The Meaning of Exodus 9:3 Explained

Exodus 9:3

KJV: Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

YLT: lo, the hand of Jehovah is on thy cattle which are in the field, on horses, on asses, on camels, on herd, and on flock -- a pestilence very grievous.

Darby: behold, the hand of Jehovah shall be on thy cattle which is in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the oxen and on the sheep, with a very grievous plague.

ASV: behold, the hand of Jehovah is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, the hand  of the LORD  is  upon thy cattle  which [is] in the field,  upon the horses,  upon the asses,  upon the camels,  upon the oxen,  and upon the sheep:  [there shall be] a very  grievous  murrain. 

What does Exodus 9:3 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 9:3 mean?

behold the hand of Yahweh will be on your livestock - in the field on the horses on the donkeys on the camels on the oxen and on the sheep A pestilence severe very
הִנֵּ֨ה יַד־ יְהוָ֜ה הוֹיָ֗ה בְּמִקְנְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה בַּסּוּסִ֤ים בַּֽחֲמֹרִים֙ בַּגְּמַלִּ֔ים בַּבָּקָ֖ר וּבַצֹּ֑אן דֶּ֖בֶר כָּבֵ֥ד מְאֹֽד

הִנֵּ֨ה  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
יַד־  the  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יְהוָ֜ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הוֹיָ֗ה  will  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּמִקְנְךָ֙  on  your  livestock 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מִקְנֶה  
Sense: cattle, livestock.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  - 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה  in  the  field 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
בַּסּוּסִ֤ים  on  the  horses 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סוּס 
Sense: swallow, swift.
בַּֽחֲמֹרִים֙  on  the  donkeys 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֲמֹור 
Sense: (he)ass.
בַּגְּמַלִּ֔ים  on  the  camels 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גָּמָל  
Sense: camel.
בַּבָּקָ֖ר  on  the  oxen 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּקָר  
Sense: cattle, herd, oxen, ox.
וּבַצֹּ֑אן  and  on  the  sheep 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
דֶּ֖בֶר  A  pestilence 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֶּבֶר 
Sense: pestilence, plague.
כָּבֵ֥ד  severe 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: heavy, great.
מְאֹֽד  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.