Bible Strands
Exodus 9:23
So 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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh commands Moses to act during the seventh plague cycle in Egypt, and Moses obeys by extending his staff toward the sky.
The words — The verb וַ/יֵּ֨ט (va/i.Yet) literally means "he stretched out," describing Moses’ physical action, while נָתַ֤ן (na.Tan) translates as "he gave," directly introducing the thunder and hail that follow.
The thread — This motif of Yahweh hurling hail and thunder from the heavens recurs in Joshua 10:11, Psalm 18:13, and Isaiah 30:30.
Why it lands — The text records Moses’ obedience and Yahweh’s direct intervention before noting the unprecedented severity of the storm, requiring the reader to recognize the sequence of command, action, and judgment without embellishment.
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 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.
Cross-references
- Joshua 10:11 As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.
- Psalms 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded—hailstones and coals of fire.
- Isaiah 30:30 And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
- Ezekiel 38:22 I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.
- Psalms 78:47 He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
- Psalms 148:8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,
- Revelation 8:7 Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.
- Psalms 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters.
- Psalms 77:18 Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
- Psalms 105:32 He gave them hail for rain, with lightning throughout their land.