The plague tragedy—a unique judgment on the Egyptians for their oppression of the Israelites—continues. Seven days have passed since the Lord struck the Nile with the first plague of blood (7:25). This time God covers Egypt’s land and people with frogs.

(Courtesy of brothersoft.com)
Hoppy New Year! 🙂

You may read Exodus 8:1-15 here: Bible Gateway. The following story is my fictional translation of this passage.

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Pharaoh bolt out of bed upon feeling webbed feet pummeling his face. Damp skin clung to him like a wet towel, sending him into a frenzy. He flung green speckled creatures in all directions.

How did all these frogs make their way to the third floor palace?!

When he slipped and fell on the sea of green, expletives rang through the halls with the chorus of croaks. Never again would the croaks from Goddess Heqet’s offspring soothe him to sleep. Their slimy bodies created a slip and slide not only throughout the palace’ halls and rooms, but also in every Egyptian home. So thick were the beady eyed creatures that all the precious wood and ivory furniture inlaid with gold and ivory, not to mention the carpets, lie ruined.

A servant girl brought him his morning loaf of bread fresh from the oven. Pharaoh impulsively grabbed a piece and took a bite. It was tougher than normal, and tasted like smelly swamp water. Upon seeing green slivers and tiny black dots checkered in the slice, he spit it out before vomiting.

MOSES. That guy and his slave brother had some nerve . . . marching into his throne room—catching his guards and himself by surprise—with his silly demand: “My God says ‘Let my people go, so they may worship me!” He managed to pull off his frog invasion threat. But didn’t Pharaoh’s magi also summon frogs to cover their land by calling on their great god Khnum?

“Moses! Bring him to me at once!” he ordered the guards.

His servants brought Moses and Aaron before him. Pharaoh said, “Pray to God to rid us of these frogs. I’ll release [your] people so that they can make their sacrifices and worship God.”

Moses said to Pharaoh, “Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here, away from your servants and people and out of your houses? You’ll be rid of frogs except for those in the Nile.”

“Make it tomorrow.”

Moses said, “Tomorrow it is—so you’ll realize that there is no God like our God. The frogs will be gone. You and your houses and your servants and your people, free of frogs. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile,” (Exodus 8:8-11, MSG).

The next morning dead frogs littered the palace, courtyards, houses and fields. Pharaoh ordered the people to pile them in mounds. The palace, houses, and land stunk for months.

As Pharaoh found relief from the massive pileup of frogs, he refused Moses and Aaron’s request yet again.

Review

Although frogs were common around the Nile River, Egypt had never experienced this many. I would take our cold spell over a plague of frogs any day!

Once again, God uses the frog plague to attack one of Egypt’s gods. Layman’s Bible Commentary notes: “Frogs were regarded as having divine power. In the Egyptian pantheon, the goddess Heqet had the form of a woman with a frog’s head. From her nostrils, it was believed, came the breath of life that animated the bodies of those created by her husband, the great god Khnum, from the dust of the earth. Therefore frogs were not to be killed.”

Next week, we’ll visit God’s third plague on Egypt: Gnats. . . . Have a great week!