The Second Plague - The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15).
This can be analysed as follows:
a Yahweh tells Moses to say, ‘let my people go and serve me' or there will be a plague of frogs (Exodus 8:1-2).
b Full description of the plague of frogs that will come (Exodus 8:3-4).
c Aaron to be commanded to stretch out his staff over the waters of Egypt to cause the frogs to come up (Exodus 8:5).
d Aaron does so and the plague of frogs come out and spread over Egypt (Exodus 8:6).
e The magicians imitate the plague and bring up frogs on the land of Egypt (Exodus 8:7)
e Pharaoh entreats that the frogs might be taken away and he will let the people go (Exodus 8:8).
d Moses says that the plague will be dealt with whenever Pharaoh wants, and Pharaoh says tomorrow (Exodus 8:9).
c Moses promises that the disappearance of the frogs will happen and that frogs will be in their usual place only (Exodus 8:10-11).
b At Moses' intercession the frogs die out and are gathered in heaps (Exodus 8:12-14).
a Pharaoh saw that there was respite and hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as Yahweh had said (Exodus 8:15).
Note the parallels. In ‘a' Moses is to say, ‘let my people go', in the parallel Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not listen to them. In ‘b' a description is given of the coming of the frogs, in the parallel the frogs die out and are gathered into heaps. In ‘c' Aaron is commanded to stretch out his staff and the frogs come, in the parallel Moses promises that the frogs will go. In ‘d' Aaron is obedient and the frogs come, and in the parallel Moses says that he will remove the frogs whenever Pharaoh wishes. It will be noted that all these are the actions of the terrible two. In ‘d' we have Egypt's reaction. The magicians manage to turn some water deep red, and Pharaoh entreats that the frogs might be taken away and he will then let the people go.
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, Let my people go that they may serve me, and if you refuse to let them go, behold I will smite all your borders with frogs. And the Nile will swarm with frogs which will go up into your house, and into your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the house of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneadingtroughs. And the frogs will come up both on you, and on your people, and on all your servants.' ”
The next approach was in Pharaoh's palace. (Moses ‘goes in' to him). The request was still to be able to worship Yahweh in the wilderness. The threat that follows is a plague of frogs. The Nile and its offshoots and the pools around were no longer habitable, even for frogs. And the microcosms, and dead and decaying fish added to the problem. So the frogs would seek other refuges, as Yahweh well knew. They had proliferated beyond the norm and now at Yahweh's word they would invade the land of Egypt, getting everywhere, into bedrooms, beds, ovens, kitchens and domestic appliances. Even Pharaoh in his palace would not be able to hide from these.
The Egyptians, who had a particular regard for cleanliness, would be horrified. Even their food was being contaminated.
“Go in to Pharaoh.” Moses now had ready access, and probably privileged access, to Pharaoh as a prophet, or more than a prophet. This may have had to do with his princely status but was more likely simply due to the fact that Pharaoh recognised his status as ‘a god' under Yahweh, and knew that he could not afford not to see him. He viewed Moses with a superstitious awe that gave Moses extreme authority and conflicted with his own view of himself as a god.
“Your servants -- your people.” The distinction is constantly made between the king's high officials (his servants) and his people.
“Ovens.” Probably portable earthenware stoves.
“Kneading troughs.” Containers where the dough was kneaded, probably shallow wooden bowls (see Exodus 12:34).
‘And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.” And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.'
The assumption is now that Pharaoh has again refused to listen. So the word goes out that the next stage is to follow. Aaron stretches out his hand containing the staff of God as Yahweh had commanded, and the frogs pour out of the waters to infest the land. There is nowhere in Egypt where the waters of the Nile do not reach, for where the Nile with its offshoots does not go there is no life. So the frogs were everywhere.
“Stretch out your hand with your staff.” Aaron is again to act on behalf of Yahweh and Moses. This is the second time that he stretches out his staff.
‘And the magicians did the same with their enchantments and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.'
It was not difficult for the magicians to imitate this (although they did not really do so. They did not produce a multitude of frogs throughout Egypt). In a land saturated with frogs, it was easy for clever conjurers to give the impression that they too could produce frogs at will. But as with the crimson Nile the plague had already taken place, and thus their efforts were simply marginal. What they could do was lessen the idea that it was all miraculous and beyond the gods of Egypt. What they could not do, however, was restore the Nile and remove the frogs.
The plague of frogs would bring to every Egyptian's mind Heqit, the goddess of fruitfulness, whose symbol was a frog. Here she was clearly powerless to do anything, or was even perhaps on Moses' side!
‘The Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat Yahweh that he take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go that they may sacrifice to Yahweh.”
Pharaoh was more moved by this plague. The frogs were in his palace, in his state rooms, and in his bed. He was personally affected and wanted to be rid of the things for they were seemingly everywhere. The more the servants disposed of them the more there were. He promised that now he would let the people go into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yahweh if only the frogs were removed. He had asked, “Who is Yahweh?” and had said “I do not know Yahweh” (Exodus 5:2). Now he ‘entreats Yahweh'. He both knows who He is and knows Him by experience. He ‘knows His name'.
Pharaoh's behaviour was unforgivable in the light of the times. Moses was the mediator, the go-between. In men's eyes he would be held liable by Yahweh if things went wrong because Pharaoh broke his word. If any of Pharaoh's officials had behaved towards him like he was making Moses behave (making an agreement that was not fulfilled) they would have been dismissed, if not worse.
‘And Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have this glory over me, at what time shall I entreat for you and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses and remain in the Nile only?” And he said, “Let it happen for tomorrow.” And he said, “It shall be according to your word that you may know that there is none like Yahweh our God. And the frogs will depart from you and from your houses, and from your servants and from your people. They will remain in the Nile only.” '
Moses accepts Pharaoh's word and tells him that he may choose the time when the frogs cease to be a nuisance. Then they will go. (We are not told whether he spoke through Aaron, his ‘mouth'. But he probably did).
“You may have this glory over me.” A triumphant statement. Pharaoh the god has had to admit that Moses is more glorious and powerful than he, but Moses now makes him a concession. He can be given a little ‘glory', a little independence, in choosing the time of the departure of the frogs. He can have his wounded pride consoled.
“That you may know that there is none like Yahweh our God.” With Pharaoh choosing the timing there could be no suggestion of trickery. It revealed that Yahweh had total control over the frogs whenever He wished and could remove them at any time.
“The frogs will depart.” Moses knows that it will happen but not how it will happen. In the eventuality it was mainly through them dying (Exodus 8:13-14).
“From your houses.” All Pharaoh's palaces were affected. He had had nowhere to hide.
‘And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to Yahweh concerning the frogs which he had brought on Pharaoh, and Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts and out of the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps and the land gave off a stench.'
Moses cried to Yahweh and the frogs died out. Moses ‘cried out'. The expression is strong. It was one thing to know that the frogs would go, another to have selected a particular time. And Yahweh honoured his prayer.
The narrative is practical. The frogs do not hop back into the Nile. It is probable that, unknown to anyone but Yahweh, the frogs were diseased. Their contact with the microcosms in the Nile and the dead and rotting fish had probably infected them. They may well, among other things, have had anthrax. Thus their death would be sudden. But again the main miracle lies in quantity and timing, and the latter fitting in to Pharaoh's request.
“And they gathered them together into heaps and the land gave off a stench.” The Egyptians hated the stench, but little did they realise that these heaps were a time bomb waiting to go off.
‘But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite he hardened his heart (‘made his heart heavy') and did not listen to them, just as Yahweh had said.'
Pharaoh's word proved not to be reliable. Once he thought the menace was gone, and realised they were somehow managing to cope with the problems of the red Nile (although many of his subjects may have disagreed with him) he changed his mind. But the listener is assured that this was all in the plan, it was ‘just as Yahweh had said'. Little did Pharaoh realise that another menace was already building up and would come without warning.
All men have times when they are forced to turn their thoughts towards God, and when they seek God's help. It is at such times that their destinies are determined. Either they become grateful and continually responsive to Him, or like Pharaoh they choose to forget Him as soon as the problem is behind them. Either they warm towards Him continually or their hearts are hardened. In this way they determine their own judgment and destiny, just as Pharaoh was doing now. Many of the Pharisees would later do it with Jesus. Jesus described it as being in danger of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit at work through Him. Here Pharaoh was doing the same to Yahweh in the light of His clear signs. That is why Yahweh can later harden him.