Bible Strands
Exodus 9:5
The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD declares a fixed deadline within the narrative of the livestock plague, speaking to Egypt through Moses while positioning Israel as the protected party. This statement immediately precedes the fulfillment recorded in Exodus 9:6.
The words — מוֹעֵד (mo.'Ed) means an appointed or fixed time, and מָחָר (ma.Char) translates literally to tomorrow. These terms establish a precise, non-negotiable timeframe for the coming judgment.
The thread — The structural pattern of a divinely set “tomorrow” for judgment appears in Exodus 8:23, Exodus 9:18, and Exodus 10:4. Each instance uses the same temporal marker to signal that the next plague will arrive at a specific, announced hour.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine action operates on sovereignly fixed schedules rather than human timelines. It requires the reader to treat announced judgments as historically certain and to align expectations with the stated deadline.
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 appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.
Cross-references
- Exodus 8:23 I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”
- Exodus 9:18 Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now.
- Exodus 10:4 But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
- Numbers 16:5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses He will bring near to Himself.
- Job 24:1 “Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
- Jeremiah 28:16 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’”
- Matthew 27:63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’