Exodus 9:24

The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrative describes a divine plague delivered through Moses against Pharaoh and Egypt. This moment occurs during the seventh plague as Moses extends his staff to summon thunder, hail, and lightning.

The words — The Hebrew כָּבֵד מְאֹד (ka.Ved me.'Od) literally means "very heavy" and describes the hail's intensity. The term מִתְלַקּחַת (mit.la.Ka.chat) indicates fire flashing within the hail.

The thread — The unmatched severity of the plague echoes the pattern in Exodus 9:23 and Exodus 10:6, where Egyptian devastation is uniquely recorded. Jesus later applies this language of unprecedented tribulation to Matthew 24:21.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that the plague exceeded all prior Egyptian experience. It requires the reader to acknowledge the absolute limit of natural disaster and the direct action of the LORD.

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

וַיְהִ֣יva/y.Hiand/ it was בָרָ֔דva.Radhail וְאֵ֕שׁve./'Eshand/ fire מִתְלַקַּ֖חַתmit.la.Ka.chat[was] flashing בְּת֣וֹךְbe./Tokhin/ [the] middle of הַבָּרָ֑דha./ba.Radthe/ hail כָּבֵ֣דka.Vedheavy מְאֹ֔דme.'Odvery אֲ֠שֶׁר'a.Sherwhich לֹֽא־lo'-not הָיָ֤הha.Yahit had been כָמֹ֙הוּ֙kha.Mo./hulike/ it בְּכָל־be./kholin/ all אֶ֣רֶץ'E.retz[the] land of מִצְרַ֔יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgypt מֵאָ֖זme./'Azfrom/ then הָיְתָ֥הha.ye.Tahit had become לְגֽוֹי׃le./Goy<into>/ a nation

King James Version

So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

Cross-references

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.
Exodus 10:6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
Matthew 24:21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.