And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... Either whilst the plague upon the waters continued, or immediately upon the removal of it: go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me ; mentioning neither time nor place, where, when, and how long they should serve him, for which their dismission was required, but insist on it in general. read more
Let my people go - God, in great mercy to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, gives them notice of the evils he intended to bring upon them if they continued in their obstinacy. Having had therefore such warning, the evil might have been prevented by a timely humiliation and return to God. read more
Verse 1 1.And the Lord spake. Again, as if the matter were only now begun, God demands of Pharaoh His own peculiar right, viz., that His people should serve Him, but out of the land of Egypt, that His worship might be separate and pure from all defilement, for He desired (as was before said) by this separation of His people to condemn the superstitions of the Egyptians. Meanwhile there was no excuse for the tyrant, when, with sacrilegious boldness, he presumed to deprive God of His just honor.... read more
Go unto Pharaoh . The second plague is given simply as a plague, not as a sign. It is first threatened ( Exodus 8:2 ), and then accomplished ( Exodus 8:6 ), an interval being allowed, that Pharaoh might change his mind, and escape the plague, if he chose. read more
Three plagues-frogs, lice, flies. On the precise character of these three plagues, see the exposition. They are to be viewed in their relation to the Egyptians.— 1 . As an intensification of the natural plagues of the land. 2 . As a proof of the almightiness of Jehovah (see on Exodus 7:17 ), and of the folly of further contest with him ( Exodus 8:10 , Exodus 8:22 ). 3 . As a demonstration of the vanity of the idols. The Egyptian gods were utterly powerless to aid their... read more
God can scourge men beyond endurance with a whip of straw. A frog seems an innocent and harmless reptile enough, not pleasing nor attractive, but scarcely calculated to cause much suffering. When the Egyptians made frogs sacred, they had no notion of one day finding them an intolerable annoyance. But God can make, of the least of his creatures, a weapon to wound, a whip to scourge men. Minute microscopic fungi and entozoa destroy crops and wither up the human frame. Huge ships are... read more
The seared plague: the frogs. In intimating the first plague, Moses made no forms! demand upon Pharaoh to liberate Israel, though of course the demand was really contained in the intimation. But now as the second plague approaches, the formal demand once again is heard. Pharaoh is left for no long time without a distinct appeal which he must face either with consent or refusal. And so now Moses addresses him in the same words as on his first visit: "Let my people go." It is a challenge to... read more
The plague of frogs. Observe on this plague, in addition to what has been said above. I. PHARAOH 'S HARDNESS UNDER THE FIRST PLAGUE WROUGHT NO ESCAPE , EITHER FROM THE DIVINE COMMAND OR FROM THE DIVINE POWER ( Exodus 8:1 ). He probably thought, now that the river was healed, that he had done with Jehovah's demand, and perhaps congratulated himself that he had succeeded in holding out. But divine commands are not thus to be got rid of. They are... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 8:1-15
Pharaoh is here first threatened and then plagued with frogs, as afterwards, in this chapter, with lice and flies, little despicable inconsiderable animals, and yet by their vast numbers rendered sore plagues to the Egyptians. God could have plagued them with lions, or bears, or wolves, or with vultures or other birds of prey; but he chose to do it by these contemptible instruments. 1. That he might magnify his own power. He is Lord of the hosts of the whole creation, has them all at his beck,... read more