Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 9:14
For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that [there is] none like me in all the earth.
14. this time all my plagues ] The two expressions seem hardly consistent: ‘this time’ shews that the hail is referred to, while ‘all my plagues’ points to much more than a single plague. J writes as a rule so clearly that the inconsistency is urged as one reason for supposing that vv. 14 16 are not from his hand.
plagues ] Heb. maggphh, properly a severe stroke or blow, only here of the ‘plagues’ of Egypt (cf. the cognate verb ‘smite’ in Exo 8:2 Exo 12:23; Exo 12:27, Jos 24:5); of a great defeat in war (EVV. slaughter), 1Sa 4:17 ( vv. 2, 10 the cognate verb, ‘smitten’), 2Sa 18:7 (with ‘smitten’) al.; of various supernatural chastisements, Num 14:37; Num 16:48-50; Num 25:8-9; Num 25:18, 2Sa 24:21 ; 2Sa 24:25, Zec 14:12; Zec 14:15; Zec 14:18.
upon thine heart ] The expression (though it might be interpreted with Di. as a reference to the Pharaoh’s hardened heart) is strange: read, probably, changing one letter, all these my plagues (cf. Exo 10:1) upon thee ( for ), and upon thy servants, &c.; cf. Exo 8:4; Exo 8:9; Exo 8:11; Exo 8:21; Exo 8:29.
that thou mayest know, &c.] See on Exo 8:10.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
14 16. The announcement of the plague ( vv. 13, 17 18) is interrupted by a passage, intended evidently (Di.) to explain why, when so many plagues have produced no impression upon the Pharaoh, God continues to send fresh ones upon him: He does so in order to extort from him the recognition of Himself, and that His name may be made known throughout the world; had this not been His motive, He would ere now have summarily removed him from the earth. By Di. and others this explanation ( vv. 14 16) is considered to be a didactic addition of the compiler’s (cf. on Exo 10:1 b 2). Cf. the Introd. p. xvii.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Upon thine heart, or, into thy heart: thou hast hitherto not felt my plagues upon thy own person or thy body, but I shall shortly reach and wound it, and that not only in the skin, as the magicians and others are now smitten, but even to thy heart, such as shall make thy heart sick, Mic 6:13, such as shall give thee a mortal and irrecoverable wound. Some understand it of inward and spiritual judgments upon Pharaohs heart, such as hardness of heart; but that plague had been inflicted upon him, and is recorded before this time. And Pharaohs heart being here opposed to his servants and people, seems rather to denote his person, the heart or soul being often put synecdochically for the whole man.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart,…. Not meaning particularly the plague of the hail, which next follows, so called, because it consisted of various things, as hail, rain, lightning, and thunder, as Aben Ezra, and who observes, that Pharaoh was more terrified with this plague than with any other; but rather all the plagues yet to come, for by them are not meant all the plagues that were in the power of God to inflict, which how many and great they are none can say, but all that he had determined in his mind to bring upon him; and these should not so much affect and afflict his body, as the boils and ulcers had the magicians, but should reach his heart, and fill him with horror and terror:
and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; even all that he intended to bring not only upon himself, but upon his subjects, both high and low:
that thou mayest know, that there is none like unto me in all the earth; for the perfections of his nature, and the works of his hands, particularly his providential dealings with the sons of men, and especially with him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
14. For I will at this time. The unexpressed condition is implied, “unless he should submit himself to God.” The meaning is, that although he had already chastised his pride, yet that this had been done gently and in moderation; but that He now would use a heavier scourge, since the lighter rods had been unavailing. Thus his ingratitude is reproved, because he had not acknowledged that he had been spared, in order that, having suffered only some trifling losses, (108) he might return to his right mind. Wherefore, because God had proceeded gradually with his punishments, He now threatens that He will inflict many on him at once; as he is wont to act with the rebellious. On which account also David exhorts us not to be
“
as the horse and mule — whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle when they are restive,” (Psa 32:9😉
whence he concludes, that “many sorrows shall be to the wicked” and rebellious. But Moses here denounces plagues, which shall not only affect the head and arms, but which shall reach to the heart itself, and inflict a deadly wound in his very bowels; for Pharaoh was so obstinate that it was not enough to batter his sides. In flue, he is enjoined to make haste and provide against the awful judgement which impended, unless he chose rather to perish with all his (servants.) The expression, “all my plagues,” embraces whatever chastisement we shall hereafter see inflicted on him; and therefore the word, דבר, deber, designates every kind of death; as much as to say, that He would heap punishment upon punishment, until He had destroyed the tyrant together with his whole nation. What is afterwards added, “that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth,” implies that Pharaoh had hitherto struggled against Him, because he had never really and seriously apprehended the extent of the divine power; for wherever it is really felt, it is impossible but that pride must be humbled before it. And, doubtless, the reprobate, although in some measure they recognize the power of God, still rush on with a kind of frenzied impulse, and their wickedness is combined with blindness of heart, so that seeing, they do not see. Meantime we are reminded, that the reprobate only gain this by their stupidity, that God should proceed against them with all His forces, and drag and compel them against their will to understand His power, from which they fly. But that he may expect no longer truce, God affirms in the next verse that He is advancing with an outstretched hand. For God is not here commending His patience in the slowness of His procedure, as some prefer to explain it; but He rather admonishes him that the execution was nigh at hand, since He had armed Himself, and prepared His forces before He had spoken a word.
(108) Dommages temporels. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) I will . . . send all my plagues upon thine heart.The naturally obdurate heart of Pharaoh, which he had further indurated by his own voluntary action (Exo. 8:15; Exo. 8:32), and which God had begun to harden penally (Exo. 9:12), was now to be softened by a repetition of blow after blow, until it should finally succumb, and yield, and humble itself under the mighty hand of God, and consent to the departure of the whole people, with flocks, and herds, and little ones.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. For I will at this time send all my plagues Only lighter strokes had fallen hitherto, but now more dreadful judgments impend .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 9:14-16. For I will at this, &c. The following translation of these verses, which is agreeable to Houbigant, will supersede all criticism, and render them extremely plain and intelligible: Exo 9:13. Let my people go, that they may serve me; 14. Otherwise, I will at this time send all my plagues upon thy heart, that thou mayest know there is none like me in all the earth. 15. For now I could stretch out my hand, and smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shouldest be cut off from the earth: 16. But, in very deed, for this cause have I made thee subsist [held thee up, preserved thee], that I might shew in thee my power, &c. See the margin of our Bibles. The verb, which we render raised up, has that sense which the margin, and the version here given, assign. It is agreeable also to most of the ancient versions; and St. Paul’s word, Rom 9:17. , rendered, in our translation, raised up, signifies to raise up again from any danger or evil: not, as is generally thought, to raise up or cause to exist; and therefore it must be understood in the sense of raising up Pharaoh from the foregoing sickness, from the miseries of the late punishment of ulcers, &c.; and the word is so used, Jam 5:15. The meaning therefore of the passage is, that God had caused Pharaoh still to exist, had spared him in the midst of punishment, for the greater exemplification of his glory: not that he had created him solely for this end. Dr. Wall observes, that St. Paul, in the 22nd verse of this 9th chapter to the Romans, explains his own sense of the phrase raised thee up in the 17th: What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and make his power known, endured, with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Observe the increasing terrors of the Lord. Mic 6:13 . Awful message, which marked them for ruin. See Deu 28:66-67 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that [there is] none like me in all the earth.
Ver. 14. All my plagues upon thine heart. ] Heart plagues are the worst plagues of all. A hard heart is in some respects worse than hell: since one of the greatest sins is greater in evil, than any of the greatest punishments.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
upon = into.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
send all: Lev 26:18, Lev 26:21, Lev 26:28, Deu 28:15-17, Deu 28:59-61, Deu 29:20-22, Deu 32:39-42, 1Sa 4:8, 1Ki 8:38, Jer 19:8, Mic 6:13, Rev 18:8, Rev 22:18
that thou: Exo 8:10
Reciprocal: Gen 41:25 – God Exo 11:1 – Yet will 2Sa 22:28 – but thine 2Ki 24:20 – through Job 9:4 – who hath hardened Job 27:22 – For God Isa 26:11 – they shall Isa 40:18 – General Jer 4:10 – the sword Jer 10:6 – there Jer 16:21 – I will this Eze 29:6 – know Eze 35:4 – and thou Dan 4:32 – until Dan 5:21 – his heart was made like Joh 19:11 – Thou
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 9:14-15. I will at this time send all my plagues Either these verses relate to what was to happen some time afterward, namely, the slaying of the firstborn, or the latter verse is to be read as follows, a translation which is equally agreeable to the Hebrew: For now I had stretched out my hand, to smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off, &c., but that thou wast preserved (as follows in the succeeding verse) that it might be known that there is none like me in all the earth. All my plagues upon thy heart Hitherto thou hast not felt my plagues on thy own person; but I will shortly reach and wound it: will give thee a wound that will pierce thy very heart; an irrecoverable and mortal wound. Who can tell the greatness of his wrath, or what a fearful thing it is to fall under the righteous judgment of a holy and offended God?
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon {c} thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that [there is] none like me in all the earth.
(c) So that your own conscience will condemn you of ingratitude and malice.