Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 8:3
And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading troughs:
3. The frogs will not only swarm in the river, but fill every part of the houses in Egypt, and even climb up upon the person ( v. 4).
frogs ] except in the present context, mentioned in the OT. only Psa 78:45; Psa 105:30, with reference to this plague.
the house ] read probably, with LXX. Sam., the houses.
upon thy people ] read, with LXX., of thy people: ‘upon’ follows in v. 4.
ovens ] The ‘oven’ ( tannr) was a portable earthenware stove, about 3 ft. high, of the shape of a truncated cone, heated by the burning embers being placed in it at the bottom. Ovens of this kind are still in use in the East. See DB. i. 318 a ; and, for an illustration, Whitehouse, Primer of Heb. Antiquities, p. 73. So Gen 15:17 (‘furnace’), Lev 2:4 al.
kneading
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Into thine house – This appears to have been special to the plague, as such. It was especially the visitation which would be felt by the scrupulously-clean Egyptians.
Kneadingtroughs – Not dough, as in the margin. See Exo 12:34.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. The river shall bring forth frogs abundantly] The river Nile, which was an object of their adoration, was here one of the instruments of their punishment. The expression, bring forth abundantly, not only shows the vast numbers of those animals, which should now infest the land, but it seems also to imply that all the spawn or ova of those animals which were already in the river and marshes, should be brought miraculously to a state of perfection. We may suppose that the animals were already in an embryo existence, but multitudes of them would not have come to a state of perfection had it not been for this miraculous interference. This supposition will appear the more natural when it is considered that the Nile was remarkable for breeding frogs, and such other animals as are principally engendered in such marshy places as must be left in the vicinity of the Nile after its annual inundations.
Into thine ovens] In various parts of the east, instead of what we call ovens they dig a hole in the ground, in which they insert a kind of earthen pot, which having sufficiently heated, they stick their cakes to the inside, and when baked remove them and supply their places with others, and so on. To find such places full of frogs when they came to heat them, in order to make their bread, must be both disgusting and distressing in the extreme.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The river; under which are comprehended all other rivers, streams, and ponds, as appears from Exo 8:5. But the river Nilus is mentioned, because God would make that an instrument of their misery in which they most gloried, Eze 29:3, and to which they gave divine honours, and which was the instrument of their cruelty against the Israelites, Exo 1:22.
Into thy bed-chamber; either because God made the doors and windows to fly open, which it is easy to believe concerning God, seeing that this hath been many times done by evil angels; or because whensoever men entered into any house, or any room of their house, which their occasions would oft force them to do, the frogs, being always at their heels in great numbers, would go in with them. This plague was worse than the former, because it was more constant and more general; for the former was only in the waters, and did only molest them when they went to drink or use the water; but this infected all liquors, and all places, and at all times, and annoyed all their senses with their filthy substance, and shape, and noise, and stink, and mingled themselves with their meats, and sauces, and drinks, and crawling into their beds made them restless. And many of them probably were of a more ugly shape and infectious nature than ordinary.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. bedchamber . . . bedmatsstrewed on the floor as well as more sumptuous divans of the rich.
ovensholes made in theground and the sides of which are plastered with mortar.
kneading-troughsThoseused in Egypt were bowls of wicker or rush work. What must have beenthe state of the people when they could find no means of escape fromthe cold, damp touch and unsightly presence of the frogs, as theyalighted on every article and vessel of food!
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly,…. The river Nile; and though water, and watery places, naturally produce these creatures, yet not in such vast quantities as to cover a whole country, and so large an one as Egypt, and this done at once, immediately; for they were all produced instantaneously, and in one day were spread all over the nation, and removed the next: and besides what follows is equally miraculous,
which shall go up and come into thine house; which though they may come up out of rivers, and be upon the banks and the meadows adjacent, yet are never known to come into houses, and especially into bedchambers and other places after mentioned, being not a bold but timorous creature, and shuns the sight and company of men; but these came even into the royal palace, nor could his guards keep them out:
and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed; and by their leaping upon him, and croaking in his ears, disturb his rest:
and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people both nobles and common people, and not only get into their houses, but upon their persons, on their hands when about their business, on their laps, and into their bosoms, as they sat; which must be very offensive and troublesome to them, what with their ugly shape, croaking noise and filthy smell, and the disagreeable touch of them, leaping on them, and even upon their food, and all vessels used for the same, which must make it very nauseous and distasteful to them:
and into thy ovens; where they baked their bread, and would be now hindered from the use of them:
and into thy kneadingtroughs; where they kneaded their dough, and made it into loaves, and prepared it for the oven; or the “dough” r itself, which they leaped upon and licked, and made it loathsome for use.
r “in tuas pastas”, Pagninus; “in farinam tuam aquis conspersam”, Tigurine version; “in reliquiis ciborum tuorum”, V. L.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Into thine house, and into thy bedchamber The Egyptian house was built around a rectangular court, which was paved, and open to the sky, often containing trees, and generally a tank or fountain . See notes on Matthew, pp . 121 and 326 . The poorer houses had only a basement story, or ground floor, but those of a better class had store rooms, offices, etc . , in the basement, and above these were the parlours and sleeping chambers . There was often an additional story in one part on which was a terrace covered with an awning, or a light roof supported on columns, where the ladies of the family sat at work during the day, and where the master of the house took his, afternoon nap . See annexed cut . The reed-like columns with lotus capitals, and the disregard of perspective in showing the end of the house, are especially noticeable as illustrating Egyptian architecture and drawing.
Into thine ovens, and into thy kneading troughs The Egyptian oven was a jar of clay, or a jar-like structure built up from the ground, about three feet high, and widening toward the bottom, there being a hole in the side for the extraction of the ashes. It was heated by making a fire within it, and the dough was spread on the inside and on the outside. The accompanying cuts, from a representation in a Theban tomb, illustrate the mode of kneading the dough, which was done both with hands and feet, and of carrying the cakes to the oven, which is now lighted.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 8:3. And the river shall bring forth That is, the river Nile, with all its streams, ponds, lakes, and, in a word, the whole body of waters which proceeded from, and were formed by it alone in Egypt. The Nile was remarkably fruitful of frogs; but a quantity so immense as was produced instantaneously on this occasion, undoubtedly indicated a miraculous power. The expressions, into thy house, thy bed, thine ovens, &c. declare, that the swarm should be so great as to throng, contrary to the nature of the reptile, into the most frequented and the dryest places. And the fourth verse, limiting this plague to Pharoah and his people, shews again how graciously God preserved the Israelites from it. A distinction which, one would have thought, should have caused the blindest to see, and the hardest to feel.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 78:45 ; Rev 16:13-14
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“If thou refuse… I will smite.” Exo 8:3 .
Thus the parts of life are linked together. Disobedience is not a self-contained act Man must not imagine that he has no correspondence in heaven. what man does is important as bearing moral consequences. Man has undoubtedly the liberty to refuse, but he has no liberty in the region of law. Law follows in its own consequences whatever man may do. This is not to be regarded as an arbitrary infliction. The law tells equally in both ways: obedience is blessed as certainly as disobedience is punished. Man must not therefore excuse himself on account of the supposed arbitrariness of the Divine law. It is not arbitrary: it is rational in its foundations and equal in its operations. This is no mere threatening: it is simply the announcement of a settled ordinance of nature. It belongs as much to the physical world in degree as to the spiritual world. If a man refuse to sow seed he will reap no harvest; if a man refuse to open his windows he will receive no sunlight into his house; if a man refuse to take proper food and exercise his health will be smitten. All this is not severe: it is really the active and protective side of beneficence.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Exo 8:3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:
Ver. 3. And the river shall bring forth frogs. ] Instead of fishes. Thus the first and this second plague are about the water; the third and fourth about the earth; the five next about the air; and the last about man.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
And. Note the Polysyndeton (App-6) in Exo 8:3 and Exo 8:4. bedchamber. In Palestine beds were mats or couches, and could be moved; but in Egypt there were special bedchambers. These were used later in Palestine (2Sa 4:7).
kneadingtroughs. These are found in every home; none is complete without them.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
kneading troughs, or, dough, Exo 12:34
Reciprocal: Gen 1:21 – brought Exo 8:11 – General Exo 10:6 – fill Psa 105:30 – brought Psa 107:40 – contempt