Jess Whitlock
“For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast: and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah.” (Exo. 12:12). God sent Egypt His “Ten Lesson Correspondence Course” and did battle with numerous “gods of Egypt” and defeated each one! It is my conviction that the date of the Exodus was c. 1446 B.C. It is my intention in this missive to focus primarily on the “gods of Egypt” that should have protected Egypt from Jehovah; but they were helpless and hopeless against the Lord God of Israel.
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The water of the Nile River became blood (Exo. 7:14-24). The Nile River was the “life’s blood” of Egypt. The spirit of the Nile was called Hapi (crocodile); the guardian of the Nile was Khnum (a ram’s head); and the goddess of the Nile was Tauret (hippopotamus). Jehovah said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go” (Exo. 7:14). The Nile had received Hebrew male babies to Savak (a crocodile-headed god). Aaron waved the rod of Moses over the waters of the Nile and the Nile along with its streams, canals, and pools were turned to blood along with water stored in vessels. For seven days the water was blood and the dead fish stank. The fish were a staple food in Egypt. Most assuredly “Jehovah had smitten the river…” (Exo. 7:25).
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The plague of frogs covered all the land of Egypt (Exo. 8:1-15). Egypt was accustomed to frogs, as they looked to their goddess of birth, Heqt or Hekt (frog). “Their land swarmed with frogs in the chambers of their kings” (Psa. 105: 30). Imagine the screams of Egyptian women as those frogs invaded their homes, bed chambers, and kitchens. There were frogs; dead “gods” everywhere! They could not even serve up “frog legs” for dinner, because under no set of circumstances could an Egyptian harm a frog. The goddess Heqt, was credited with blowing the breath of life into men. Pharaoh was allowed to set the exact time for the removal of the frogs, even though they died in their tracks! Pharaoh was willing to spend one more night with the frogs, by demanding their demise “tomorrow” (Exo. 7:10). The next day the frogs died and the people gathered them up in heaps. What a stench those dead frogs must have caused, (Exo. 8:13-14). “He (God) sent among them…frogs, which destroyed them” (Psa. 78:45). Only the Lord God of Israel could have the frogs come and then die at the moment of His command. That included “…all the gods of Egypt…” (Exo. 12:12).
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Plague # 3 comes in the form of lice (Exo. 8:16-19). The very dust of Egypt was turned into minute, noxious insects. The lice came from the dust as an affront to Geb or Seb, Egypt’s earth-god. The Hebrew word, kinnim has been rendered as lice, gnats, mosquitoes, and in LXX as sandflies. None can be dogmatic, but the vermin of whatever variety attacked man and beast alike. Notice please the first nine plagues are divided into three groups; the first two plagues in each group are preceded with a warning; the third in each group comes without prior notice. The third is lice, the sixth is boils, and the ninth is darkness. The priesthood of Egypt was concerned for the cleanliness of their physical bodies. The historian, Herodotus recorded: “So scrupulous were the priests on this point that they used to shave their heads and bodies every third day, for fear of harboring vermin…” (Hero, 2:37). Egypt’s magicians attempted to do likewise, but were unable to compete. The magicians had to admit: “This is the finger of God” (Exo. 8:19). They do not acknowledge Jehovah as God. Their learning was of such a nature, that they confess their “gods” are inferior in power to this divine Being!
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The next in order is the plague of flies (Exo. 8:20-32). These “swarms of flies” comes to all of Egypt, but not in the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived. Such a distinction is miraculous in nature. Egypt had their own “Lord of the Flies” named Uatchit (vulture). There was a god of the air and wind, called Shu. His name was mentioned often during this plague! The Psalmist relates that God “…sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them” (Psa. 78:45). Egypt had a military medal known as the “Order of the Golden Fly” awarded to brave soldiers.
Once the plague of flies was removed Pharaoh “hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go” (Exo. 8:32).
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Now comes the murrain (pestilence) upon the cattle of Egypt (Exo.9:1-7). The word “murrain” is translated “pestilence” 47 times in the KJV. The lexicons are not definitive; the Hebrew word is deber and is a vague term for a widespread epidemic. The Apis (bull) was sacred to the Egyptian creator-god Ptah. The goddess of the desert, Hathor (depicted sometimes as a bull or cow), and was highly honored in Egypt. This plague affected all the Egyptian cattle, but none of the Israelite cattle were affected. Note the stipulation: “which are in the field…” (Exp. 9:3). The livestock affected by this pestilence included horses, asses, camels, and sheep as well. Moses informed Pharaoh that this disease would come “tomorrow” and it did (Exo. 9:5). The heart of Pharaoh remained hardened and he would not let Israel go free.
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Plague # 6 brings about the boils and blains on man and beast (Exo. 9:8-12). The Egyptians worshipped an idol known as Typhon. Men and/or red bulls were burned as offerings, their ashes were thrown into the air and it was thought that if a particle of those ashes fell on you that you were safe from all bodily defilement. Moses and Aaron used those ashes to bring forth the “boils and blains.” The boils and blains may have been a form of amthrax, but we cannot be dogmatic. Imotep (serpent) and Serapis (serpent) were their gods of healing. Look at the insignia of medical institutions today, and note the serpent! Sekhmet (scorpion), was the goddess of epidemics. Egypt had an epidemic that prevented Pharaoh’s magicians from being able to come into the presence of Pharaoh. The Hebrew terms can refer to a wide variety of skin inflammations which can cause great suffering and had the potential of causing death. (Deut. 28:27,35; cf. Job 2:5). The false gods of Egypt could not heal chapped lips, much less the boils and blains. The word “stand” in verse 11 comes from the Hebrew amad, and is defined in meaning: “to be present, to endure, to withstand.”
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Now comes the plague of thunder, hail, and fire (lightning) (Exo. 9:13-35). Egypt had a sky-goddess named Nut (sky), along with Isis and Seth who were the protectors of Egypt’s crops! Ermutet was the goddess of agriculture, and Nepri was their god of grain. Men and beasts were killed, plants and vines were destroyed, and trees were broken to pieces. The Psalmist recalled, “He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land. He smote their vines also and their fig trees, and brake the trees of their borders” (Psa. 105:32-33). Again, “He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost (great hailstones). He gave over their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts” (Psa. 78:47-48). Egypt had not seen anything like unto this (Exo. 9:24). The “flax and barley were smitten” (Exo. 9:31). Flax was formed into linen for clothing. Much linen was needed in the preparation of mummies for burial. The “wheat and spelt were not smitten” (Exo. 9:32). Spelt is a type of coarse wheat and both were used in the making of bread. The distinction in this destruction shows God’s mercy to the Egyptian people, who can still have food to eat.
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Then it was time for the locusts to make an appearance (Exo. 10:1-20). The vegetation not lost to the storm was now offered up to a terrible destroyer, a swarm of locusts. Some crops were now mature enough to be destroyed (cf. Exo. 9:31-32). Serapis (serpent) was counted in Egypt as a goddess of healing, and to protect the crops from harm. Isis and Seth were charged with protecting the crops and Nepri was counted as the god of all Egypt’s grain! Egypt’s crop loss was 100 pernetecnad never seen this many locusts before and would never behold that many again (Exo. 10:5-6, 14-15). The terms “grasshoppers’ and “locusts” are sometimes interchangeable. (Discuss). A plague of locusts is unstoppable! Jehovah and “the east wind brought the locusts” (Exo. 10:13) and when the deed was done, Moses entreated Jehovah and the Lord God “…turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the border of Egypt” (Exo. 10:19).
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The 9th plague was a darkness that lasted for three days (Ex. 10:21-29). Ra, the god of the sun was the most worshipped god in Egypt, after Pharaoh himself. Atum (serpent) was revered as a sun-god. Horus (hawk/falcon) was counted as the sky-god of upper Egypt. The Egyptians even had a god of the sunset, Tem. So many sun-gods, yet, there was no sunrise, no sunset, no light for three days in all of Egypt. There was light in the land of Goshen. The sky-god Horus, (hawk/falcon), was often described with the sun being his right eye, and the moon as his left eye. Egypt regularly worshipped the sun, the moon, and the stars. But, for three days they remained in a “darkness over the land of Egypt…which may be felt” (Exo. 10:21). The word “felt” is from the Hebrew mashah, i.e., “to feel of; by implication to grope…” The thickness of that darkness was so intense that “they saw not one another, neither rose anyone from his place for three days” (Exo. 10:23). The sun-gods of Egypt were myriad, but they failed to show their presence for 72 hours! The Lord God was in control.
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The final plague was the death of the firstborn in Egypt (Exo. 11:4-8; 12:29-36). Jehovah “smote all the firstborn in Egypt” (Psa. 78:51). Heqt or Hekt (frog) was the goddess of birth. Selket or Serqa (scorpion) was the guardian of life for Egypt. Pharaoh’s own son died (Exo. 11:5), even though Pharaoh and his were thought to be protected by Sed (jackal) and Renenutet (cobra). Meskhenet presided at childbirth for all Egyptians. The tenth and final plague brought Pharaoh and all Egypt to their knees. Exodus 11 begins: “Jehovah said unto Moses, yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence” (Exo. 11:1). That word “plague” in the Hebrew language speaks literally of a “stroke or massive blow!” God, as a loving and protective Father will not see His Son (Israel), mistreated any longer by cruel taskmasters. From the beginning God had warned Pharaoh: “Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is My Son, My firstborn…and I have said unto thee (Pharaoh-jlw), Let My Son go…” (Exo. 4:22-23).
God’s Ten-Lesson Bible Correspondence Course is done! “For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah” (Exo. 12:12). Jethro said: “Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods…” (Exo. 18:11). cf. Numbers 33:4, “while the Egyptians were burying all their first-born, whom Jehovah had smitten among them: upon their gods also Jehovah executed judgments.”
