Exodus 8 12

Exodus 8:12 kjv

And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.

Exodus 8:12 nkjv

Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.

Exodus 8:12 niv

After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.

Exodus 8:12 esv

So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.

Exodus 8:12 nlt

So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's palace, and Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had inflicted on Pharaoh.

Exodus 8 12 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Exod 8:8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Plead with the Lord... and I will let the people go..."Pharaoh asks for Moses' intercession.
Exod 8:9-10Moses said to Pharaoh, "Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you... that you may know that there is no one like the Lord..."Moses challenges Pharaoh to set the time, proving God's unique power.
Exod 8:30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord.Moses again intercedes for the removal of flies.
Num 11:2And the people cried to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire died down.Moses' role as intercessor for Israel.
Deut 9:18-19Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights... because of all the sin you had committed...Moses' intense intercession for Israel after the golden calf.
1 Sam 7:9Then Samuel took a young lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.Samuel's effective prayer for Israel against the Philistines.
1 Kgs 18:42So Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.Elijah's posture of earnest prayer for rain.
Ps 33:9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.God's sovereign power over creation by His word.
Ps 104:24-30O Lord, how manifold are your works!... These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.God's detailed providential care and control over creation.
Isa 45:7I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.God's ultimate sovereignty over good and evil, creation and destruction.
Isa 55:11So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose...God's word is effective and faithful.
Jer 29:7But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf...Believers are to pray even for their captors/rulers.
Jon 2:2"I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me..."Jonah's prayer from extreme distress.
Mal 3:6"For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."God's unchanging nature and faithfulness.
Rom 8:26-27Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for... but the Spirit himself intercedes...The Holy Spirit's role in intercession.
Rom 9:17-18For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed..."God raises up Pharaoh to demonstrate His power and harden his heart.
1 Tim 2:1-2First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions...Call to prayer for all people, including rulers.
Jas 5:16...The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.The efficacy of righteous prayer.
Jas 5:17-18Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain... and then he prayed again...Example of Elijah's powerful, effective prayer.
Job 38-41(Chapters describing God's questions to Job about His control over creation)Demonstrates God's absolute sovereignty and intimate knowledge of creation.
Tit 1:2...in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.God's unwavering faithfulness to His promises.

Exodus 8 verses

Exodus 8 12 Meaning

Exodus 8:12 records Moses' immediate action following Pharaoh's request and their agreement: he and Aaron departed from Pharaoh's presence, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the plague of frogs, exactly as he had consented to with Pharaoh. This verse underscores Moses' role as God's mediator, the Lord's responsiveness to the fervent prayer of His servant, and the precise control God exercises over creation, demonstrating His absolute sovereignty even in fulfilling the timeline set by an adversary.

Exodus 8 12 Context

Exodus 8:12 is situated in the narrative of the second plague, the plague of frogs. Prior to this verse, the land of Egypt had been utterly overrun by frogs, causing immense discomfort and contamination, including entering homes, beds, and ovens (Exod 8:1-7). Pharaoh's magicians could replicate the bringing of frogs but were powerless to remove them. Facing the severity of the plague, Pharaoh finally called for Moses and Aaron, requesting that they "plead with the Lord" to remove the frogs, and in return, he would permit the Israelites to depart (Exod 8:8). Moses, demonstrating Yahweh's unique and precise power, then challenged Pharaoh to set the specific time for the plague's removal (Exod 8:9-10), to ensure Pharaoh would acknowledge that "there is no one like the Lord our God" (Exod 8:10). Pharaoh responded by setting the next day for the removal of the frogs (Exod 8:10). Verse 12 is Moses' direct response, immediately going out to fulfill his side of the agreement by crying to the Lord, leading to the miraculous and precisely timed cessation of the plague, which would begin in the subsequent verses (Exod 8:13).

Exodus 8 12 Word analysis

  • So Moses and Aaron: Identifies the two divine emissaries, chosen and empowered by the Lord, acting in unison. Aaron often assisted Moses, particularly in confrontations with Pharaoh.
  • went out from Pharaoh: Indicates their departure from the royal presence, signifying the end of that specific dialogue and a transition to action—namely, prayer.
  • and Moses: Specifically highlights Moses as the one who directly intercedes with the Lord, confirming his unique prophetic and mediatorial role (cf. Num 12:7-8).
  • cried: (Hebrew: צָעַק, tsa'aq). This verb conveys a strong, urgent, often distressed appeal or cry for help. It's not a casual prayer but an intense, heartfelt plea to God, consistent with the gravity of the situation and the magnitude of the promised action. This same word is used for the cry of the oppressed which God hears (Exod 2:23).
  • to the Lord: (Hebrew: יְהוָה, YHWH). Directs the prayer to the covenant God of Israel, the one true God, distinct from the impotent gods of Egypt. This emphasizes that power, even over the plagues, flows from Him alone.
  • concerning the frogs: Specifies the direct subject of Moses' prayer, demonstrating that God is intimately involved in even the details of His judgments and their cessation. It underscores God's control over even small creatures.
  • as he had agreed with Pharaoh: This phrase is critical. It refers to the conversation in Exodus 8:9-10 where Moses offered Pharaoh the chance to dictate the precise timing of the plague's removal. This arrangement elevates the display of God's power from simply bringing and removing a plague to precisely controlling its cessation at a time chosen by an antagonist. This eliminates any possibility of Pharaoh attributing the removal to natural cycles or Egyptian magic, confirming that only Yahweh holds absolute, specific dominion over creation and time.

Exodus 8 12 Bonus section

The precise timing of the frog removal in response to Moses' prayer and Pharaoh's chosen schedule directly confronted the Egyptian belief in the predictability of the Nile's natural rhythms, which were often attributed to their gods. Specifically, the goddess Heqet, often depicted with a frog's head, was revered as a deity of fertility and childbirth, associated with the annual inundation of the Nile, which brought life-giving silt but also temporary flooding. Yahweh's orchestrated removal of the frogs, contrary to their natural life cycle in overwhelming numbers, was a profound polemic against Heqet. It demonstrated that the source of life, chaos, and restoration was not within the purview of Egyptian deities, but entirely under the meticulous control of the Lord.

Exodus 8 12 Commentary

Exodus 8:12 serves as a pivotal point, transitioning from the verbal confrontation to God's demonstration of power through Moses' intercession. The phrase "cried to the Lord" (tsa'aq) depicts Moses' earnestness and his immediate resort to the divine source of power, rather than any personal might or ritual. This direct and fervent prayer underscores Moses' faith and obedience. The agreement with Pharaoh to set the timing is crucial: it wasn't a sign of God's weakness, but rather a deliberate divine strategy to magnify His glory. By meticulously complying with Pharaoh's self-imposed deadline, God proved His sovereignty over all elements, time, and circumstances. He rendered all Egyptian magic and gods utterly futile, as none could deliver with such precision and power. The removal of the frogs exactly as stated left no room for naturalistic explanations for Pharaoh, showcasing that only the Lord is the true sovereign, distinct and superior to any other god or earthly authority.