Exodus 7b-8a CRF: The Gods of the Plagues
Several passages of Scripture make it clear that one function of the plagues of the exodus was to enact judgment upon the “gods of Egypt” (Ex 12:12, 15:11, 18:10-11). Numbers 33:4b probably states it most succinctly: “On their gods also Yahweh executed judgments.” Below is a chart that demonstrates a few of the possible gods that the plagues might have been aimed at, if they were indeed aimed at specific gods. Following the chart is a more detailed analysis of this “plague = god” theory.
Plague
Gods
1) Nile to Blood
Hapi – god of the Nile, bringer of fertility
Isis – goddess of the Nile
Khnum – guardian of the Nile, ram god, creator of life and water
2) Frogs
Heqt/Heqet/Heket – frog head, goddess of birth/fruitfulness
3) Dust to Gnats
Khepri – scarab-faced solar deity
4) Biting Flies
Uatchit – god manifested as a fly
Khepri – scarab-faced solar deity
5) Cattle Disease
Apis – bull god, symbol of fertility
Hathor – goddess with a cow head, or human head with cow horns/ears
Khnum – ram-headed male
Amon – king of the gods, patron deity of Pharaohs – ram’s head, or ram
wearing a triple crown
Isis – queen of the gods, cow’s or ram’s horns on her head
6) Boils
Sekhmet – goddess with healing power over disease
Serapis – god with healing powers
Sunu – pestilence god
Isis – goddess of healing
7) Hail
Set – god of storms
Nut – sky goddess, protectress of the dead
Osiris – god of crops and fertility
Min – god of fertility and vegetation and protector of crops
8) Locusts
Osiris – god of crops and fertility
Serapia – protector from locusts
Senehem – protects against locusts
9) Darkness
Horus, Amon-Re, Atum – sun gods
Re – personification of the sun, king of the gods, father of mankind
Nut – sky goddess
Hathor – sky goddess
10) Death
Osiris – giver of life
Pharaoh – a deity (or Pharaoh’s firstborn, a god)
Min – god of reproduction
Heqet – goddess who attended women at childbirth
Isis – goddess who protected children
Taurt – goddess of maternity, later protective household deity
As the explanation usually goes, each plague corresponds to one or more gods that the Egyptians worshiped, either because the gods looked like the animal involved in the plague (Heket – the frog-headed goddess), or because the god was supposed to protect the earth from the damage of that particular plague (Set – protector of the crops).
Though we cannot doubt that the plagues are in a general way judgments against the gods of Egypt, I am hesitant to associate each plague specifically with a particular god for the following reasons:
1) As I mentioned in the sermon, some of these associations are more of a stretch than others. For instance, plague #3 (gnats from the dust) is notoriously difficult to associate with a god. The scarab-faced god Khepri is usually mentioned, but it is highly unlikely that the Hebrew word translated “gnats” by ESV is a scarab.
2) If the plagues are linked with particular gods, I find several of the main deities of the Egyptian pantheon curiously lacking. For example, Anubis is one of the main Egyptian gods. He was frequently depicted in artwork with a canine head and was the god of the afterlife and embalming. Yet there is no plague that seems associated with him (I suppose we could say the last plague has vague association since it dealt with death, but the specificity of the firstborn male still gives me pause). Horus is another god that seems neglected by the plagues. Horus was the falcon-headed god of the sky, war, hunting, light and life. Which brings me to my next point.
3) Most of these gods represented not just one specific thing, but were protectors or controllers or overseers of many different things. Horus, we have seen, had many functions. Set has been variously understood as god of the desert, god of storms, or god of war, and some of these developed as the religion developed. So certain gods had different meanings at different times in the Egyptian kingdoms. This makes it all the more difficult to pinpoint exactly which god is being targeted.
4) Finally, I would argue that the text of Scripture itself does not point to a particularization of association between the gods and the plagues, but instead a more general judgment. The gods are being judged as a whole in the sense that Yahweh is displaying His uniqueness and dominance over them. Scripture never associates a single name of the Egyptian pantheon with any of the plagues.
One might ask, why ten plagues? I would counter with two responses: 1) Why not more plagues in order to judge every god of Egypt? But more biblically: 2) Scripture itself gives us a reason why there were so many plagues: in order to harden Pharaoh’s heart and display God’s character and glory among the nations and among the Israelites (Ex 4:21-23, 7:3-5). Exodus 9:14-16 is particularly helpful in answering the question.
It reads: For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth (ESV).
Notice verse 15 – God says He could have cut them all off from the earth by this point. But instead He chose to multiply the plagues and keep the people alive. Why? To show His power and uniqueness and so that His name might be proclaimed. Multiple plagues were given because they could accomplish something more than just a single act of wrath. The story of God’s power and uniqueness grew with each act of judgment, and the Israelites had all the more reasons to share what their Redeemer had done while they were helpless in Egypt.
For further study, here is a brief, partially annotated bibliography that was helpful for me in this discussion and putting together the chart above:
– Cole, Exodus, TOTC Series. Cole argues for the position above, that the gods are associated with each plague. See pg. 91 for an example.
– Garrett, A Commentary on Exodus, Kregel Exegetical Library series. Garrett’s discussion spans over 10 pages (291-301) and is quite extensive. He works through each plague and the gods supposedly associated with it, ultimately concluding that the plagues are not meant to be aimed particularly at these gods.
– Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch. Hamilton notes that some of the associations may be coincidental (p. 166).
– Hannah, “Exodus,” Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament. Hannah points out that the gods had different functions/responsibilities, localities and time periods. There is a helpful chart on pg. 120.
– Hoffmeier, Israel in Egypt. This work discusses the evidence for the authenticity of the Exodus tradition. Hoffmeier includes a helpful discussion about the plagues and the gods on 149-153, ultimately concluding that they should not be particularly associated.
– Schnittjer, The Torah Story. Schnittjer makes many helpful points about the gods, including comments on their multi-functionality, different locations and time periods, and also summarizes much of Scripture’s teachings on the purpose of the plagues (222-223).
– Zevit, “Three Ways to Look at the Plagues” (Bible Review, June 1990, 16-23, 42). Zevit’s article can be found online with a Google search of the title. He discusses the plagues in association with the gods, pointing out the gaps and difficulties in associating some of them.
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