What is the meaning of Exodus 9:6? And the next day • God’s timing is exact. When Moses warned Pharaoh that a deadly pestilence would strike “tomorrow” (Exodus 9:5), the very next morning the prediction materialized. This mirrors earlier plagues that arrived precisely on the declared day (Exodus 8:10) and foreshadows the midnight judgment on the firstborn (Exodus 12:29). • The phrase anchors the narrative in real history—an actual day on Egypt’s calendar—underscoring that the events are not symbolic rumors but factual acts of God (Joshua 21:45). the LORD did just that • The Lord’s word and His act are inseparable (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 55:11). Whatever He promises, He performs—no delays, no revisions. • Here the fulfillment highlights God’s supremacy over Pharaoh, whose earlier boasts and counter-magic had failed (Exodus 8:18–19). The Lord alone controls life and death. • Believers can rest in the same certainty today: “Not one of all the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; everything was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:45). All the livestock of the Egyptians died • Totality of judgment: every horse, donkey, camel, cattle, sheep, and goat in Egyptian fields fell (Exodus 9:3). Psalm 78:48 later recalls that “He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.” • Economic ruin: animals pulled plows, transported goods, and provided food; losing them crippled agriculture and commerce (Deuteronomy 28:31). • Religious defeat: Egyptians revered bovine deities such as Apis and Hathor. By striking livestock, the LORD exposed those gods as powerless (Exodus 12:12). • Severity escalates: earlier plagues brought discomfort; this one brings death, anticipating heavier blows still to come (Exodus 9:24; 11:6). but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died • Divine distinction: as in the plague of flies (Exodus 8:22–23) and the impending darkness (Exodus 10:23), God draws a bright line between covenant people and pagan nation (Malachi 3:18). • Covenant faithfulness: the promise in Exodus 9:4—“the LORD will make a distinction”—is kept in full. Similar protection surrounds His people in Psalm 34:7 and Revelation 7:3. • Witness to Egypt: this miracle was public, visible to inspectors Pharaoh sent to Goshen (Exodus 9:7). The untouched Israelite herds testified that obedience secures blessing while rebellion invites wrath (Deuteronomy 28:1, 15). • Encouragement for believers: God’s people may live amid judgment on a fallen world yet remain under His shelter (Psalm 91:7). summary Exodus 9:6 records literal history: on the exact day foretold, the Lord executed a selective plague that wiped out Egyptian livestock while sparing Israel’s. The verse reveals God’s punctual faithfulness, His sovereign power over life, His ability to judge false gods and economies, and His covenant commitment to protect His own. Trusting His promises today rests on the same unchanging character displayed “the next day” in Egypt. |
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