5th Plague – Pestilence

Exodus 9:1-7.
Pestilence: All the cattle of Egypt were struck with disease but the cattle of the Israelites remained healthy. Apis, the sacred bull and Hathor, a goddess with a cow’s head, were worshiped. The goddess Isis is always pictured wearing a pair of cow horns. After the children of Israel came out of Egypt they made an idol, the golden calf. God had taken Israel out of Egypt but He still had to take Egypt out of Israel.

Background Reading:

The Plague of Pestilence on the Egyptian Cattle

9:1 Then the LORD told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD God of the Hebrews says: “Let my people go so they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, 3 then the hand of the LORD will come with a very severe plague on your livestock in the fields, on horses, on donkeys, on camels, on cattle, and on sheep. 4 The LORD will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians, so that nothing that belongs to the Israelis will die.”’”

5 The LORD set the time: “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” 6 The LORD did this thing the next day, and all the livestock of the Egyptians died. But not one of the livestock died that belonged to the Israelis. 7 Then Pharaoh inquired and discovered that not a single one of the livestock of Israel had died, but Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn and he would not let the people go.
Exodus 9:1-7.


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