Plagues (5-11)

C. Plagues (5-11)

Because Pharaoh refused to grant permission to leave, God sent the plagues. The description of disasters is an example of graphic storytelling. The Nile turned to blood, making the water undrinkable. Then frogs invaded the land, and after they died there was an infestation of gnats, then flies. Soon the livestock became diseased, and later animals and humans suffered from boils. Crops were devastated, first by a hail storm and then by locusts. After all this an impenetrable darkness descended on the land. Though the Egyptian population reeled, Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go.
    The story of the plagues has given rise to a variety of interpretations deriving from different perspectives. The varying readings are not mutually exclusive, and, in fact, taken together they can demonstrate the multifaceted character of the text's meaning.
    From the perspective of biblical history the plagues were intended to reveal Yahweh's power to break Egyptian resistance. They are called God's great acts of judgment and were said to come from the finger of God (8:19). From a naturalist perspective many of the plagues can be explained by identifiable phenomena attested in the Nile valley. Hort (1957) developed a theory that the majority of the plagues have direct natural causes. From a history of religions perspective the plagues may represent Yahweh's judgment on the gods of Egypt, including Re the sun god who was attacked in the ninth plague. From a literary perspective the plagues are arranged in three series of three disasters, with the tenth plague as the climax. From the perspective of source analysis there were two different traditions of the plagues, a Yahwist and a Priestly version. The core plague narrative comes from the Yahwist source. It attests eight plagues and focuses on the role of Moses. The Priestly source added two plagues and highlights the role of Aaron.

 The following tables present the data along with further explanations of these interpretive perspectives on the plagues:

Table 3.C, descriptions of the plagues as the work of God

Table 3.D, the plagues as judgment on the gods of Egypt

Table 3.E, the literary structure of the plagues narrative

Table 3.F, the Yahwist and Priestly versions of the plagues

    After each plague Pharaoh's heart became hard and he refused to allow the Israelites to leave. Pharaoh's response is variously attributed to his hardening of his own heart and to God hardening Pharaoh's heart (see Wilson 1979). Thus Exodus both lays responsibility on Pharaoh and indicates that his stubbornness was part of a higher purpose.
    The last plague was the death of Egypt's firstborn humans and animals. It was the last straw. It compelled Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

 Exodus attributes Pharaoh's resolve both to his own stubbornness and to God's initiative. The textual evidence is displayed in Table 3.G on Pharaoh's hard heart.