The Plagues of Egypt (Hebrew: מכות מצרים, Makot Mitzrayim), the Biblical Plagues or the Ten Plagues (Hebrew: עשר המכות, Eser Ha-Makot) are the ten calamities foisted upon Egypt by God in the Bible (as recounted in the book of Exodus, chapters 7 - 12), in order to convince Pharaoh^[1] to let the Israelite slaves go. Hebrew redirects here. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... At the bottom of the hands, the two letters on each hand combine to form יהוה (YHVH), the name of God. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ... This article is about the second book in the Torah. ... For other uses, see Pharaoh (disambiguation). ... “The Twelve Tribes” redirects here. ...

John Martin's engraving of the plague of hail and fire

The plagues as they appear in the Bible are: John Martin, engraving The Seventh Plague of Egypt (1828) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... John Martin, engraving The Seventh Plague of Egypt (1828) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The Great Day of His Wrath, c. ...

1. (Exodus 7:14-25) rivers and other water sources turned to blood killing all fish and other water life. (Dam)
2. (Exodus 7:26-8:11) amphibians (commonly believed to be frogs) (Tsfardeia)
3. (Exodus 8:12-15) lice or gnats (Kinim)
4. (Exodus 8:16-28) flies or beasts (Arov)
5. (Exodus 9:1-7) disease on livestock (Dever)
6. (Exodus 9:8-12) unhealable boils (Shkhin)
7. (Exodus 9:13-35) hail mixed with fire (Barad)
8. (Exodus 10:1-20) locusts (Arbeh)
9. (Exodus 10:21-29) darkness (Choshech)
10. (Exodus 11:1-12:36) death of the first-born of all Egyptian families. (Makat Bechorot)

The first five plagues seemed to affect "all the land of Egypt" Ex. 7:21, 8:2, 8:16, while the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th did not affect the children of Israel (Ex.8:22, 9:4,11,26, 10:23). 8th is unclear. For the last plague the Torah indicates that they were only spared from the final plague by sacrificing the Paschal lamb, marking their doorpost with the lamb's blood, and eating the roasted sacrifice together with Matzot (לחם עוני) in a celebratory feast. The Torah describes the Angel of Death as actually passing through Egypt to kill all firstborn, but passing over (hence "Passover") houses which have the sign of lambs' blood on the doorpost. It was this plague which resulted in Pharaoh finally relenting, and sending the Israelites away at whatever terms they wished. For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A waterfall on the Ova da Fedoz, Switzerland A river is a large natural waterway. ... For other uses, see Blood (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Genera See text. ... Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ... For other uses, see Gnat (disambiguation). ... Fly can refer to any of the following things: A fly (plural flies) is any species of insect of the order Diptera. ... Look up beast in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the medical term. ... Boil or furuncle is a skin disease caused by the inflammation of hair follicles, thus resulting in the localized accumulation of pus and dead tissues. ... This article is about the precipitation. ... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ... Desert locust Nymph of Locust Schistocera americana with distinct wing-rudiments Locust nymph from the Philippines Egyptian grasshopper Anacridium aegyptum Locust from the 1915 Locust Plague For other uses, see Locust (disambiguation). ... Dark redirects here. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ... Korban (Hebrew: sacrifice קרבן) (plural: Korbanot קרבנות) refers to any one of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) that were offered in a variety of settings by the ancient Israelites, and then by the Kohanim (the Jewish priests only) in the Temple in Jerusalem. ... Lamb of God (Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian tradition. ... Machine-made shmura matza Matza (also Matzah (better Matsah) Hebrew , in Ashkenazi matzo or matzoh, and in Yiddish, matze, Greek - Masa, or Massa) is a cracker-like flatbread made of white plain flour, and water. ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ... Angel of Death can refer to: In religion: Angel of Death (religion), angels and demons of Death in Abrahamic religion. ...

The Torah also relates God's instructions to Moses that the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt must be celebrated yearly on the holiday of Passover ("Pesah" פסח); the rituals observed on Passover recall the events surrounding the exodus from Egypt. The Torah additionally cites God's sparing of the Israelite firstborn as a rationale for the commandment of the redemption of the firstborn (Exodus 13:11-16). This event is also commemorated by the fast of the firstborn on the day preceding Passover but which is traditionally not observed because a siyum celebration is held which obviates the need for a fast. Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt This article is about the Biblical figure. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday. ... Redemption of First-born (pidyon ha-ben in Hebrew), is an important ritual in Judaism. ... Fast of the Firstborn (תענית בכורים (Taanit Bchorim) or תענית בכורות (Taanit Bchorot) in Hebrew); is a unique fast day in Judaism which usually falls on the day before Passover (i. ... A siyum (completion) in Judaism is the completion of any unit of Torah study, or book of the Mishnah or Talmud. ...

The Plagues of Egypt are recognized by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Languages Historical Jewish languages Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, others Liturgical languages: Hebrew and Aramaic Predominant spoken languages: The vernacular language of the home nation in the Diaspora, significantly including English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian Religions Judaism Related ethnic groups Arabs and other Semitic groups For the Jewish religion, see Judaism. ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...

Sarajevo Haggadah, from Barcelona, c. 1350

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (495x737, 296 KB)The Sarejevo Hagadah, 15th century Spain File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (495x737, 296 KB)The Sarejevo Hagadah, 15th century Spain File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Sarajevo Haggadah is an Illuminated manuscript that contains the traditional Jewish Haggadah, a text that accompanies the Seder meal that begins the feast of Passover. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ...

The plagues

The following is a summary of the Biblical account of the plagues which is found in chapters 7-12 of Exodus.

The beginning of the curses (5:1 - 5:9, 7:8 - 7:13)

Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh, and delivered God's demand that the Israelite slaves be allowed to leave Egypt for the purpose of observing a holiday of worship and prayer for their God. After an initial refusal by Pharaoh, God sent Moses and Aaron back to show him a miraculous sign of warning - Aaron's staff turned into a serpent. Pharaoh's sorcerers, using trickery, also turned their staffs into snakes, but Aaron's serpent turns back into a staff after swallowing the staffs of the magicians. In botany and horticulture, the popular name given to various tall flowering plants : Common mullein or great mullein (Verbascum thapsus), a biennal medicinal herb used in Amerindian medicine as a tonic for lung problems, such as cough, asthma or bronchitis; Snapdragon or Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae)(other common names: shepherds... Iannes and Mambres, or Jannes and Jambres, are names given to the magicians who contended with Moses and Aaron and were discomfited by the Hebrew leaders in the Hebrew Bible book of Exodus. ...

Blood (7:14 - 7:25) דָם

The first plague was blood. God instructed Moses to tell Aaron to extend his staff over the river Nile; all of its water turned into blood. As a result of the blood, the fish of the Nile died, filling Egypt with an awful stench. Other water resources used by the Egyptians were turned to blood as well (7:19). Pharaoh's sorcerers demonstrated that they too could turn water to blood, and Pharaoh therefore made no concession to Moses' demands. For other uses, see Blood (disambiguation). ... In botany and horticulture, the popular name given to various tall flowering plants : Common mullein or great mullein (Verbascum thapsus), a biennal medicinal herb used in Amerindian medicine as a tonic for lung problems, such as cough, asthma or bronchitis; Snapdragon or Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae)(other common names: shepherds... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Blood (disambiguation). ...

Frogs (8:1-16) צְּפַרְדֵּעַ

The second plague of Egypt was frogs; alternatively they were alligators (see Talmud Kesuboth). God commanded Moses to tell Aaron to stretch his staff over the water, and hordes of frogs came and overran Egypt. Pharaoh's sorcerers were also able to duplicate this plague with their magic. However, since they were unable to remove it, Pharaoh was forced to grant permission for the Israelites to leave so that Moses would agree to remove the frogs. To prove that the plague was actually a divine punishment, Moses let Pharaoh choose the time that it would end. Pharaoh chose the following day, and all the frogs died the next day. Nevertheless, Pharaoh rescinded his permission, and the Israelites stayed in Egypt. Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ...

Lice (8:12 - 8:15) כִנִּים

The third plague of Egypt was Kinim, variously translated as Gnats, Lice or Fleas. God instructed Moses to tell Aaron to take his staff and strike at the dust, which turned into a mass of gnats that the Egyptians could not get rid of. The Egyptian sorcerers declared that this act was "the Finger of God", since they were unable to reproduce its effects with their magic. GNATS is the GNU projects bug-tracking software. ... Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ... Adam had em. ... Fingers of God is an effect in cosmology that causes clusters of galaxies to be elongated in redshift space, with an axis of elongation pointed toward the observer. ...

Flies/Beasts (8:16 - 8:28) עָרוֹב

The fourth plague of Egypt was flies/wild animals, capable of harming people and livestock. The Torah emphasizes that the arov (swarm or mixture) only came against the Egyptians, and that it did not affect the Land of Goshen (where the Israelites lived). Pharaoh asked Moses to remove this plague and promised to allow the Israelites to worship God in the wilderness. However, after the plague was gone, Pharaoh "hardened his heart" and again refused to keep his promise. Fly can refer to any of the following things: A fly (plural flies) is any species of insect of the order Diptera. ... Wild, in zoology or botany, is a rough if problematic antonym to domesticated: see wildlife. ... The Land of Goshen (Hebrew גֹּשֶׁן, Standard Hebrew Góšen, Tiberian Hebrew Gōšen) is the region around the city with the modern name Fakus in the eastern Nile delta in Egypt referenced in the Biblical story of Joseph. ...

Pestilence (9:1 - 9:7) דֶּבֶר

The fifth plague of Egypt was an epidemic disease which exterminated the Egyptian livestock; that is, horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The Israelites' cattle were unharmed. Once again, Pharaoh made no concessions. In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ...

Boils (9:8 - 9:12) שְׁחִין

The sixth plague of Egypt was shkhin. The Shkhin was a kind of skin disease, usually translated as "boils". God commanded Moses and Aaron to each take two handfuls of soot from a furnace, which Moses scattered skyward in Pharaoh's presence. The soot induced festering Shkhin eruptions on Egyptian men and livestock. The Egyptian sorcerers were afflicted along with everyone else, and were unable to heal themselves, much less the rest of Egypt. Boil or furuncle is a skin disease caused by the inflammation of hair follicles, thus resulting in the localized accumulation of pus and dead tissues. ...

Storm (fiery hail) (9:13 - 9:35) בָּרָד

The seventh plague of Egypt was a destructive storm. God commanded Moses to stretch his staff skyward, at which point the storm commenced. It was even more evidently supernatural than the previous plagues, a powerful shower of hail intermixed with fire. The storm heavily damaged Egyptian orchards and crops, as well as men and livestock. The storm struck all of Egypt except for the Land of Goshen. Pharaoh asked Moses to remove this plague and promised to allow the Israelites to worship God in the desert, saying "This time I have sinned; God is righteous, I and my people are wicked." As a show of God's mastery over the world, the hail stopped as soon as Moses began praying to God - hail which was then in the air never reached the ground; it simply disappeared. However, after the storm ceased, Pharaoh again "hardened his heart" and refused to keep his promise. For other uses, see Storm (disambiguation). ... This article is about the precipitation. ... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ... A community apple orchard originally planted for productive use during the 1920s, in Westcliff on Sea (Essex, England) An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs maintained for food production. ... Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants, animals and other life forms. ...

Locusts (10:1 - 10:20) אַרְבֶּה

The eighth plague of Egypt was locusts. Before the plague, God informed Moses that from that point on He would "harden Pharaoh's heart," (as promised earlier in 4:21) so that Pharaoh would not give in, and the remaining miracles (the final plagues and the splitting of the sea) would play out. For other meanings of the word Locust, see Locust (disambiguation). ... In Black is the traditional Exodus Routes as agreed on by Biblical Scholars, Historians, and Geologists. ...

As with previous plagues, Moses came to Pharaoh and warned him of the impending plague of locusts. Pharaoh's officials begged him to let the Israelites go rather than suffer the devastating effects of a locust-swarm, but he was still unwilling to give in. He proposed a compromise: the Israelite men would be allowed to go, while women, children and livestock would remain in Egypt. Moses repeated God's demand that every last person and animal should go, but Pharaoh refused.

God then had Moses stretch his staff over Egypt, and a wind picked up from the east. The wind continued until the following day, when it brought a locust swarm. The swarm covered the sky, casting a shadow over Egypt. It consumed all the remaining Egyptian crops, leaving no tree or plant standing. Pharaoh again asked Moses to remove this plague and promised to allow all the Israelites to worship God in the desert. As promised, God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not allow the Israelites to leave.

Darkness (10:21 - 10:29) חוֹשֶך

God then commanded Moses to stretch his hands up to the sky, to bring darkness of Egypt. This darkness was so heavy that one could feel it. It remained for 3 days and 3 (relative) nights, but at the homes of the Israelites there was light. Pharaoh then called to Moses and told him that all the Israelites may leave if the darkness will be removed from his land, but the sheep and cattle must stay. Moses refuses, saying not a single animal will stay, and so Pharaoh tells him to leave, and that if he will see him again he will have him executed. Moses answers by saying that he will not come before him again.

Death of Firstborn (11:1 - 12:36) מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת

1:4 And Moses said, Thus said the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 11:5 And all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. They would have to paint their door fronts with the lambs blood so that it were to pass and move to the next house or place.

Context

Although the main reason for the plagues appears to be Pharaoh's repeated refusal to release the Israelites from slavery, according to the Torah, God hardened Pharaoh's heart so he would be strong enough to persist in his unwillingness to release the people, so that God could manifest his great power and cause it to be declared among the nations (Ex 9:14, 16), so that other peoples would discuss it for generations afterward (Jos 2:9-11; 9:9; Isa 4:8; 6:6). In this view, the plagues were punishment for the Egyptians' long abuse of the Israelites, as well as proof that the gods of Egypt were powerless. (Ex 12:12; Nu 33:4). In Exodus 6 (Parshat Vaeira in the Torah), Moses has just reiterated to God the complaint of the Israelites that every time he has gone to Pharoah on their behalf, things have gotten worse for them; in this case, Pharoah has now ruled that they shall henceforward make bricks...

If God triumphed over the gods of Egypt, a world power at that time, then the people of God would be strengthened in their faith, although they are a small people, and would not be tempted to follow the deities that God put to shame. Although some have advanced theories as to which of the Egyptian gods would have been discredited by which plague, this is only scantily supported by Midrashic sources, and these attempts have generally produced widely divergent results. The Jews were not harmed. Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. ...

Interpretation

One of the noticeable features of the plagues is that there appears to be an underlying pattern, the third, sixth and ninth plagues come without warning, and many Biblical commentators see there as being three sets of three plagues each. Attempts to draw parallels between each have had limited success, and are somewhat disputed. Some point to Rabbi Yehuda (quoted in the Haggadah of Pesach) who implied this idea by grouping the first three, middle three and last four together with the mnemonics DE.ZA.KH. A.DA.SH. BA.A.HA.V. Haggadah for Passover (fourteenth century). ...

Another significant feature is that some plagues, but not others, are instigated by Aaron, rather than Moses. Many critical religious commentaries resolve this situation by saying that due to the principle of Ha-karat ha-tov, Moses was obliged to appreciate the help he received earlier from the Nile, as a baby (Exodus 2:1-10), and the dust, when he murdered a guard in his youth, (Exodus 2:11-12) and was therefore unable to smite either of these.

Historicity

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The vast majority of scientists and secular thinkers believe the plague stories are simply mythical or allegorical, or inspired by passed-down accounts of disconnected natural disasters. Some, however, have speculated on possible natural inspirations behind the story of the succession of plagues. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...

Archaeology

There is archaeological material that archaeologists, such as William F. Albright, have considered historical evidence of the Ten Plagues; for example, an ancient water-trough found in El Arish bears hieroglyphic markings detailing a period of darkness. For referencing in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Citing sources. ... William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891 - September 19/20, 1971) was an evangelical Methodist archaelogist, biblical authority, linguist and expert on ceramics. ... El Arish (alternate spelling Al Arish) is an Egyptian city on the Mediterranean coast of the Sinai peninsula. ... A section of the Papyrus of Ani showing cursive hieroglyphs. ...

The Egyptian Ipuwer papyrus describes a series of calamities befalling Egypt, including a river turned to blood, men behaving as wild ibises, and the land generally turned upside down. However, this is usually thought to describe a general and long term ecological disaster lasting for a period of decades, such as that which destroyed the Old Kingdom. The document is usually dated to the end of the Middle Kingdom, or more rarely, to its beginning, fitting the Old Kingdom destruction, possibly the same time as the Exodus. The Dialogue of Ipuwer and the Lord of All[1] is an ancient Egyptian poem preserved in a single papyrus, Leiden Papyrus I 344, which is housed in the National Archeological Museum in Leiden, Netherlands. ... Genera Threskiornis Pseudibis Nipponia Bostrychia Theristicus Cercibis Mesembrinibis Phimosus Lophotibis Eudocimus Plegadis Geronticus Ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae. ... The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile... The Middle Kingdom is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty, roughly between 2030 BC and 1640 BC. The period comprises two phases, the 11th Dynasty, which ruled from Thebes and the 12th Dynasty...

Immanuel Velikovsky, the bulk of whose work is rejected by the scientific community, decided that the Egyptian papyrus did, in fact, describe the events of Exodus, along with the major natural catastrophes that he thought preceded it; in his opinion^[2] it was the conventional chronologies of Egypt that were wrong by several hundred years. Immanuel Velikovsky photographed by Fima Noveck, ca. ... Immanuel Velikovsky photographed by Fima Noveck, ca. ... For other uses, see Disaster (disambiguation). ... Immanuel Velikovsky photographed by Fima Noveck, ca. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Natural explanations

As noted above, some science writers and Bible researchers have suggested that the plagues were passed-down accounts of ordinary natural disasters, and not supernatural miracles. Natural explanations have been suggested for most of the phenomena:

• (plague 1—water turned into blood, fish died)
  • The redness in the Nile could have actually been pollution caused by volcanic activity, specifically that of Santorini, which erupted around 1500 B.C. and whose ash is found in the Nile region. The silt could make the Nile turn blood red, and would also render it undrinkable. Heavy rains in the red-soiled area of Lake Victoria could have caused reddened water to wash downstream.
  • Alternatively, a red toxic algal bloom (red tide) could have produced large quantities of toxins that would kill fish.
  • Earthquakes could have caused a limnic eruption the same way it happened at Lake Nyos.
• (plague 2—frogs) Any blight on the water that killed fish also would have caused frogs to leave the river and, probably, die.
• (plagues 3 and 4—biting insects and flies) The lack of frogs in the river would have let insect populations, normally kept in check by the frogs, increase massively.
• (plagues 5 and 6— livestock disease and boils) There are biting flies in the region which transmit livestock diseases; a sudden increase in their number could spark epidemics.
• (plague 7— fiery hail) Volcanic activity not only brings with it ash, but brimstone, and also alters the weather system, occasionally producing hail. Hail could also have occurred as a completely independent natural weather event, with accompanying lightning as the "fire".
• (plague 8—locusts) The weight of hail will destroy most crops, leaving several insects and other animals without a normal food source. The remaining crops therefore would become targeted heavily, and thus be destroyed by swarms of locusts which would otherwise be distributed rather thinly. Or the locusts could have increased due to a lack of predators. Even without these explanations, swarms of locusts are not uncommon today.
• (plague 9—darkness) There could be several causes for unusual darkness: a solar eclipse, a sandstorm, volcanic ash, or simply swarms of locusts large enough to block out the sun.
• (plague 10—death of the firstborn)
  • If the last plague indeed selectively tended to affect the firstborn, it could be due to food polluted during the time of darkness, either by locusts or by the black mold Cladosporium. When people emerged after the darkness, the firstborn would be given priority, as was usual, and would consequently be more likely to be affected by any toxin or disease carried by the food.
  • The word we know as "firstborn" may have meant the higher social class rather than literally the eldest sons, but the same argument applies.^[3]
  • This plague could also be explained by a simple metaphor used by the writers of the bible, to explain the sole death of the Pharaoh's son.
  • In the 2006 documentary Exodus Decoded, Jewish Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici hypothesised the selectiveness of the tenth plague was under the circumstances similar to the 1986 disaster of Lake Nyos that is related to geological activities that caused the previous plagues in a related chain of events. The hypothesis was that the plagues took place shortly after the eruption of Thera (now known as Santorini), which is thought to have happened some time between 1450 BCE and 1650 BCE. The eruption sets off a chain of events resulting in the plagues and eventually the killing of the first born. Jacobovici suggests that the first borns in ancient Egypt had the privilege to sleep close to the floor while other children slept on higher ground or even on roofs. Like in Lake Nyos, when carbon dioxide or other toxic gases escape the surface tension of a nearby waterbody either due to geological activity or over saturation, the gas being heavier than air, "flooded" the nearby area displacing oxygen and killing those who were in its path. Jewish households escaped the fate because they were told to observe their first Passover rituals.

All these explanations do not account for the selectiveness of the plagues: according to the Hebrew Bible the plagues affected only the Egyptians, while the Hebrews remained untouched. Typically, modern writers, and particularly skeptics, account for such details of the account as being pious exaggerations, or literary devices, intended to encourage faith. This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... Santorini (Greek Σαντορίνη, IPA: ) is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from Greeces mainland. ... For other uses, see Silt (disambiguation). ... A red tide off the coast of La Jolla, California. ... Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, located at . ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... For the chemical element see: sulfur. ... For the geological process, see Weathering or Erosion. ... This article is about the precipitation. ... Photo taken during the 1999 eclipse. ... Look up sandstorm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cladosporium is a genus of fungi including some of the most common indoor and outdoor moulds. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Exodus Decoded is a 2006 documentary created by Jewish Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, in which new evidence regarding the escape of Hebrew slaves from Egypt is explored. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Main articles: History of Canada, Timeline of Canadian history Canada has been inhabited by aboriginal peoples (known in Canada as First Nations) for at least 40,000 years. ... Simcha Jacobovici (IPA pronunciation: ) is an award winning and controversial documentary director and producer whose work deals primarily with controversies in Jewish history. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, located at . ... Santorini (Greek Σαντορίνη, IPA: ) is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from Greeces mainland. ... This box:      Surface tension is an effect within the surface layer of a liquid that causes that layer to behave as an elastic sheet. ... This article is about the term Hebrew Bible. For the Jewish scriptures see Tanakh. ...

A volcanic eruption which happened in antiquity and could have caused some of the plagues if it occurred at the right time is the eruption of the Thera volcano 650 miles to the northwest of Egypt. Controversially dated to about 1628 BC, this eruption is one of the largest on record, rivaling that of Tambora, which resulted in 1816's Year Without a Summer. The enormous global impact of this eruption has been recorded in an ash layer deposit found in the Nile delta, tree ring frost scars in the bristlecone pines of the western United States, and a coating of ash in the Greenland ice caps, all dated to the same time and with the same chemical fingerprint as the ash from Thera. View from the top of Thira Santorini is a small, circular group of volcanic islands located in the Aegean Sea, 75 km south-east of the Greek mainland, (latitude: 35. ... Mount Tambora (or Tomboro) is an active stratovolcano on Sumbawa island, Indonesia. ... Development of global average temperatures during the last thousand years. ... Species Pinus aristata Pinus longaeva Pinus balfouriana Gnarled bristlecone pine wood The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees (Family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae) that can reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years. ...

However, all estimates of the date of this eruption are hundreds of years before the Exodus is believed to have taken place; thus the eruption can only have caused some of the plagues if one or other of the dates is wrong, or if the plagues did not actually immediately precede the Exodus.

Following the assumption that at least some of the details are accurately reported, many modern Jews believe that some of the plagues were indeed natural disasters, but argue for the fact that, since they followed one another with such uncommon rapidity, "God's hand was behind them". Indeed, several Biblical commentators (Nachmanides and, more recently, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky) have pointed out that, for the plagues to be a real test of faith, they had to contain an element leading to religious doubt. For the musical collective, see Tanakh (band). ... Nahmanides is the common name for Moshe ben Nahman Gerondi; the name is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Ben Nahman, meaning Son of Nahman. He is also commomly known as Ramban, being an acronym of his Hebrew name and title, Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, and by his Catalan name... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ...

In his book The Plagues of Egypt: Archaeology, History, and Science Look at the Bible, Siro Igino Trevisanato explores the theory that the plagues were initially caused by the Santorini eruption in Greece. His hypothesis considers a two-stage eruption over a time of a bit less than two years. His studies place the first eruption in 1602 BC, when volcanic ash taints the Nile, causing the first plague and forming a catalyst for many of the subsequent plagues. In 1600 BC, the plume of a Santorini eruption caused the ninth plague, the days of darkness. Trevisanato hypothesizes that the Egyptians (at that time under the occupation of Hyksos), resorted to human sacrifice in an attempt to appease the gods, for they had viewed the ninth plague as a precursor to more. This human sacrifice became known as the tenth plague. ^[4]

Possible Contradictions

The Fifth plague (pestilence, Exodus 9) wiped out the Egyptian livestock, including horses. Yet, Exodus 14 talks about the Pharaoh pursuing the Jews with chariots and horsemen. However, the plague in chapter nine specifically states that only the livestock in the fields would be affected. Some suppose that the livestock in the stables and under shelter would be spared. Another possible explanation is that Egyptians purchased the animals from the Jews after the plague of pestilence. The plague of hail only wiped out the animals of those Egyptians who ignored Moses' warning to bring them into their houses. They then provided their surviving livestock to Pharaoh's army.

However, this can possibly be considered a moot point because the text does not say that the pestilence killed all of the livestock. It merely states that it was a very severe pestilence that killed livestock.

Controversy on justification of the 10th plague

The last plague has been depicted by critics as a cruel and unjustifiable punishment against the Egyptians, and is criticized for promoting an unethical schadenfreude ("pleasure taken from someone else's misfortune"). A common and widely accepted Jewish Midrash explains the dreadful plague by expanding upon Exodus 10:28, where Pharaoh threatens to kill Moses: Look up Schadenfreude in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. ...

When Moses went to Pharaoh to demand of him that he let the people go, the whole event is happening in front of Pharaoh's first born son who teases and mocks his father for allowing the Hebrew shepherd to humiliate him. Enraged by the insult and mad with pride, Pharaoh resolved to have revenge for the plagues, and told Moses that he shall deal with the Hebrews in such a manner that a great cry will be heard in Egypt, such that has never been heard before. This was an allusion to the crimes of his father, who ordered the drowning of the male children of the Hebrews. Therefore, Pharaoh brought this harsh punishment upon his own people. His cruel plan was turned back upon him, so that what Pharaoh wanted to do to the Hebrews, God made to happen to him.

This Midrash justifies the last plague with two main arguments: For other uses, see Pharaoh (disambiguation). ... This article is about the emotion. ...

• Retribution in kind מידה כנגד מידה (Mida ke-neged mida): in the Bible the punishment fits to the crime, not only in severity, but also in symbolism. This is for a pedagogic reason: so that everyone, including the sinner himself, shall know why he has been punished by God.
• Self defense הקם להרגך, השכם להורגו (Ha-kam le-horgecha hashkem le-horgo): Pharaoh planned to slaughter all Hebrew children. By inflicting upon Pharaoh the same thing he planned for the Hebrews, his plan was thwarted.

Under this rationale, it can be seen that God is basically committing the same "evil" that Pharaoh intended to commit. By sending a plague that will kill innocent Egyptian children, God is performing that for which Pharaoh deserved punishment - a crime Pharaoh had not yet committed, but fully intended to. However, one must note that God is the Giver of life and the One who decides when one's life is over. God's taking of a person's life is not the same as man killing man, especially with evil intentions. God merely took the lives of the first-born of those who did not put the sheep's blood over their door, as punishment. Eye for an Eye is a movie starring Sally Field, Keifer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Beverly DAngelo and Joe Mantegna. ... Pedagogy (IPA: ) , the art or science of being a teacher, generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction[1]. The word comes from the Ancient Greek (paidagōgeō; from (child) and (lead)): literally, to lead the child”. In Ancient Greece, was (usually) a slave who supervised the...

Some scholars, however, disagree with the interpretation of this plague which emphasizes children, and focus rather on the "first-born" aspect of the plague. As was typical in cultures of the time (and is seen many times in the Old Testament), the custom was for the first-born son to be the major inheritor, from the lowest strata of society to the throne of Pharaoh itself; and thus the first-born sons of Egypt would embody the leadership of the families of the nation. In addition, according to this interpretation, the priests of Egypt were largely first-born sons. Thus, in this view, the first-born sons of Egypt were in fact the decision makers, and communally responsible for the deeds of the nation, good or evil. ^[3]

Popular culture

• The 1956 film The Ten Commandments depicts the plagues of Blood, Hail, Darkness, and Death of the Firstborn, and alludes to Frogs, Boils and Flies, but omits those of Lice, Death of Cattle, and Locusts. The film also omits the funnel-cloud they followed out of Egypt, and it creates a funnel-cloud of fire before nightfall whereas The Book of Exodus says it had been fire all night long out of Egypt, and now as they passed through the Red Sea on this second night it was fire again illuminating forward upon the Israelites as it pushed them forward, but this time as dark cloud to the west for the Egyptians who looked up at it as they followed not realizing they were on sea bed. In the morning, the dawn light overpowered the look of fire, restoring it to only a cloud. William Whiston (translator of Josephus) claimed a comet caused this. And we must also note the rise and set of the full moon in the clear sky over the Israelites as a source of light.
• The Ten Plagues of Egypt were dramatized by the heavy metal group Metallica in their song "Creeping Death", on their 1984 release Ride the Lightning. Late bassist Cliff Burton came up with the title of the song while watching the 1956 Biblical epic The Ten Commandments, specifically when the Angel of Death moved among Egyptians, killing the firstborn in each family. The plagues were also dramatized (albeit diverging somewhat from the canonical list) as part of a modern horror film in The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971).
• The band Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards have the song "Ten Plagues of Egypt" on their first self titled album.

• The Reaping, released in 2007, depicts the Ten Plagues in modern Louisiana, brought upon a town of satanic cultists.

• In the 1999 release of The Mummy, Imhotep brings about several of the plagues as he seeks to be fully resurrected. The most notable are the locusts, flies and gnats, water (and apparently whiskey) turning to blood, boils and sores, the hailstorm of fire and an eclipse.

• In the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt all ten plagues are shown in some form.

• In the 1999 film Magnolia (film) by Paul Thomas Anderson, Exodus 8:2 and the plague of frogs is referenced frequently.

A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ten Commandments is a 1956 motion picture dramatizing the Biblical story of Moses, an Egyptian prince-turned deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. ... Heavy metal is a form of rock music characterized by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Creeping Death is a song by Metallica and is the seventh track on their album Ride the Lightning. ... For the album by Marshmallow Coast, see Ride the Lightning (Marshmallow Coast album). ... Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was a bass guitarist best known for his work with the thrash/heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 - 1986. ... The Ten Commandments is a 1956 motion picture dramatizing the Biblical story of Moses, an Egyptian prince-turned deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. ... A Western depiction of Death as a skeleton carrying a scythe. ... The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) is a horror film starring Vincent Price. ... Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards is the side project band of Lars Frederiksen from Rancid. ... The Reaping is an American religion-themed horror film based on the Ten Plagues of Egypt, released on April 5, 2007, and starring Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb and Stephen Rea. ... The Mummy is the title of: a 1932 movie starring Boris Karloff: see The Mummy (1932 movie) a 1959 movie starring Christopher Lee: see The Mummy (1959 movie) a 1999 movie starring Brendan Fraser: see The Mummy (1999 movie) a novel by Anne Rice: see The Mummy (novel) This is... This article is about the ancient Egyptian official. ... The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 Academy Award-winning American animated film, the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks. ... Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. ... Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970[1] in Studio City, California) is a two-time Oscar nominated American filmmaker. ...

References

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