The Meaning of Exodus 9:18 Explained

Exodus 9:18

KJV: Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.

YLT: lo, I am raining about this time to-morrow hail very grievous, such as hath not been in Egypt, even from the day of its being founded, even until now.

Darby: Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since its foundation until now.

ASV: Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, to morrow  about this time  I will cause it to rain  a very  grievous  hail,  such as hath not been  in Egypt  since  the foundation  thereof even until now. 

What does Exodus 9:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 9:13-35 - Mighty Thunderings And Hail
This paragraph recalls Revelation 7:3. The great angel there commanded that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree, until the servants of God had been sealed on their foreheads. Only when this had been effected did the trumpets give signal of the disasters that broke successively on the earth. See Revelation 8:7, etc. The only spot in which the soul is safe is within the encircling provisions of the covenant. Israel stood there and was safe, not only from the hail but from the destroying sword. It was as safe a spot as the center of a cyclone is said to be. God had bound Himself by the most solemn sanctions to be a God to His people and deliver them. It was in pursuance of this pledge that He was their pavilion and canopy in this awful hour, catching the hailstones on His pinions, and securing them from hurt. Directly we trust in Christ He becomes our hiding-place from the storms of judgment and condemnation, Hebrews 13:20. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 9

1  The plague on livestock
8  The plague of boils
13  The message of Moses about the hail,
22  The plague of hail
27  Pharaoh pleads with Moses, but yet is hardened

What do the individual words in Exodus 9:18 mean?

Behold I will cause to rain down about this time tomorrow hail heavy very such as not has been - in Egypt since - its founding and until now
הִנְנִ֤י מַמְטִיר֙ כָּעֵ֣ת מָחָ֔ר בָּרָ֖ד כָּבֵ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹא־ הָיָ֤ה כָמֹ֙הוּ֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם לְמִן־ הַיּ֥וֹם הִוָּסְדָ֖ה וְעַד־ עָֽתָּה

הִנְנִ֤י  Behold  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מַמְטִיר֙  will  cause  to  rain  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מָטַר  
Sense: to rain.
כָּעֵ֣ת  about  this  time 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
מָחָ֔ר  tomorrow 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מָחָר  
Sense: tomorrow, in time to come, in the future.
בָּרָ֖ד  hail 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּרָד  
Sense: hail.
כָּבֵ֣ד  heavy 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: heavy, great.
מְאֹ֑ד  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  such  as 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הָיָ֤ה  has  been 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כָמֹ֙הוּ֙  - 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: כְּמֹו  
Sense: like, as, the like of which conj.
בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם  in  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
לְמִן־  since 
Parse: Preposition-l
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הַיּ֥וֹם  - 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הִוָּסְדָ֖ה  its  founding 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יָסַד 
Sense: to found, fix, establish, lay foundation.
וְעַד־  and  until 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
עָֽתָּה  now 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.