Thereupon the Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and it will turn into gnats throughout the land of Egypt. 13 They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came upon human being and beast alike. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt. 14 Though the magicians did the same thing to produce gnats by their magic arts, they could not do so. The gnats were on human being and beast alike, 15 and the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
This passage describes the third plague which is part of the broader plague cycle in Exodus, where God alternates between plagues with warnings and those without warning. In this case, God does not give Pharaoh a warning before the plague. Aaron stretches out his staff and strikes the dust, transforming it into gnats. Unlike the previous plagues, Pharaoh’s magicians are unable to replicate this act, admitting, “This is the finger of God” which underscores the limitations of human power and false gods.
This moment is pivotal, marking the first recognition of Yahweh’s supremacy over Egyptian deities (cf. Exodus 9:16). By targeting their religious system and dismantling Egyptian beliefs in the power of their deities, God demonstrates His total dominion and sovereignty. Despite clear evidence of God’s power, Pharaoh remains obstinate, refusing to heed God’s call to release the Israelites. This pattern reflects the spiritual danger of repeated resistance to God’s will, as seen in Hebrews 3:7-8, where believers are warned, “If today you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Pharaoh’s obstinacy prefigures the hardness of heart often displayed by sinners who reject God’s grace.
The transformation of dust into gnats demonstrates God's power over even the smallest and most mundane elements of creation, emphasizing His total dominion. The dust, symbolizing the lifeless and insignificant, is animated by God’s power, recalls the creation account in Genesis 2:7, where God forms humanity from dust. God showed his total control over the dust of the earth by creating a destructive force, gnats, out of the dust representing unrelenting divine judgment. This judgment mirrors other Scriptural descriptions of plagues as instruments of divine correction, as seen in Amos 4:10: “I sent among you a pestilence… yet you did not return to me.”
The magicians’ declaration, “This is the finger of God,” highlights divine intervention. This phrase appears again in Luke 11:20, where Jesus, in casting out demons, declares, “If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Just as the gnats reveal God’s authority over Egypt, Jesus’ miracles demonstrate His authority over Satan and inaugurate God’s kingdom.
Jesus’ miracles echo the plagues in demonstrating divine authority over the natural and spiritual realms. In calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) or multiplying loaves and fishes (John 6:1-14), Jesus reveals His identity as the Lord of creation, fulfilling what is prefigured in the plagues. While the plagues served as temporal punishments, Christ bears the eternal judgment for sin on the cross (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). His death provides a way of salvation for those who repent.
Almighty God, You reveal Your power and sovereignty over all creation, calling us to trust in You alone. Soften our hearts, Lord, that we may never resist Your will but instead walk in obedience and faith. Help us to recognize Your hand at work in our lives and turn to You in humility and repentance. 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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