What are the ten plagues? Why ten plagues? what each plague denotes to? what the rod of Moses denotes to?

First Encounter with Pharaoh

(Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” And Pharaoh said: “Who’s the Lord? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”) (EXODUS 5:1,2)

“Who’s the Lord?” reveals the ignorance of the knowledge of God.

(Then the king of Egypt said to them. “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.) (EXOSUD 5:4)

Origen Adamantios (185-254) says: that the complaint of Pharaoh against Moses and Aaron is much as Devil’s complaint in that the devotion of the youth’s life for adoring and serving God is just some sort of wasting for time.

The First Plague: Waters Become Blood

(And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So, he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river.) (EXODUS 7:20,21)

This plague: God meant from it, reminding the Egyptians to the Hebrew children thrown in the river by Pharaoh.

Moses’s rod also called God’s rod denotes to the rod of salvation in our lives which is the wood of the cross as well as denotes to the commandment or the word of God which convicts the sin and reveals it.

The ten plagues were from God directed to gods of the Egyptians to reveal its weakness and shortcoming.

The Second Plague: Frogs

(So, Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.) (EXODUS 8:6)

Saint Augustine says: the frogs denote to the long speech in useless matters.

(Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and spoke. “Entreat the Lord that he may take away the frogs and I will let the people go.”) (EXODUS 8:8)

(And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs. So, the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out.) (EXODUS 8:12,13)

The Third Plague: Lice

(For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and stuck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast.) (EXODUS 8: 17)

Sometimes the Lord permits a very small creature to hurt us so that, we comeback from our arrogance.

The Fourth Plague: Flies

(And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and into all the land of Egypt.) (EXODUS 8:24)

Since, Egyptians were adoring gods dismiss flies, He, wanted to reveal its disability.

(So, Pharaoh said. ‘I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness. Intercede for me.) (EXODUS 8:28) 

(So, Moses went out and interceded the Lord. And the lord did according to the word of Moses. He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.) (EXODUS 8:30-32)

The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased

(So, the Lord did this thing and the livestock of Egypt died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.) (EXODUS 9:6,7)

Since, Egyptians were holy the bull Apis, God wanted them to realize their wrong belief. 

The Sixth Plague: Boils

(Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.) (EXODUS 9:10)

The illness is a real message to us to stop doing sins.

(But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.) (EXODUS 9:12)

The Seventh Plague: Hail

(And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.) (EXODUS 9:23)

The hail denotes to perish off the cheap plants that the Devil established in our hearts. And the thunder denotes to the announcements and the warnings of God.

(And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail. I will let you go.”) (EXODUS 9:27,28)

(So, Moses went out of the city and spread out his hands to the Lord, then the thunder and the hail ceased. And when Pharaoh saw that, neither would he let the children of Israel go.) (EXODUS 9:33,34,35)

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

(So, Moses stretched out his hand over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt.) (EXODUS 10:13,14)

This plague refers to that the locusts destroy the plants and lead to the famine, so, confirming on the disability of the Egyptians’ gods to even feed them.

(Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and spoke. “I have sinned. Now therefore, entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.)  (EXODUS 10:16,17)

(And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.) (EXODUS 10:19,20)

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

(So, Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt.) (EXODUS 10:22)

The Egyptians were adoring the god Ra meaning the sun, which is the source of the light, So, God wanted to reveal to them the wrong of their beliefs.

(Then Pharaoh called to Moses and spoke. “Go, serve the Lord.” But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let them go.) (EXODUS 10:24,27)

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

(And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the captive who was on the dungeon and all the firstborn of the livestock.) (EXODUS 12:29)

Who soever insisting on disobeying God is goanna lose everything and the most precious thing as well.

The ten plagues are referring to the recurring falling in sins then repentance then returning back to it.

And they are ten plagues as well as the ten commandments referring to that there’s a punishment for disobeying each commandment. 

Tawfik, S. (2022). Moses and the ten great plagues. www.orthodox-beliefs.com

Source is THE HOLY BIBLE NKJV. Arabic New van Dyck text C. The Bible Society of Egypt. Fifth Edition Third print2019. ISBN 978-1-84364-188-9. Printed in China.

References: -1- Moses, the great in the Prophets book For Father Priest Dawoud Lamie. 2- EXODUS Book for Father Priest Tadros Jakob Malti.

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