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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 9:8-13

The plague of boils and blains. This plague, like the third, was unannounced. God varies his methods. There was need for some token being given of God's severe displeasure at Pharaoh's gross abuse of his goodness and forbearance. This plaque is distinguished from the rest by being introduced with a significant action. I. THE ACTION INTRODUCING THE PLAGUE ( Exodus 9:8-10 ). Hitherto the only actions employed had been the stretching out of Aaron's rod, and in the case of the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 9:8

This marks a distinct advance and change in the character of the visitations. Hitherto, the Egyptians had not been attacked directly in their persons. It is the second plague which was not preceded by a demand and warning, probably on account of the special hardness shown by Pharaoh in reference to the murrain.Ashes of the furnace - The act was evidently symbolic: the ashes were to be sprinkled toward heaven, challenging, so to speak, the Egyptian deities. There may possibly be a reference to... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Exodus 9:8-10

Exodus 9:8-10. Take you handfuls of the ashes of the furnace Sometimes God shows men their sin in their punishment. They had oppressed Israel in the furnaces, and now the ashes of the furnace are made as much a terror to them as ever their task masters had been to the Israelites. “The matter of this plague,” says Ainsworth, “is from the fire, which also being one of the elements they deified, is here made the instrument of evil to them, and reclaimed by Jehovah to his service, in punishment... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Exodus 9:1-35

Nine plagues (7:14-10:29)The timing, intensity and extent of these plagues show clearly that they were sent by God. It also seems fairly clear that God used the physical characteristics of the Nile valley to produce them.When the first plague struck, it polluted all the water in the Nile and in the irrigation canals and reservoirs connected with it, resulting in all the fish dying. As the dead fish floated to the banks they would force the frogs out of the water, thereby producing the second... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Exodus 9:8-12

PLAGUE VI"And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Exodus 9:8

Exodus 9:8. Take to you handfuls of ashes, &c.— The matter of this plague, Ainsworth observes, is from the fire; which also, being one of the elements which they deified, is here made the instrument of evil to them, and reclaimed by Jehovah to his service, in punishment of its deluded votaries, the worshippers of the creature, in preference to the great Creator. We may further observe, that as the Egyptians caused the Israelites to labour with cruel oppression in the furnace and the... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Exodus 9:8

8. Take to you handfuls of ashes, c.—The next plague assailed the persons of the Egyptians, and it appeared in the form of ulcerous eruptions upon the skin and flesh (Leviticus 13:20 2 Kings 20:7; Job 2:7). That this epidemic did not arise from natural causes was evident from its taking effect from the particular action of Moses done in the sight of Pharaoh. The attitude he assumed was similar to that of Eastern magicians, who, "when they pronounce an imprecation on an individual, a village, or... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Exodus 9:8-12

Boils (the sixth plague) 9:8-12The "soot from a kiln" (Exodus 9:8) was significant in two respects. First, the soot was black and symbolized the blackness of skin in the disease linking the cause with the effect. Second, the kiln was probably one of the furnaces in which the Israelites baked bricks for Pharaoh as his slaves. These furnaces became a symbol of Israel’s slavery (Exodus 1:14; Exodus 5:7-19). God turned the suffering of the Israelites in the furnace of Egypt so that they and what... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 9:1-35

The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Plagues1-7. The Fifth Plague:—Murrain, i.e. cattle plague.Visitations of cattle plague are not uncommon in Egypt. An outbreak in 1842 carried off 40,000 oxen. The miraculous nature of the plague recorded here consisted in its occurring at a set time (Exodus 9:5), and in the exemption of the cattle of the Israelites, and of the cattle that were housed. This plague was, so far, the most destructive in its effects, entailing a much more serious loss of property than... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Exodus 9:8

(8) Ashes of the furnace.—Furnaces in Egypt were either for the melting of metal, the preparing of lime, or the baking of bricks. It was probably from a furnace of this last kind that the ashes were now taken. Much of Goshen had been converted into a brick-field (Exodus 1:14; Exodus 5:7-13); and though most of the bricks made would be simply dried in the sun, a portion would be subjected to artificial heat in brick-kilns. When ashes from one of these kilns were made the germs of a disease that... read more

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