Exodus 9:23
in Exodus 9So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
KJV
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
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This verse in Exodus 9
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe Lord sent thunder - קלת koloth, voices; but loud, repeated peals of thunder are meant. And the fire ran along upon the ground - ותהלך אש ארצה vattihalac esh aretsah, and the fire walked upon the earth. It was not a sudden flash of lightning, but a devouring fire, walking through every part, destroying both animals and vegetables; and its progress was irresistible.
This site's exposition
Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven
on Exodus 9:22-23
The rod lifted here is the shepherd's staff of Exodus 4:2 that became a serpent at the bush, and it is the one instrument the book uses. It stretches over the locusts at 10:13, divides the sea at 14:16, and strikes the rock at 17:5 and 17:6, where God calls it the rod wherewith thou smotest the river. Fire runs along the ground with the hail, and Revelation 8:7 sounds the first trumpet with hail and fire mingled.
This site's exposition
the LORD sent thunder and hail
Moses stretches his staff toward heaven, and the LORD answers with thunder, hail and lightning striking the ground. The seventh plague is the first to fall on Egypt from the sky. Adam Clarke notes that the Hebrew for thunder is literally voices, and he reads the fire on the ground as lightning that swept through the land and destroyed what it touched.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), and it obeys the summons, or rather the divine command; for fire and hail fulfil God's word, Ps. cxlviii. What desolations it made upon the earth. The thunder, and fire from heaven (or lightning), made it both the more dreadful and the more destroying,
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And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven,....
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֨ט | vaiyet | and he stretched out | H5186 → | 214 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֣ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַטֵּהוּ֮ | matehu | staff his | H4294 → | 252 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | to | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַשָּׁמַיִם֒ | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַֽיהוָ֗ה | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| נָתַ֤ן | natan | he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| קֹלֹת֙ | kolot | thunder claps | H6963 → | 506 times |
| וּבָרָ֔ד | uvarad | and hail | H1259 → | 29 times |
| וַתִּ֥הֲלַךְ | vatihalakh | and it went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אֵ֖שׁ | ʾesh | fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| אָ֑רְצָה | ʾaretzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וַיַּמְטֵ֧ר | vaiyamter | and he rained down | H4305 → | 17 times |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בָּרָ֖ד | barad | hail | H1259 → | 29 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶ֥רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִצְרָֽיִם׃ | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
וַיֵּ֨טand he stretched out
vaiyetH5186 →214 times
מֹשֶׁ֣הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַטֵּהוּ֮staff his
matehuH4294 →252 times
עַל־to
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַשָּׁמַיִם֒the heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וַֽיהוָ֗הand Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
נָתַ֤ןhe gave
natanH5414 →2011 times
קֹלֹת֙thunder claps
kolotH6963 →506 times
וּבָרָ֔דand hail
uvaradH1259 →29 times
וַתִּ֥הֲלַךְand it went
vatihalakhH1980 →1546 times
אֵ֖שׁfire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
אָ֑רְצָה[the] ground towards
ʾaretzahH776 →2504 times
וַיַּמְטֵ֧רand he rained down
vaiyamterH4305 →17 times
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בָּרָ֖דhail
baradH1259 →29 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אֶ֥רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
מִצְרָֽיִם׃Egypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 38:22I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.
it leads to
- Revelation 16:21
And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 66:16
For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
- Revelation 16:21
Through
Isaiah 30:30And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
it leads to
- Revelation 11:19
Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 29:6
you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with windstorm and tempest and consuming flame of fire.
- Psalms 18:13–14
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
- Revelation 11:19
Through
Psalms 148:8lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,
it leads to
- Psalms 147:15–18
He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.
- Psalms 147:15–18
Through
Joshua 10:11As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by…
it leads to
- Isaiah 28:2
Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.
- Isaiah 28:2
Through
Psalms 18:13The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
it leads to
- Psalms 104:7
At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—
- Psalms 104:7
About Exodus

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
