We’ve all heard the story of Moses and the plagues, but do you know how many there were?
In total, there were 10 plagues. The first four were the blood, frogs, lice, and flies. Then came a plague of locusts that covered the sky for three days. Next was a plague of darkness for three days. The seventh plague was hail mixed with fire that destroyed crops in Egypt. The eighth plague was locusts again, but this time they ate every green thing in Egypt except for what was in their homes or on their rooftops. The ninth plague was a fierce hailstorm on Egypt that destroyed any remaining crops. Finally, there was a last-ditch effort by Pharaoh to try to convince Moses to stop by sending his army after him only to have God turn them into corpses as well!
If you’re interested in learning more about these plagues or reading them all out loud with your friends and family.
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10 Plagues Of The Bible
The plagues are: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of firstborn children. The question of whether Bible stories can be linked to archaeological discoveries is one that has long fascinated scholars.
1. Nile turning to blood
God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh and warn him that He would turn the Nile River into blood. If Pharaoh did not let the Hebrews go, God would kill every fish in the Nile, leaving Egypt without its major food source.
Moses warned him as God had commanded: “Let my people go so they may worship me. Otherwise, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country” (Exodus 8:20).
Still Pharaoh refused. The plague of blood came next, just as God had said. Water from every part of Egypt—from people’s houses and drinking wells, even their swimming pools—turned to blood. After seven days, the fish in the river died and started to stink (Exodus 7:19–21).
2. Frogs
The second plague was frogs. A huge number of amphibians sprung forth from the Nile River and overran Egypt, covering every surface of the land. The Bible said they were so plentiful, they were even inside people’s ovens and kneading troughs. According to scientists, this is an important clue: a plague of frogs can only come from one source—the Nile!
As it turns out, the ancient Egyptian calendar year actually began with a frog-related festival called Shemu (or “The Season of the Emergence”). This celebration marked the beginning of an annual period where farmers could begin tilling their fields in preparation for planting crops. In addition to this symbolic significance, there was also a connection to flooding which provided water during dry seasons—an essential resource for agriculture.
3. Lice
- What are lice?
- How do you get rid of them?
- How do you treat lice?
- Are they dangerous?
4. Wild beasts
- Wild Beasts
The fourth plague of Egypt was the sending of wild animals into the land. The purpose of this plague is to show that God had authority over the gods and goddesses represented by animals in ancient Egyptian culture. For example, Egyptians would worship crocodiles, snakes and cats because they believed these animals were sacred manifestations of their gods and goddesses. This plague demonstrated that Yahweh, or God, is sovereign over the earth; He has authority over all creatures on earth (Exodus 8:17–19).
5. Pestilence
As with the first plague, second-century Christian theologian Clement of Alexandria interpreted pestilence as a sign of God’s displeasure toward Pharaoh and his people. “The wrath of God has come upon them,” he wrote in The Instructor. “They are filled with affliction and dishonor.”
The Bible doesn’t say exactly what pestilence was, but it seems to be a broad term for any sort of major outbreak or epidemic—such as a plague, which is why the fifth plague is often referred to as the plague of pestilence. In modern times, we might interpret the fifth plague as an antibiotic-resistant superbug that infects livestock and humans alike.
6. Boils
Unlike the other plagues, boils had a religious context in ancient Egypt. Boils were considered signs from a god that he was displeased with someone on earth. In the story of The Admonitions of Ipuwer, an Egyptian sage who lived during the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1782–ca. 1570 BC) is described as having boils all over his body because a god is angry at him for speaking out against injustice. The sores are said to be so painful and ugly that no one wants to be near him.
In this way, God used boils as a sign that he was more powerful than the gods of Egypt—but they also served as another warning to Pharaoh that God was going to punish him if he didn’t surrender his slaves, and they were a sign to Israel that God had not forgotten them or His promise to deliver them from oppression
7. Hail
Hail is a form of precipitation that falls from the sky and consists of balls of ice. It happens when rain freezes and melts multiple times as it falls, forming layers like an onion.
Hail can be very dangerous. The largest hailstone ever recorded in the US was 17 inches around, and weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces (32 ounces = 1 pound). This is about the same weight as one whole loaf of bread! It fell in South Dakota in 2010. Hailstones can damage buildings and cars — their impact can break windows or dent a car’s roof. Because hail often comes with thunderstorms (which also have lightning), this makes hail even more dangerous to be outside in.
8. Locusts
The eighth plague was swarms of locusts. Locusts are a type of grasshopper that can be very destructive to crops. According to the Bible, locusts completely covered the land of Egypt, covering all the plants that had not been destroyed by hail (the sixth plague). The plague of locusts was punishment for Pharaoh’s refusal to free the Israelites.
9. Darkness for three days
The most severe of the plagues and perhaps the most terrifying, the ninth plague brought darkness upon Egypt. One day into the plague, when Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, it became dark. The darkness was so thick that you could not see your hand in front of your face. It was as if it were night time, but during the day time. The people were overwhelmed with fear because of how thick and impenetable this darkness was. You could not see anything at all like if you were in a cloud or a fog. This is why we refer to this plague as “thick darkness”!
10. Death of the firstborn
The final plague, and the most devastating of all, was the death of the firstborn. Every Egyptian family lost their firstborn sons, including Pharaoh’s son. The Israelites were not affected by this plague because they had been instructed to sacrifice a lamb and spread some of its blood over their doorposts.
God warned Moses that He would bring judgment upon Egypt: “I will slay every firstborn in Egypt, both man and beast; and I will execute judgement against all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12). He then sent an angel to pass through Egypt and kill every firstborn person or animal and strike down all idols.
The plagues are a sign of God’s power, and his authority over the Egyptian gods
The purpose of the plagues was threefold:
- To force Pharaoh to let the Israelites, who were living in slavery in Egypt, go free.
- To show Pharaoh and the Egyptians who really had power in this world—the God of the Israelites, who created everything and had authority over all things. The plagues were a direct attack on Egyptian gods; for example, when Moses turned the Nile River into blood (Exodus 7:17-21), it was a blow to Hapi, the god of water.
- To demonstrate God’s love for his people.