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Plagues - Fifth Plague – Pestilence (Ex. 9:1-7)

'Then the Lord said to Moses: Go to Pharaoh and tell him: Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and persist in holding them, the hand of the Lord will strike your livestock in the field—your horses, donkeys, camels, herds and flocks—with a very severe pestilence. But the Lord will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that nothing belonging to the Israelites will die. And the Lord set a definite time, saying: Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land. And on the next day the Lord did it. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. But although Pharaoh found upon inquiry that not even so much as one of the livestock of the Israelites had died, he remained obstinate and would not let the people go (Ex. 9:1-7).’

God sent Moses to warn Pharaoh of the coming pestilence.  This plague was more serious because it involved livestock which was necessary for the Egyptians’ livelihood.  God continued to separate the Hebrews from the Egyptians and told Pharaoh through Moses that none of the animals belonging to the Hebrews would die.  God set a specific time so that there could be no doubt that He was in charge.  Hathor was the ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky, of women, and of fertility and love, and was usually depicted as a woman with the head of a cow.   As God warned, all the Egyptian livestock died but none of the Hebrews’ livestock.  Both Pharaoh and his gods were powerless to stop the plague.  Pharaoh still stubbornly refused to let the Hebrews go.  

Almighty God, many times we ask for your mercy in difficult situations but when our trials are over, we forget by whose providence we are sustained.  Do not let the enticements of this world lead to the decay of our souls but grant us the grace to lift our thoughts to you and to please you by our words and actions.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen

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References:

Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.

Jose M. Casciaro, Luis A. Martin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Antonio Garcia-Moreno, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy, & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (1999). The Navarre Bible - The Pentateuch. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.

 

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