Exodus 9:22-26 · Bible study
Exodus 9:22-26 Commentary: The Hail Plague, Judgment and Deliverance
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Exodus 9:22-26: the seventh plague shows God's power over creation and his protection of Israel.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The plague of hail demonstrates God's absolute sovereignty over creation and his power to judge Egypt while shielding his people.
- Key words: barad (hail, H1259), instrument of judgment; natan (give, H5414), Yahweh “gave” thunder; halak (go, H1980), fire “walked” on the ground; nakah (strike, H5221), the hail struck everything; shabar (break, H7665), trees shattered.
- Main debate: Whether the fire mingled with the hail was natural lightning intensified supernaturally or a wholly unique phenomenon (fire balls, continuous flame). Commentators do not resolve this, but both sides see God’s hand.
- Theological theme: God’s judgment and deliverance: the same storm that destroys Egypt excludes Goshen. The Lord makes a distinction.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on the sovereignty of God, the seriousness of sin, and the security of those who belong to him through faith.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
22Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”
23So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
24The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.
25Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.
26The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
WEB World English Bible 2000
22Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on animal, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”
23Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and Yahweh sent thunder and hail; and lightning flashed down to the earth. Yahweh rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24So there was very severe hail, and lightning mixed with the hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; and the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field.
26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
KJV King James Version 1769
22And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
23And 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.
24So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
22And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
23And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
22And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and there is hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on beast, and on every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.'
23And Moses stretcheth out his rod towards the heavens, and Jehovah hath given voices and hail, and fire goeth towards the earth, and Jehovah raineth hail on the land of Egypt,
24and there is hail, and fire catching itself in the midst of the hail, very grievous, such as hath not been in all the land of Egypt since it hath become a nation.
25And the hail smiteth in all the land of Egypt all that is in the field, from man even unto beast, and every herb of the field hath the hail smitten, and every tree of the field it hath broken;
26only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel are , there hath been no hail.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
22And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward the heavens, that there may be hail throughout the land of Egypt, upon men, and upon cattle, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.
23And Moses stretched out his staff toward the heavens, and Jehovah gave thunder and hail; and the fire ran along the ground; and Jehovah rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24And there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there had been none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25And the hail smote throughout the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both men and cattle; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field.
26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
22And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand towards heaven, that there may be hail in the whole land of Egypt upon men, and upon beasts, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.
23And Moses stretched forth his rod towards heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightnings running along the ground: and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24And the hail and fire mixt with it drove on together: and it was of so great bigness, as never before was seen in the whole land of Egypt since that nation was founded.
25And the hail destroyed through all the land of Egypt all things that were in the fields, both man and beast: and the hail smote every herb of the field, and it broke every tree of the country.
26Only in the land of Gessen, where the children of Israel were, the hail fell not.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 9:22
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the hail plague was a direct act of God, unprecedented in severity and designed to demonstrate his absolute authority over nature and over Egypt. Moses stretched his rod toward heaven, an action Calvin interprets as encouragement for Moses himself and as a sign that the plague came from the Lord (Calvin). The distinction between Egypt and Goshen is seen as a signal proof of God's particular providence (Clarke) and a demonstration that the earth is the Lord's (Matthew Henry). The warning given beforehand (v.19) is a mark of divine mercy, even toward the hardened king (Keil & Delitzsch). Gill highlights the wonder of fire mingled with hail, a miracle within a miracle, as Aben Ezra called it, showing that God can override the normal laws of nature. The passage consistently underscores that the Lord alone controls the elements and that he chooses to protect his people while judging those who defy him.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Supernatural miracle view: Emphasizes the unique 'fire taking hold of itself' as a suspension of natural laws (Clarke, Gill, Aben Ezra). The fire and hail coexisting defies physics, pointing to direct divine intervention.
- Intensified natural phenomenon view: Notes that hailstorms and lightning are known in Lower Egypt (Keil & Delitzsch). The plague intensifies a natural occurrence to an unprecedented degree, showing God's sovereignty over ordinary processes.
What is clear: Whether one sees supernatural suspension or intensified nature, all sides agree that God caused the plague, used it to judge Egypt, and protected Israel in Goshen as an act of sovereign grace.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Source of the plague | All commentators agree the hail came directly from Yahweh as a judgment against Pharaoh and Egypt. | Some (Clarke, Gill) emphasize it as a supernatural miracle suspending natural laws; others (Keil & Delitzsch) note that hailstorms do occur in Lower Egypt but acknowledge the scale and fire mixture were unprecedented. |
| Extent of destruction ('every herb', 'every tree') | The destruction was severe and covered the whole land of Egypt. | Keil & Delitzsch argue the terms are not absolute, because Exodus 10:5 and 10:12 show some vegetation remained. Other traditions (Matthew Henry, Gill) take the language at face value as total destruction, with the locusts later consuming what survived. |
| Protection of Goshen | God sovereignly chose to protect the Israelites living in Goshen from the hail. | Some (Clarke, Matthew Henry) see it as a sign of God's special covenant love for Israel; others note that Egyptians living in Goshen may also have escaped (Gill), raising questions about the basis of protection, proximity to God's people or individual faith. |
| Fire mingled with the hail | The phenomenon was unique and terrifying, demonstrating divine power. | Jewish commentators (Aben Ezra) called it a miracle within a miracle; Christian commentators (Cambridge Bible, Ellicott) describe it as 'fire taking hold of itself', possibly balls of lightning or continuous flame, but the precise physics is debated. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Goshen, the region where the Israelites lived, was located in the eastern Nile Delta, a fertile area suitable for livestock. Under normal conditions, Lower Egypt experiences occasional hailstorms between December and April, but they are rarely destructive (Keil & Delitzsch). The plague described is utterly exceptional: hail that shatters trees and kills both humans and livestock suggests stones of immense size and force. The Hebrew phrase for “fire mingled with the hail” (mitlakachat be-tokh habarad) literally means “fire taking hold of itself in the midst of the hail,” a phrase used also in Ezekiel 1:4 to describe a theophany (Cambridge Bible). This suggests something beyond ordinary lightning, what Clarke calls a devouring fire walking through the land. The timing is significant: the flax and barley were destroyed (v.31, immediately following), placing the event around January or February when those crops were ripening. The warning to bring livestock and servants indoors (v.19) gave even Egyptians a chance to escape, a merciful provision that differentiated between those who feared God’s word and those who did not (v.20-21). The rod of Moses, previously used to turn water to blood (Exodus 7:19) and bring frogs (Exodus 8:5), is once again the instrument through which God exercises his power, underscoring that the source is not Moses but the Lord whom he serves.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and lexical data note no significant textual variants for Exodus 9:22-26. The Hebrew text is consistent across the major manuscript traditions. The phrase “fire mingled with the hail” (v.24) is rendered slightly differently in translations (e.g., “fire catching itself in the midst of the hail” in YLT, “continuous fire” in Lange), but these reflect translation choices rather than textual variants. The passage stands without serious textual issues.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Exodus 9:22-26 has been read as a vivid demonstration of God’s power over nature and his faithfulness to his covenant people. Early church fathers such as Origen saw in the hail a type of judgment that would fall on the wicked, while the sparing of Goshen prefigured baptismal salvation, the deliverance of believers from the coming wrath. In the Reformation, Calvin and Luther emphasized that the plague humbled Pharaoh and taught Israel to trust God alone. The passage has been sung in hymns about God’s mighty acts (e.g., “The God of Abraham Praise”) and used in Lenten liturgies as a call to repentance. More recently, it has been a key text for discussions on theodicy: how can a good God send such destruction? Most traditions answer that judgment is always intertwined with mercy (the warning, the escape for those who feared), and that the ultimate display of both is the cross.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God commands the sign. Moses stretches his hand toward heaven with the rod. This action points to heaven as the source of the judgment, God himself controls the elements.
- The plague’s severity. Hail, thunder, lightning, and fire combine in an unprecedented display. It destroys all in the field: people, animals, plants, and trees. It is total devastation for those who remained exposed.
- The sanctuary of Goshen. Only where the Israelites live there is no hail. God protects his covenant people even while judgment falls around them.
Five-point outline
- Warning before judgment. God announces the plague and urges shelter (v.18-19). Mercy precedes wrath.
- Testing of hearts. Those who feared God’s word brought their livestock inside; those who did not left them in the field (v.20-21).
- The sign of the rod. Moses stretches it toward heaven, judgment comes from God, not from human power.
- The nature of the plague. Fire in the hail, extreme severity, unmatched in Egyptian history.
- Divine separation. Goshen untouched. God knows his own and makes a distinction.
Illustration hooks
- A hailstorm that strips a farmer’s crop in minutes. The power of weather to humble us, yet here the storm answers to a spoken command.
- Two neighbors: one heeds a tornado warning and goes to the basement, the other ignores it. Natural warning versus divine warning. What do we do with the warnings God gives us?
- A fire that burns in the middle of a hailstorm, something that should be impossible. It reminds us that God is not bound by the laws he established; he is Lord over them.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did God cause such destruction if he knew Pharaoh would not repent? What was the deeper purpose?
- If God protected Israel in Goshen, does he protect believers from every disaster today? What does this passage teach about providence?
- The fire and hail together, is that scientifically explainable, or was it a pure miracle? Does it matter?
Leading a Discussion
This passage invites us to consider how we respond when God makes his power known. The plague of hail is not random; it follows a clear warning, tests the response of individuals, and makes a sharp distinction between those who belong to God and those who do not. As you discuss, notice both the severity and the mercy woven into the story.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 9:22-26. What does Moses’ action of stretching his rod toward heaven communicate about the source of the plague?
- Why do you think God gave the warning in verses 18-19? What does this reveal about his character?
- The text says the hail struck “every herb of the field” and “broke every tree.” But later (Exodus 10:5) the locusts eat what is left. How do you understand the language of “all” and “every” in this passage? What might it mean for how we read such descriptions?
- Why was Goshen spared? What does that tell us about God’s relationship with Israel, and, by extension, with those who trust him?
- Some Egyptians who feared God’s word brought their servants and livestock inside (v.20). What does this detail add to the story? What options did they have, and what does their choice reflect?
- How does this passage challenge the way you think about God’s judgment and mercy? Can both operate at the same time?
- In what situations today do we face a choice to take God’s warnings seriously or ignore them? How does this story inform that decision?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 7:19 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” |
| Exodus 8:5 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’” |
| Exodus 8:16 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” |
| Revelation of John 16:21 | Great hailstones, about the weight of a talent, came down out of the sky on people. People blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for this plague was exceedingly severe. |
| Exodus 19:16 | On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. |
| Exodus 20:18 | All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. |
| Joshua 10:11 | As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, Yahweh hurled down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword. |
| I Samuel 12:17 | Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in Yahweh’s sight, in asking for a king.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the hail was accompanied by fire that "walked upon the ground" - a devouring, irresistible force. He explains that the electric fluid essential to hail formation was supernaturally abundant, making this a unique judgment. The complete sparing of Goshen, he observes, was a striking proof of God's particular providence.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes the puzzling order of events: Moses predicted the hail before he knew how it would be brought about. The command to stretch out the rod came later, after the day had passed. This sequence tested Moses' faith and shows that all creation is ready to obey its Maker at a word.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that the Hebrew phrase for "sent thunder" literally means "gave voices," reflecting the ancient belief that thunder was God's own voice. The "fire mingled with the hail" describes lightning as a continuous, self-kindled flame within the storm cloud, revealing God's hidden glory.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight the sharp division God makes between Egypt and Goshen during the plague of hail. While Egypt suffers devastating destruction on man, beast, and crops, the land where Israel lives is completely unharmed. This shows God's sovereign ability to judge His enemies while preserving His own people.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes the unprecedented scale of this plague: hail that covered the whole of Egypt, whereas ordinary hail only affects a small area. He calls the coexistence of fire and hail without either destroying the other a miracle within a miracle, especially striking in a land where rain and hail were almost unknown.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight that even before the worst hail, God offered Pharaoh a warning to shelter his livestock—a sign mercy still lingered. Pharaoh's confession, "I have sinned this time," shows only terror-driven repentance, not genuine submission. The limited phrase "this time" betrays a heart still hardened beneath the fear.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the Hebrew grammar in verse 15 indicates God saying He could have destroyed Pharaoh already but chose to preserve him for a fuller display of power. From this point, God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart begins, and the plagues strike directly at Pharaoh’s personal interests.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes that Pharaoh's confession was forced by terror, not true repentance. As soon as the hail stopped, he sinned again and hardened his heart, showing that a temporary fear of judgment does not produce lasting change when the heart remains set against God.