What is the meaning of Exodus 9:11? The magicians - These court officials were the spiritual elite of Egypt, credited with secret arts (Exodus 7:11). - Earlier they had mimicked turning staffs to serpents and water to blood (Exodus 7:12, 22), but their power was always limited. - Their presence highlights the ongoing contest between Egypt’s false religion and the living God (1 Kings 18:20-39; Isaiah 19:1-3). could not stand - Physically, the festering sores sapped their strength; symbolically, they were no longer able to oppose God’s servant. - Scripture often uses “standing” for the ability to face divine authority (Psalm 1:5; Revelation 6:17). - Their collapse fulfills God’s promise that He would “bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12). before Moses - Moses stood as God’s appointed representative (Exodus 7:1). - Their inability to appear in his presence reverses the earlier power dynamic—once Pharaoh’s advisors, now humbled before the prophet (Exodus 8:19). - Similar moments of confrontation appear when Elijah faced the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:21) and when Daniel stood before Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men (Daniel 2:27-28). because the boils had broken out - The sixth plague struck without warning, using ashes scattered toward heaven (Exodus 9:8-10). - Painful inflammation underscored God’s control over health and disease, foreshadowing later covenant curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:27). - Job’s sores (Job 2:7) and the malignant ulcers of Revelation 16:2 echo this judgment theme. on them - For the first time the magicians personally feel the full weight of a plague they cannot replicate, mitigate, or avoid. - Their suffering exposes the futility of relying on occult power (Isaiah 47:12-15; Acts 19:18-20). - What afflicts the leaders soon reaches the populace, reminding us that sin’s consequences spare no rank (Romans 3:23). and on all the Egyptians - The scope is national; every household felt God’s hand, while Israel in Goshen remained protected (Exodus 9:4). - Each successive plague escalated from nuisance to bodily harm, pressing Pharaoh toward a decision (Exodus 10:7). - This universal strike anticipates later judgments where entire nations experience God’s wrath (Zephaniah 1:2-3). summary Exodus 9:11 records a dramatic turning point: the very magicians who once challenged Moses now crumble under God’s direct assault. Their inability to stand exposes the impotence of Egypt’s gods, vindicates the Lord’s supremacy, and warns all who resist Him. |
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