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. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and persist in holding them, 3 the hand of the Lord will strike your livestock in the field—your horses, donkeys, camels, herds and flocks—with a very severe pestilence. 4 But the Lord will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that nothing belonging to the Israelites will die. 5 And the Lord set a definite time, saying: Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land. 6 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. 7 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.
In Exodus 9:1–7, God commands Moses to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites so they may worship Him. If Pharaoh refuses, God warns of a severe pestilence that will strike Egypt’s livestock in the fields, including horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. God assures that He will make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and the Egyptians, protecting the animals belonging to His people, highlighting God's covenantal faithfulness to His people and His sovereign power over nature. True to His word, God sends the plague, killing all the Egyptian livestock in the field while sparing Israel’s animals. Despite witnessing the devastation, Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to let the Israelites go.
This plague targets Egypt’s economic and religious systems. Livestock were vital for agriculture, transportation, and religious sacrifices, making their loss catastrophic. It undermined the Egyptians’ trust in their deities and their reliance on agriculture and the economy, which heavily depended on healthy livestock. At the same time, the sparing of Israel’s livestock demonstrated God’s covenantal protection and provided for the future sacrifices Israel would offer to God, as anticipated in Exodus 3:18.
The fifth plague challenged Egypt’s gods associated with livestock and fertility. Egyptian deities such as Hathor, a goddess depicted with the head of a cow, and Apis, a sacred bull symbolizing strength and divine protection, were central to their worship and culture. By afflicting Egypt's livestock while sparing Israel's, God demonstrates His authority over nature, exposing the impotence of these false gods (cf. Exodus 12:12). The clear distinction between Israel and Egypt further emphasizes God’s covenantal relationship with His chosen people and His control over life and death.
Just as God protected the Israelites from the devastation of Egypt, Christ, the true Lamb of God (John 1:29), brings deliverance, foreshadowed in the Exodus narrative. God’s distinction between Israel and Egypt also prefigures the separation of God’s people from the world, culminating in the future judgment described in Matthew 25:31–46, where the righteous are separated from the wicked.
This plague, like the others, builds upon the escalating intensity of God’s judgment against Pharaoh’s defiance. It also reveals the futility of Pharaoh's resistance to God’s will. Pharaoh’s repeated hardening of heart serves as a warning about the danger of persistent resistance to divine authority, a theme echoed throughout Scripture (cf. Proverbs 29:1; Romans 1:21–25).
By sending the fifth plague, God not only demonstrates His sovereignty over Egypt’s economy and religion but also reveals His faithfulness to His covenant people and His ultimate plan of deliverance, which finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Almighty God, You are sovereign over all creation, and Your power and faithfulness are unmatched. Just as You protected and provided for Your people in Egypt, we trust in Your care for us today. Help us to turn away from anything that draws us from You, and strengthen our hearts to follow Your will. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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