Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 9:3
Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which [is] in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: [there shall be] a very grievous murrain.
3. cattle ] lit. possessions, commonly used of possessions in sheep and oxen (Exo 12:38, Gen 47:14), but including here other animals as well.
camels ] Camels were not used, or bred, in ancient Egypt, nor do they appear ‘in any inscription or painting before the Greek period’ (Erman, p. 493; cf. W. Max Mller, EB. i. 634; Sayce, EHH. 169). They look here like an anachronism: the reference may however be to camels belonging to traders, which had brought merchandise into Egypt across the desert from Arabia, or elsewhere (cf. Gen 37:25).
grievous ] i.e. severe: see on Exo 8:24.
murrain ] the word which, when used of a disease of men, is commonly rendered pestilence ( v. 15, Exo 9:3, and frequently); it is applied to a cattle plague only here and Psa 78:50.
Egypt does not seem to be often visited by cattle plagues. Pruner ( Krankheiten des Orients, p. 108 ff.), and Lepsius ( Letters from Eg., p. 44), cited by Kn., mention, however, a severe epidemic which began in 1842, and by June, 1843, had raged for nine months (Mrs Poole, The Englishwoman in Egypt, 1844, ii. 114 f.), causing great mortality among oxen and sheep, though it did not affect camels or horses. Pruner attributed this epidemic to the water of the Nile, which was low and impure at the time when it began: cattle which were at a distance from the Nile, and could obtain good water, were not attacked by it. There have also been cattle plagues in Egypt in recent years.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A very grievous murrain – Or pestilence; but the word murrain, i. e. a great mortality, exactly expresses the meaning. This terrible visitation struck far more severely than the preceding, which had caused distress and suffering; it attacked the resources of the nation.
The camels – These animals are only twice mentioned, here and Gen 12:16, in connection with Egypt. Though camels are never represented on the monuments, they were known to the Egyptians, and were probably used on the frontier.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The FIFTH plague – the MURRAIN
Verse 3. The hand of the Lord] The power of God manifested in judgment.
Upon the horses] susim. This is the first place the horse is mentioned; a creature for which Egypt and Arabia were always famous. sus is supposed to have the same meaning with sas, which signifies to be active, brisk, or lively, all which are proper appellatives of the horse, especially in Arabia and Egypt. Because of their activity and swiftness they were sacrificed and dedicated to the sun, and perhaps it was principally on this account that God prohibited the use of them among the Israelites.
A very grievous murrain.] The murrain is a very contagious disease among cattle, the symptoms of which are a hanging down and swelling of the head, abundance of gum in the eyes, rattling in the throat, difficulty of breathing, palpitation of the heart, staggering, a hot breath, and a shining tongue; which symptoms prove that a general inflammation has taken place. The original word deber is variously translated. The Septuagint have , death; the Vulgate has pestis, a plague or pestilence; the old Saxon version, [Anglo-Saxon], from [Anglo-Saxon], to die, any fatal disease. Our English word murrain comes either from the French mourir, to die, or from the Greek maraino, to grow lean, waste away. The term mortality would be the nearest in sense to the original, as no particular disorder is specified by the Hebrew word.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The hand of the Lord; in an immediate manner, not by my rod, that thou mayst know it is not I, but the Lord, which doth all these things to thee.
Thy cattle which they kept for their wool or milk, or manifold uses and services, though not for food and sacrifice.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3-5. Behold, the hand of the Lord isupon thy cattleA fifth application was made to Pharaoh inbehalf of the Israelites by Moses, who was instructed to tell himthat, if he persisted in opposing their departure, a pestilence wouldbe sent among all the flocks and herds of the Egyptians, while thoseof the Israelites would be spared. As he showed no intention ofkeeping his promise, he was still a mark for the arrows of theAlmighty’s quiver, and the threatened plague of which he wasforewarned was executed. But it is observable that in this instanceit was not inflicted through the instrumentality or waving of Aaron’srod, but directly by the hand of the Lord, and the fixing of theprecise time tended still further to determine the true character ofthe calamity (Jer 12:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, the hand of the Lord,…. Which was stronger than his, with which he held the Israelites:
is upon thy cattle which is in the field: this takes in all in general, of which the particulars follow, though limited to such as were in the field, and so did not take in what were at home in their out houses and stables:
upon the horses: of which there was great plenty in Egypt, as appears from various places of Scripture:
upon the asses; used for carrying burdens from place to place:
and upon the camels; used the like purposes, and to ride upon, and particularly to travel with through desert places for commerce, being able to proceed on without water for a considerable time:
upon the oxen, and upon the sheep; oxen were for labour to plough with, and sheep for their wool, and all of them to trade with: there shall be
a very grievous murrain: or “pestilence” y, a very noisome one, and which would carry off great numbers; the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it a “death”, as the Jews commonly call a pestilence, whether on man or beast, because it generally sweeps away large numbers.
y “pestis”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator; “pestilentia”, Drusius; so Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“ The hand of Jehovah will be ( , which only occurs here, as the participle of , generally takes its form from , Neh 6:6; Ecc 2:22) against thy cattle…as a very severe plague ( that which sweeps away, a plague), i.e., will smite them with a severe plague. A distinction was again made between the Israelites and the Egyptians. “ Of all (the cattle) belonging to the children of Israel, not one ( Exo 9:4, = Exo 9:6) shall die.” A definite time was also fixed for the coming of the plague, as in the case of the previous one (Exo 8:23), in order that, whereas murrains occasionally occur in Egypt, Pharaoh might discern in his one the judgment of Jehovah.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
FIFTH PLAGUE MURRAIN, Exo 9:1-7.
3. The hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field This infliction seems to be limited to the cattle which were in the open air . All of the animals here mentioned are represented in the Egyptian monuments except the camel, which, though used in Egypt from the earliest times, yet for some reason never occurs in the hieroglyphic inscriptions, or in the pictured representations of the tombs . Stuart Poole supposes that the camel was unclean in the eyes of the Egyptians, as associated with the hated nomad tribes of the desert and the abominated Shepherd Dynasties. See Gen 46:34, and note . In the populous cities and cultivated fields of the Nile valley the services of the camel would not be required; but to cross the sands which bounded the valley the “ship of the desert” was indispensable: yet perhaps the Egyptians generally employed the Arabs in this caravan service . The horses of Egypt were celebrated from early times: thence Solomon imported his into Palestine. They were greatly esteemed for chariot service and for war, but asses and cattle were generally employed for draught. The cheap, strong, patient ass was, and is, the peasant’s chief dependence for labour. Sheep were reared chiefly for their wool, mutton being rarely used. Large flocks were kept in the neighbourhood of Memphis, even to the number of two thousand.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 9:3. A very grievous murrain deber, the same word as is used, Exo 9:15 and rendered pestilence; concerning which, see note on ch. Exo 5:3. In 2Sa 24:14 the pestilence is called the hand of the Lord, as here; it being the usual language of sacred Scripture to ascribe to God such diseases as have not an apparent cause. Houbigant renders this verse, behold, the hand of the Lord will bring upon the cattle, &c. a grievous pestilence.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mark that observation of the Apostle, Rom 8:22 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 9:3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which [is] in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: [there shall be] a very grievous murrain.
Ver. 3. Is upon thy cattle. ] Both those ad esum and those ad usum. Men sin, these suffer, and therefore groan. Rom 8:22
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
hand. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia (App-6). Also Metonymy (of Cause), “hand” being put for the judgments inflicted by it.
in the field. The cattle, &c., were in the field in the spring and early summer.
upon. Some codices, with Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, and Syriac, read “and upon”.
murrain, or pestilence. See Exo 9:15.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the hand: Exo 7:4, Exo 8:19, 1Sa 5:6-11, 1Sa 6:9, Act 13:11
murrain: We may observe a particular scope and meaning in this calamity, if we consider it in regard to the Egyptians, which would not have existed in respect to any other people. They held in idolatrous reverence almost every animal, but some they held in particular veneration; as the ox, cow, and ram. Among these, Apis and Mnevis are well known; the former being a sacred bull, worshipped at Memphis, as the latter was at Heliopolis. A cow or heifer had the like honours at Momemphis; and the same practice seems to have been adopted in most of the Egyptian nomes. By the infliction of this judgment, the Egyptian deities sank before the God of the Hebrews. See Bryant, pp. 87-93. Exo 5:3
Reciprocal: Gen 47:6 – cattle Gen 47:17 – for horses Exo 8:26 – the abomination Exo 9:15 – stretch Psa 78:50 – life over to the pestilence Psa 107:38 – suffereth Jer 50:33 – they refused Amo 4:10 – pestilence
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 9:3. The hand of the Lord Immediately, without the stretching out of Aarons hand; is upon the cattle Many of which, some of all kinds, should die by a sort of pestilence. The hand of God is to be acknowledged even in the sickness and death of cattle, or other damage sustained in them; for a sparrow falls not to the ground without our Father. And his providence is to be acknowledged with thankfulness in the life of the cattle, for he preserveth man and beast, Psa 36:6.