In Exodus 9, God continues to unleash His judgments upon Egypt. He warns Pharaoh through Moses, proclaiming that He will send a severe pestilence that will afflict all livestock belonging to the Egyptians, while sparing the livestock of the Israelites. True to His word, God strikes Egypt with a devastating plague, and all the Egyptian livestock—horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, and sheep—fall ill and die. Miraculously, not a single Israelite animal perishes.
Despite witnessing this calamity, Pharaoh remains stubborn and refuses to let the Israelites go. God then instructs Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes from a furnace and scatter them towards the heavens. As they do so, the ashes become a fine dust that covers the land, causing boils and sores to break out on both humans and animals throughout Egypt. Even the magicians, who had imitated some of God’s previous miracles, are afflicted and unable to stand before Moses.
Despite the excruciating pain, Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened. God informs Moses that He will send more plagues upon Egypt to demonstrate His power and to show that there is none like Him in all the earth. As the chapter concludes, God predicts a forthcoming hailstorm that will strike down anyone and anything caught outdoors.
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