Ten Plagues

The Ten Plagues of Egypt:
Yahweh vs. the 'Gods'

Plague 1. Nile River (Exodus 7:14-25):

Aaron stretched out his staff over the Nile River and it was changed to blood. Hapi was the god of the Nile. He was supposedly the spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men." The annual innundation (when the Nile was in flood stage) was called "the arrival of Hapi".

The Nile water was thought to be the transformed life-blood of Osiris (god of the dead who was second only to Ra; he was also the father of Horus and husband of Isis). The fact that the Nile turned to blood, which was abominable to Egyptians, was a direct affront to one of their chief gods.

The fish-goddess was Hatmeyt, yet she was shown to be powerless when all the fish in the Nile River died.

To illustrate the fact that the plagues of the Exodus were directed against the gods of Egypt, we note some Egyptian prayers to those gods. (The reference to "Nine Gods" apparently did not include pharaoh. It may be of interest that there were just nine plagues before Yahweh killed the sons of pharaoh.)

Praise to thee, 0 Nile, that issueth from the earth and cometh to nourish Egypt . . . That watereth the meadows, he that Ra hath created to nourish all cattle. That giveth drink to the desert places, which are far from water . . . When the Nile floodeth, offering is made to thee, cattle are slaughtered for thee, a great oblation is made for thee . . . Offering is also made to every other god, even as is done for the Nile, with incense, oxen, cattle, and birds upon the flame . . . All ye men, extol the Nine Gods, and stand in awe of the might which his son, the Lord of All, hath displayed, even he that maketh green the Two Riverbanks. Thou art verdant, 0 Nile, thou art verdant. He that maketh man to live on this cattle, and his cattle on the meadow . . ." (Adolph Erman, The Ancient Egyptians, 1966, p. 146.)

The Nile flooded every year, making the land fertile. If the Nile did not flood enough there was famine; if it flooded too much there was famine. The Nile was, indeed, the lifeblood of Egypt, and thus it became one of their gods. Heathen gods often have some connection with the economics of daily life, but especially in the case of the sun.

Plague 2. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15):

The land was so filled with frogs that they became objects of loathing. Heqt, the frog-headed goddess, played a part in "creation." Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. Though she was the goddes of frogs and fertility, she too was discredited when she failed to control the fertility of a these frogs. Because of this plague they became a stench to the Egyptians.

Plague 3. Lice (Exodus 8:16-19):


The land of Egypt was supposed to be sacred to nearly all of the Egyptian gods. But when it was defiled by lice it revealed their weakness to protect it. Crops and animals were also affected, reducing the food supply. In addition to being the god of the dead, Osiris was the god of vegetation.

The Egyptian magicians, unable to duplicate this plague, attribute it to "the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19), and they withdrew.

Plague 4. Flies, or Beetles ("insects" -- Exodus 20 - 32):


Although it is not clear which insect the Hebrew word arob refers to (it can be literally translated as swarms), this plague may have been against the beetle-god Khephira, a scarab-headed god regarded as a manifestation of Atum or Ra. Khephira was supposed to be god of the resurrection. Priests wore scarabs as charms.

Plague 5. Disease Upon Cattle (Murrain or Anthrax) (Exodus 9:1-7):


This judgment against the bull god, Apis. It was also against Hathor, the cow-headed love goddess. The pharaoh worshipped Hathor, whose name means "house of Horus," bringing special reproach against him when she failed to protect the "sacred cattle of Hathor."

Other gods associated with cattle were Ptah and Amon.

Great cemeteries of embalmed cattle have been excavated. The symbol of the bull was the symbol of pharaoh himself. In the "Hymn to Amun," it is difficult to distinguish the Pharaoh from the bull. The title is: "Adoration of Amunre (Amun-Ra), Bull of Heliopolus, chiefest of all gods, the good god, the beloved, who giveth life to all that is warm, and to every good herd."

Praise be to thee, Amunre, Lord of Karnak, who presideth in Thebes. Bull of his Mother, the first on his field! Wide of stride, first in Upper Egypt. . . . Greatest of heaven, eldest of earth, lord of what existeth, who abideth in all things. Unique in his nature among the gods, goodly bull of the Nine Gods, chiefest of all gods. Lord of Truth, father of the gods, who maketh mankind, and createth beast. (Erman, p. 283.)

Plague 6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12):


This plague was especially against the god of healing, Im-Hotep, an outstanding nobleman of the Old Kingdom, later deified. But he could do nothing to help the Egyptians. The goddess Sekhmet was also known for her healing ability. This plague also affected animals and livestock, once again discrediting Anis and Hathor. Also Anubis, the jackal-headed god.

Plague 7. Hail (Exodus 9:13-15):


The sky goddess Nut was "the mother of the sun-god Ra, whom she swallowed in the evening and gave birth to again in the morning". She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Exodus 9:31 mentions that the flax and barley were hit. Destruction of the flax was trying because it was used to wrap mummies and to make clothes.

Other gods discredited were, again, Apis and Hathor (the hail struck lifestock), and Osiris, god of vegetation.

Plague 8. Grasshoppers, or Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20):


The locust-headed god was Senehem. During the plague, the locusts were so thick that the "eye of the earth" was darkened (Exodus 10:5). One of the epithets of the sun-god Ra was "the eye of Ra." By causing darkness while the sun was shining, Ra was discredited. Osiris, too, was once again shown to be powerless.

Plague 9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-27):


The greatest god of Egypt was the sun. The sun-god Amun-Ra was the principle deity of the pantheon. He made all growth possible. Pharaoh was considered himself to be the incarnation of Ra. With three days of darkness, the principle deity was scorned, while the Hebrews in Goshen were not affected by this plague. One of many hymns to the sun may help us feel their devotion to this deity:

Beautiful is thine appearing in the horizon of heaven, thou living sun, the first who lived. Thou risest in the eastern horizon, and fillest every land with thy beauty. Thou art beautiful and great, and glistenest, and art high above every land. Thy rays, they encompass the lands, so far as all that thou hast created. Thou art Ra, and thou reachest unto their end and subduest them for thy dear son [the Pharaoh]. Thou art afar, yet are thy rays upon the earth . . . etc., ad nauseum. (Erman, p. 289.)

Horus, son of Osirus, was also associated with the sun.

Plague 10. Pharaoh (Exodus 11-12):


The last plague was not only directly against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself supposedly being the incarnation of Amun-Ra, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god of Egypt. He was to die on the same level as animals (not as a god), for the prophecy was that the firstborn of man and cattle would die.

Hymns of worship to many pharaohs have been found. Here is one to Rameses II:

The good god, the strong one, whom men praise, the lord, in whom men make their boast; who protecteth his soldiers, who maketh his boundaries on earth as he will. . . . (Erman, p. 258.)

Concerning the divinity of the pharaohs, William Edgerton notes:

As for the organization and powers of the government, everyone knows that the Pharaoh was an absolute monarch and that his authority rested theoretically on his supposed divinity. He is constantly called"the good god." One of his most frequent titles designates him as the son of the sun-god Ra, and we know that his claim of divine parentage was not a mere figure of speech; it was meant to be taken literally. Theoretically, of course, the Pharaoh's right-to-rule rested on his divinity. He was begotten by the sun-god Amon-Ra, who took the form of the previous king for this purpose, and Amon-Ra with the enthusiastic approval of the other gods placed him on the throne and decreed a long and brilliant reign for him. No doubt those theological fictions helped to strengthen the Pharaoh's position. But the really solid basis of his power was his control of the machinery of government, including the army and police. (Edgerton, Journal of Near Eastern Studies: 6, 1967, pp. 153-4.)


A great majority of the historical monuments were intended as official propaganda with the purpose of transmitting to posterity a "correct" impression of the glory and power of the pharaohs. Crises of revolution and that type of inner strife so common in the Orient, as well as military defeats in foreign wars, were either passed over completely or were interpreted so that the monuments conveyed impressions much distorted and unduly colored to the credit of the Egyptians. (Steindorff and Seele, When Egypt Ruled the East, p. 6, our emphasis.)

So, since the judgment was for both man and animals, Pharoah/Ra, and all of the animal-gods were once again exposed as completely and utterly helpless in the shadow of Yahweh. Only those who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts were safe that night.

By Kristina Y. (some portions taken from internet sources)