arranged sleight of hand. And this surely favours the opinion that they had not hitherto succeeded by supernatural assistance, for there is no such evident reason why infernal aid should cease at this exact point.
It is a mistake to suppose that thereupon they confessed the mission of the brothers. In their agitation they admitted that, on their part at least, no divinity had been at work before. But they rather ascribed what they saw to the action of some vaguely indicated deity, than confessed it to be the work of Jehovah. Again it has to be asked whether this resembles more the vainglorious structure of a myth, or the course of a truthful history.
Nevertheless, their grudging and insufficient avowal was meant to induce a surrender. But “Pharaoh’s heart was strong, and he hearkened not unto them.” To this statement it is not added, “because the Lord had hardened him,” for this had not even yet taken place; but only, “as the Lord had spoken.”