Exodus 8:17

And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
did	וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ vai.ya.'a.su-	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Aaron	אַהֲרֹ֨ן 'a.ha.Ron	H175	Aharon · proper noun, a man's name
out	וַיֵּט֩ vai.Yet	H5186	to stretch or spread out · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
hand	יָד֤וֹ ya.Do	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
rod	בְמַטֵּ֙הוּ֙ ve.ma.Te.hu	H4294	a branch (as extending) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
smote	וַיַּךְ֙ vai.yaKh	H5221	to strike (lightly or severely · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
dust	עֲפַ֣ר 'a.Far	H6083	dust (as powdered or gray) · noun, common masculine singular construct
earth	הָאָ֔רֶץ ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
lice	הַכִּנָּ֔ם ha.ki.Nam	H3654	a gnat · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
man	בָּאָדָ֖ם ba.'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
beast	וּבַבְּהֵמָ֑ה u.va.be.he.Mah	H929	properly · conjunction + preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
dust	עֲפַ֥ר 'a.Far	H6083	dust (as powdered or gray) · noun, common masculine singular construct
land	הָאָ֛רֶץ ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
lice	כִנִּ֖ים khi.Nim	H3654	a gnat · noun, common masculine plural absolute
land	אֶ֥רֶץ 'E.retz	H776	the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular construct
Egypt	מִצְרָֽיִם mitz.Ra.yim	H4714	Mitsrajim · proper noun, a place name

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 105:31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
Isaiah 23:9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
Acts 12:23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 8:16-19

Here is a short account of the plague of lice. It does not appear that any warning was given of it before. Pharaoh's abuse of the respite granted to him might have been a sufficient warning to him to expect another plague: for if the removal of an affliction harden us, and so we lose the benefit of it, we may conclude it goes away with a purpose to return or to make room for a worse. Observe, I. How this plague of lice was inflicted on the Egyptians, Exo 8:16, Exo 8:17. The frogs were produced out of the waters, but these live out of the dust of the earth; for out of any part of the creation God can fetch a scourge, with which to correct those that rebel against him. He has many arrows in hi…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 8:16

PLAGUE OF LICE. (Exo 8:16-19) smite the dust of the land, &c.--Aaron's rod, by the direction of Moses, who was commanded by God, was again raised, and the land was filled with gnats, mosquitoes--that is the proper meaning of the original term. In ordinary circumstances they embitter life in Eastern countries, and therefore the terrible nature of this infliction on Egypt may be imagined when no precautions could preserve from their painful sting. The very smallness and insignificance of these fierce insects made them a dreadful scourge. The magicians never attempted any imitation, and what neither the blood of the river nor the nuisance of the frogs had done, the visitation of this tiny enem…

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Adam Clarke on Exodus 8:16

Smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice - If the vermin commonly designated by this name be intended, it must have been a very dreadful and afflicting plague to the Egyptians, and especially to their priests, who were obliged to shave the hair off every part of their bodies, and to wear a single tunic, that no vermin of this kind might be permitted to harbor about them. See Herod. in Euterp., c. xxxvii., p. 104, edit. Gale. Of the nature of these insects it is not necessary to say much. The common louse is very prolific. In the space of twelve days a full-grown female lays one hundred eggs, from which, in the space of six days, about fifty males and as many females are produced.…

Dictionary and topics

Lice — (Heb. kinnim), the creatures employed in the third plague sent upon Egypt (Ex. 8:16-18). They were miraculously produced from the dust of the land. “The entomologists Kirby and Spence place these…
Nadab — Liberal, generous. (1.) The eldest of Aaron’s four sons (Ex. 6:23; Num. 3:2). He with his brothers and their father were consecrated as priests of Jehovah (Ex. 28:1). He afterwards perished with…
Plague — A “stroke” of affliction, or disease. Sent as a divine chastisement (Num. 11:33; 14:37; 16:46-49; 2 Sam. 24:21). Painful afflictions or diseases, (Lev. 13:3, 5, 30; 1 Kings 8:37), or severe calamity…
Plagues, The Ten — The occasion on which the plagues were sent is described in Exod 3-12.
Animals · Suffered the plagues of Egypt — Suffered the plagues of Egypt
Lice · Plague of — Plague of
Miracles Wrought Through Servants Of God · Moses and Aaron: Lice brought — Moses and Aaron: Lice brought
Plague · .Lice — .Lice

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Exodus 8:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 8:16-19

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 8:16

Adam Clarke on Exodus 8:16

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 8:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 8:16-19

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 8:16

Adam Clarke on Exodus 8:16

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Exodus 8:17

John Calvin on Exodus 8:16-19

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 8:16-17

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 8:16-19

Rashi on Exodus 8:17