The Meaning of Exodus 9:4 Explained

Exodus 9:4

KJV: And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.

YLT: 'And Jehovah hath separated between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there doth not die a thing of all the sons of Israel's;

Darby: And Jehovah will distinguish between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that the children of Israel have.

ASV: And Jehovah shall make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the children of Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the LORD  shall sever  between the cattle  of Israel  and the cattle  of Egypt:  and there shall nothing  die  of all [that is] the children's  of Israel. 

What does Exodus 9:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 9:1-12 - The Murrain Of Cattle And The Plague Of Boils
The plague on the cattle reminds us that the whole creation groans and travails from the effects of human sin. See Romans 8:20. But those groans are the cries of birth, not of death; and herald a happier day when the creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. There is a hint of this here, for the children of Israel lost not so much as one of their cattle from this pestilence. The Lord knoweth how to deliver his own, and our religion should make a difference for the living things of our firesides and farms.
How terribly does sin affect our physical health! These boils and blains on man and beast remind us of the inevitable brand with which sin marks its slaves. Let us read again Psalms 91:1-16, in the light of this passage. The souls that shelter under God's wing, from the charmed circle of his presence, look, unharmed and unfearful, on pestilence and plague. [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 9:4 mean?

And will make a difference Yahweh between the livestock of Israel and of Egypt so nothing shall die of all [that] belongs to the sons of Israel -
וְהִפְלָ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה בֵּ֚ין מִקְנֵ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּבֵ֖ין מִצְרָ֑יִם וְלֹ֥א יָמ֛וּת מִכָּל־ לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל דָּבָֽר

וְהִפְלָ֣ה  And  will  make  a  difference 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּלָה  
Sense: to be distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בֵּ֚ין  between 
Parse: Preposition
Root: בַּיִן 
Sense: between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between.
מִקְנֵ֣ה  the  livestock 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִקְנֶה  
Sense: cattle, livestock.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מִצְרָ֑יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: 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”.
וְלֹ֥א  so  nothing 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָמ֛וּת  shall  die 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
מִכָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
לִבְנֵ֥י  [that]  belongs  to  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
דָּבָֽר    - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.

What are the major concepts related to Exodus 9:4?

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