seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 9:22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
That must have been an extremely loud storm!
The blueletterbible.com commentary has this to add.
This would have been the most frightening plague thus far. The Egyptians must have believed that the wrath of God poured down from heaven in all severity.
This plague was directed against several Egyptian gods. Notable among them would was Nut, the sky goddess.
This plague was directed against several Egyptian gods. Notable among them would was Nut, the sky goddess.
GodVine.com describes the storm violently.
The Lord sent thunder - קלת koloth, voices; but loud, repeated peals of thunder are meant.
And the fire ran along upon the ground - ותהלך אש ארצה vattihalac esh aretsah, and the fire walked upon the earth. It was not a sudden flash of lightning, but a devouring fire, walking through every part, destroying both animals and vegetables; and its progress was irresistible.
And the fire ran along upon the ground - ותהלך אש ארצה vattihalac esh aretsah, and the fire walked upon the earth. It was not a sudden flash of lightning, but a devouring fire, walking through every part, destroying both animals and vegetables; and its progress was irresistible.
Finally, the easy English commentary adds this.
Thunder is the sudden loud noise in a storm. It follows lightning in a storm. And the hail came in a great storm. The lightning flashes hit the ground from all directions. The thunder and the lightning were signs that God was present. Later God showed that he was present on Mount Sinai in the same way (Exodus 19:16). There had never been a storm as bad as that storm in Egypt’s entire history.
That plague of hail affected every person and every animal that was out in the fields. It destroyed crops and it tore the leaves off the trees. Only Goshen, where the Israelites lived, escaped that hail. God sent that plague by means of his power. He had decided to rescue his people, the Israelites, from Egypt.
That plague of hail affected every person and every animal that was out in the fields. It destroyed crops and it tore the leaves off the trees. Only Goshen, where the Israelites lived, escaped that hail. God sent that plague by means of his power. He had decided to rescue his people, the Israelites, from Egypt.
I use to sit out on my back deck and watch the lightning and rain tearing through St. Mary's county. From my deck I could see the lightning and hear the thunder. I remember one storm in particular. It seemed to last longer than any other. I can imagine what it must have been like to be in Goshen with the storm plowing through Egypt but missing Goshen. Horrible storms do bring the fear of God.
