The Meaning of Exodus 9:23 Explained

Exodus 9:23

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.

YLT: And Moses stretcheth out his rod towards the heavens, and Jehovah hath given voices and hail, and fire goeth towards the earth, and Jehovah raineth hail on the land of Egypt,

Darby: And Moses stretched out his staff toward the heavens, and Jehovah gave thunder and hail; and the fire ran along the ground; and Jehovah rained hail on the land of Egypt.

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 Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Exodus 9:23 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 9:23 mean?

And stretched out Moses - his rod toward heaven and Yahweh sent thunder and hail and darted fire to the ground and rained Yahweh hail on the land of Egypt
וַיֵּ֨ט מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶת־ מַטֵּהוּ֮ עַל־ הַשָּׁמַיִם֒ וַֽיהוָ֗ה נָתַ֤ן קֹלֹת֙ וּבָרָ֔ד וַתִּ֥הֲלַךְ אֵ֖שׁ אָ֑רְצָה וַיַּמְטֵ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה בָּרָ֖ד עַל־ אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

וַיֵּ֨ט  And  stretched  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
מֹשֶׁ֣ה  Moses 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁה  
Sense: the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מַטֵּהוּ֮  his  rod 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַטֶּה  
Sense: staff, branch, tribe.
עַל־  toward 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַשָּׁמַיִם֒  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וַֽיהוָ֗ה  and  Yahweh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
נָתַ֤ן  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
קֹלֹת֙  thunder 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
וּבָרָ֔ד  and  hail 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּרָד  
Sense: hail.
וַתִּ֥הֲלַךְ  and  darted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אֵ֖שׁ  fire 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
אָ֑רְצָה  to  the  ground 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וַיַּמְטֵ֧ר  and  rained 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָטַר  
Sense: to rain.
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בָּרָ֖ד  hail 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּרָד  
Sense: hail.
אֶ֥רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִצְרָֽיִם  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”.