Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 8:24
And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm [of flies] into the house of Pharaoh, and [into] his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm [of flies].
24. grievous ] lit. heavy, combining, as Exo 10:14, the ideas of both numerous (Exo 12:38, Gen 50:9, Heb.), and severe (Exo 9:3; Exo 9:18; Exo 9:24). ‘Grievous’ is an archaism, meaning burdensome (ultimately from Lat. gravis 1 [124] ): see DB. s.v.; and cf. Gen 12:10 (AV.), Gen 50:11, 2Co 12:14 AV. (RV. ‘be a burden to’) 2 [125] .
[124] Cf. to grieve, i.e. originally to be a burden or trouble to, to harass (Gen 49:23) from gravare.
[125] Murray quotes from a writer of 1548, ‘Ye shall be grievous to no man with begging’ (cf. the Glossary in the writer’s Jeremiah, p. 373).
and into, &c.] read probably, with LXX. Sam. Pesh., adding only one letter, but improving the sentence, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt; and the land was, &c.
corrupted ] rather, ruined, by the suffering inflicted on men and cattle, and the interruption caused to daily occupations, &c. ( v. 21).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 24. The land was corrupted] Every thing was spoiled, and many of the inhabitants destroyed, being probably stung to death by these venomous insects. This seems to be intimated by the psalmist, “He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which DEVOURED them,” Ps 78:45.
In ancient times, when political, domestic, and personal cleanliness was but little attended to, and offal of different kinds permitted to corrupt in the streets and breed vermin, flies multiplied exceedingly, so that we read in ancient authors of whole districts being laid waste by them; hence different people had deities, whose office it was to defend them against flies. Among these we may reckon Baalzebub, the fly-god of Ekron; Hercules, muscarum abactor, Hercules, the expeller of flies, of the Romans; the Muagrus of the Eleans, whom they invoked against pestilential swarms of flies; and hence Jupiter, the supreme god of the heathens, had the epithets of and , because he was supposed to expel flies, and defend his worshippers against them. See Dodd.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord did so, immediately by his own word, and not by Mosess rod, lest the Egyptians should think it was a magicians wand, and. that all Mosess works were done by the power of the devil.
A grievous swarm of flies; Heb. a heavy mixture of flies. Heavy, i.e. either great, as this Hebrew word is used, Gen 41:31; Isa 32:2, or mischievous and troublesome; or rather, numerous, as it is taken, Gen 1:9; Num 11:14; 1Ki 3:9, compared with 2Ch 1:10.
The land, i.e. either the fruits or products of the land; or rather, the inhabitants of the land, as the word land is taken, Gen 41:36; 1Sa 27:9 many of the people were poisoned or stung to death by them, as appears from Psa 78:45. See also Wis 16:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the Lord did so,…. And this he did immediately of himself without any means; not by the rod of Aaron, to let the Egyptians see that there was nothing in that rod, that it had no magic virtue in it, and what was done by it was from the Lord himself, who could as well inflict plagues without it as with it; see Ps 105:31 and there came a grievous swarm of flies; or a “heavy” q one, which was both very numerous, and very troublesome and distressing:
into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt: into the palace of Pharaoh, and into the palaces of his nobles, ministers, and courtiers, and into the dwelling places of all his subjects, throughout the whole land, excepting the land of Goshen:
the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies; Josephus r says, the land lay neglected and uncultivated by the husbandmen; it may be, the air was infected by the flies, which produced a pestilence that took off many of the inhabitants; so among the Eleans, as Pliny s reports, a multitude of flies produced a pestilence; however, it is certain many of the inhabitants of Egypt perished by them; they might sting them to death, suck their blood, and poison them with their envenomed stings; see Ps 78:45.
q “gravis”, Montanus, “gravissime”, V. L. r Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 2. c. 14. sect. 3.) s Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 28.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(24) The land was corrupted.Rather, as in the margin, destroyed. Kalisch observes, These insectsi.e., the kakerlaque (Blatta Orientalis), really fill the land, and molest men and beasts; they consume all sorts of materials, devastate the country, and are in so far more detrimental than the gnats, as they destroy also the property of the Egyptians.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 8:24. The land was corrupted Le Clerc understands the expression, the land was corrupted of the flesh and other eatables in the land; which, these vermin having preyed upon and fly-blown, bred maggots, stench, and putrefaction. Bochart understands it of the inhabitants of the land. The original word signifies to destroy or spoil, as well as to corrupt; so that we may imagine the air was infected, and many of the people poisoned and stung to death by them. The Psalmist says, these flies devoured them, Psa 78:45. Heathen historians have recorded facts something similar to the plagues of frogs and flies. Pliny mentions a city in France which was of old depopulated by frogs. And that whole countries have been infested with flies, appears from the number of gods which were worshipped, because they were supposed to have driven them away. Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, 2Ki 1:2 signifies the god of flies. The Romans had their Hercules, muscarum abactor, the driver away of flies. The Eleans had their god Myagrus, whom they invoked against pestilential swarms of flies; and Jupiter, for the same reason, was stiled and .
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 78:45
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 8:24 And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm [of flies] into the house of Pharaoh, and [into] his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm [of flies].
Ver. 24. A grievous swarm of flies, ] i.e., Numerous and pernicious; yet not so bad as those many noisome thoughts that swarm daily in men’s hearts. There is that Leviathan; there are also creeping things innumerable. And these many times mar and corrupt our prayers, so as that they stink in the nostrils of God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
into. This word, in italics, is a special reading called Sevir. See App-34.
and. This is omitted in the readings called Sevir. the land. Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint read “and the land”.
corrupted = laid waste.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
there: Exo 8:21, Psa 78:45, Psa 105:31
the land: How intolerable a plague of flies can prove, is evident from the fact that whole districts have been laid waste by them. The inhabitants have been forced to quit their cities, not being able to stand against the flies and gnats with which they were pestered. Hence different people had deities whose office it was to defend them against flies. Among these may be reckoned Baalzebub, the fly-god of Ekron; Hercules, muscarum abactor, Hercules the expeller of flies; and hence Jupiter had the titles of , , , because he was supposed to expel flies, and especially clear his temples of these insects. See Bryant. Exo 8:14
corrupted: or destroyed
Reciprocal: 1Sa 6:5 – mice 2Ki 1:16 – Baalzebub Psa 107:40 – contempt Isa 7:18 – fly