Exodus 8:27

The Fourth Plague: Flies · Exodus 8:20–32
Read Exodus 8

Translations

Modern
We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.”
Traditional
We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us.
Literal
A journey of three days we will go into the wilderness, and we will sacrifice to YHWH our God, as He says to us.”
Latin
Viam trium dierum pergemus in solitudinem: et sacrificabimus Domino Deo nostro, sicut præcepit nobis.

Original

Hebrew
English
We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.”

Notes

  • Moses explained why Pharaoh’s request could not work. He said it would offend the Egyptians. The Egyptians looked down on the Hebrews and other Semitic peoples. They considered them uncultured and unclean (see Genesis 43:32).

  • The Hebrews were leaving Egypt in order to worship the Lord (see, for example, Exodus 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20). God’s purpose in the exodus was not only freedom from slavery. He wanted to bring his people into a right relationship with him.

The fourth plague was the plague of flies. The Egyptians worshiped insects such as flies that seemed to be able to turn death into life, as their young seemed to emerge from decaying matter. If the Egyptians thought that insects had the secret of life, God would let them have all the insects they wanted. Some say that this infestation was the natural result of all the dead frogs, but there were no flies in Goshen (8:22), the northeastern delta area where the Hebrews lived. God’s miraculous power was clearly seen in his ability to infest one area while sparing another at will.

Theme notes and profiles

Egypt Moses Pharaoh The Plagues

Events

Glossary

Aaron Book of Exodus Deuteronomy, Book of Frog Gnat Hardness of Heart History of Israel Jannes and Jambres Magic Numbers and Numerology Plague Plagues upon Egypt

Topics

Flies: Plague of