Bible Strands
Exodus 8:16
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks to Moses, directing him to relay a command to Aaron. This occurs immediately after Pharaoh refuses to listen despite witnessing temporary relief from the preceding plague.
The words — נְטֵה (ne.Teh) means "stretch out" or "extend." The command requires Aaron to physically extend his staff to strike the earth's dust.
The thread — The directive mirrors the plague structure in Exodus 8:5, where Yahweh similarly instructs Moses to command Aaron to stretch out his hand. The immediate fulfillment is recorded in Exodus 8:17, where Aaron strikes the dust and gnats appear on man and beast.
Why it lands — The text states that ordinary dust becomes a plague when a prophet obeys a divine command. It requires the reader to recognize how repeated defiance meets a precise, escalating response rather than a negotiated settlement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Cross-references
- Exodus 8:5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.’”
- Exodus 8:17 This they did, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, gnats came upon man and beast. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt.