Exodus 8:16-19

Exodus 8:16-19

[16] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Say  unto Aaron,  Stretch out  thy rod,  and smite  the dust  of the land,  that it may become lice  throughout all the land  of Egypt.  [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.  [18] And the magicians  did  so with their enchantments  to bring forth  lice,  but they could  not: so there were lice  upon man,  and upon beast.  [19] Then the magicians  said  unto Pharaoh,  This is the finger  of God:  and Pharaoh's  heart  was hardened,  and he hearkened  not unto them; as the LORD  had said. 

What does Exodus 8:16-19 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Hebrew word translated "gnats" (kinnim) probably refers not to lice or fleas but to gnats. Kaiser suggested that mosquitoes may be in view. [1] The frogs had invaded the Egyptians" homes, but the gnats afflicted their bodies.
They were ". . . a species of gnats, so small as to be hardly visible to the eye, but with a sting which, according to Philo and Origin, causes a most painful irritation of the skin. They even creep into the eyes and nose, and after the harvest they rise in great swarms from the inundated rice fields." [2]
"The dust . . . became gnats" ( Exodus 8:17) probably means that the gnats rose from the dust, resembled the dust in that they were so small, and were as numerous as the dust. Moses evidently used the language of appearance (here a metaphor).
The magicians failed to reproduce this miracle ( Exodus 8:18). They had to confess that it was of divine origin and not the result of Moses and Aaron"s human ability. The "finger of God" ( Exodus 8:19) is a phrase denoting creative omnipotence in Scripture ( Exodus 31:18; Psalm 8:3; Luke 11:20). It is probably another synecdoche as well as an anthropomorphism (a depiction of God in human terms). Here the finger of God, a part, represents the totality, namely, all His power. See 1 Samuel 6:9 and Psalm 109:27 where the "hand of God" also pictures His power.
"The new element introduced in the account of the third of the mighty acts is the realization by Pharaoh"s learned men that God or a god is in the midst of what is happening in Egypt." [3]
"At this point in the narrative we, the readers, see that the Egyptian magicians were using tricks in their earlier signs. Their confession plays an important role in uncovering the writer"s real purpose in recounting these events." [4]
The magicians gave credit to "God" (Elohim), not Yahweh. They did not ascribe this miracle to the God of the Israelites but were only willing to say it had some supernatural origin.
"It is not clear against what specific deities this particular plague was directed. It is entirely possible, however, that the plague was designed to humiliate the official priesthood in the land, for it will be noted in Exodus 8:17 that these creatures irritated both man and beast, and this included "all the land of Egypt." The priests in Egypt were noted for their physical purity. Daily rites were performed by a group of priests known as the Uab or "pure ones." Their purity was basically physical rather than spiritual. They were circumcised, shaved the hair from their heads and bodies, washed frequently, and were dressed in beautiful linen robes. [5] In the light of this it would seem rather doubtful that the priesthood in Egypt could function very effectively having been polluted by the presence of these insects. They, like their worshipers, were inflicted with the pestilence of this occasion. Their prayers were made ineffective by their own personal impurity with the presence of gnats on their bodies.
"The priests in Egypt were a group of people to be reckoned with not only religiously but economically and politically. They controlled to a large degree, the minds and hearts of the people." [6]
The Egyptian priests wore animal masks representing various gods to help the people understand the god the mask portrayed and his activities. [7] This practice continues in some pagan religions even today.