Exodus 9:23 kjv

And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:23 nkjv

And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:23 niv

When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt;

Exodus 9:23 esv

Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:23 nlt

So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The LORD sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9 verses

Exodus 9 23 Meaning

Exodus 9:23 details the immediate execution of the seventh plague upon Egypt. It describes Moses' obedient act of stretching his staff toward the heavens, followed by God's direct unleashing of a devastating hail storm combined with fire upon the earth. This catastrophic event was a clear demonstration of YHWH's supreme power over the elements, the skies, and the land, further punishing Pharaoh's persistent defiance and confirming the Lord's absolute sovereignty.

Exodus 9 23 Context

Exodus chapter 9 details the seventh, eighth, and ninth plagues inflicted upon Egypt, intensifying God's judgment against Pharaoh's hardened heart. Specifically, verse 23 belongs to the account of the plague of hail. Following Pharaoh's continued refusal to let Israel go, despite prior plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased livestock, and boils, YHWH directly instructs Moses to unleash the next devastating blow. This plague specifically targeted Egypt's agricultural wealth, demonstrating God's complete authority over creation, including the weather—a realm typically associated with various Egyptian deities such as Nut (sky goddess), Shu (air god), and Osiris (fertility god). The unique combination of hail and fire, a truly unnatural phenomenon, served to underscore the supernatural origin of this judgment, distinct from mere natural disaster. It also highlighted the impotence of Egyptian gods to protect their land and people.

Exodus 9 23 Word Analysis

• So Moses stretched out (wayyeṭ Mōšeh): Naṭah (נָטָה) means to stretch, incline, extend. This emphasizes Moses' immediate and faithful obedience to God's precise command. It shows Moses acting as God's instrument.
• his staff (maṭṭēh / מַטֵּה): A shepherd's rod, transformed into a symbol of divine power and authority in Moses' hands. It functions as an extension of God's power. It signifies God acting through Moses.
• toward heaven (’el haššāmāyim / אֶל־הַשָּׁמָיִם): Literally "to the heavens" or "to the sky." This direction highlights that the source of the plague is not from the earth or from a human, but directly from the divine realm, contradicting Egyptian beliefs that their deities controlled such elements.
• and the LORD sent (wayihvāh nathan / וַיהוָה נָתַן): YHWH (יְהוָה) is God's covenant name, signifying His active presence and faithfulness to His purposes. Nathan (נָתַן) means "gave" or "sent," emphasizing the direct, personal agency of God in dispatching the plague. It wasn't a natural occurrence.
• thunder (qōlōt / קֹלֹת): Literally "voices," referring to thunder, often seen in the Bible as the voice of God, signifying His majesty and power. (Ps 29:3-9). It heralds divine presence and judgment.
• and hail (ūvārād / וּבָרָד): Barad refers to ice, hailstones. A destructive natural force, supernaturally magnified and controlled here by God.
• and fire came down (wā’ēš tiḇālāḵ / וָאֵשׁ תִּהֲלַךְ): ’Esh (אֵשׁ) is fire. The verb hālāḵ (הָלַךְ) implies "walking" or "moving," indicating the dynamic, spreading nature of the fire. This combination of fire with hail is an anomaly, demonstrating the miraculous and extraordinary nature of God's intervention, transcending normal atmospheric conditions. Fire often symbolizes divine presence, purification, and judgment.
• upon the earth (’al hā’āreṣ / עַל־הָאָרֶץ): Denotes the physical destination and scope of the judgment, covering the entire land of Egypt.

Words-group analysis:

• Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven: This precise action symbolizes Moses' role as a faithful intermediary. His obedience triggers God's omnipotence, demonstrating that the human instrument works in perfect concert with divine command. The gesture "toward heaven" is crucial, directing attention to the divine origin of the event, distinct from earthly powers or idols.
• the LORD sent thunder and hail and fire came down: This phrase underscores YHWH's direct and sovereign control over all elements. It refutes any notion of natural coincidence, establishing God as the singular orchestrator. The sequence emphasizes God's immediate response and overwhelming power, combining multiple destructive forces. The "fire came down" explicitly indicates its origin directly from God rather than conventional lightning that precedes hail.
• fire came down upon the earth: This signifies a powerful, visible, and comprehensive judgment impacting the physical realm of Egypt. It sets the stage for the specific destruction detailed in subsequent verses (Exo 9:25).

Exodus 9 23 Bonus section

The specific combination of hail and fire, occurring simultaneously, is emphasized in scholarly discourse as a phenomenon designed to defy natural explanation and underscore its supernatural origin. Hail is ice, fire is heat—their coexistence in such destructive intensity indicates a divine miracle rather than a mere weather event. This event foreshadows future eschatological judgments in biblical prophecy (e.g., Rev 8:7; 11:19; 16:21), where elements like hail and fire are again used by God as instruments of His righteous judgment upon a rebellious world. This reiterates a timeless truth that the same God who demonstrated power over Pharaoh's Egypt will ultimately judge all ungodliness with His consuming fire.

Exodus 9 23 Commentary

Exodus 9:23 vividly portrays YHWH's absolute dominion over creation, orchestrated through the obedient act of Moses. The simplicity of Moses' gesture—stretching out a staff—belies the enormity of the divine response, demonstrating that God's power is limitless and responsive to faith. The "staff" itself is a mere stick, highlighting that the power originates solely from the Lord, not from Moses or the object. The "heaven" being the target for Moses' staff points unequivocally to the divine source of the judgment, counteracting any pagan belief in localized nature gods.

The nature of the plague—thunder, hail, and fire—is critical. Thunder, often called the "voice of God" in Scripture, establishes His awesome presence. Hail devastates agriculture, a foundational part of Egypt's prosperity and an area thought to be controlled by various deities. The unprecedented "fire came down" concurrently with hail transcends typical natural phenomena, directly challenging Egyptian cosmology where such elemental forces were separate or subject to lesser gods. This precise combination utterly humiliates Egyptian gods of the sky, storm, and fertility (Nut, Shu, Set, Isis, Reshpu), proving them powerless against YHWH's command. This plague served not merely as punishment, but as divine instruction for Pharaoh and Egypt (and eventually for Israel) to "know that there is none like Me in all the earth" (Exo 9:14) and "that the earth is the LORD's" (Exo 9:29). It was a powerful lesson in God's unmatched sovereignty.