The Battle between Yahweh and the Rulers of Egypt

Exodus records the instructions and events of the plagues for the purpose of showing how the Lord revealed both his person and his power through delivering Israel from Egypt. The plagues fall on areas of life supposedly protected by Egypt's gods, thus demonstrating the Lord's power over the gods of the world's mightiest nation. The narrative of the plagues is therefore not necessarily an exhaustive account of everything that happened but is shaped in order to communicate the aspects of each plague that are necessary for its purpose. For example, the section describing the third plague (8:16–19) does not record either the instruction or the event of Moses and Aaron going before Pharaoh, but the fact that the magicians seek to reproduce the sign (v. 18) indicates that it is likely they performed it initially in the presence of Pharaoh and his court. Each of the sections on the third, sixth, and ninth plagues are similar in their brevity and style, which also lends to the shape of three cycles of three plagues leading up to the tenth and final plague.

	Type of Plague	Reference	Warning?	Time of Warning	Instruction	Agent	Staff?	Pharaoh promises to let people go?	Pharaoh's heart hardened?
1st Cycle	1. Nile to blood	7:14–25	Yes	In the morning	Go to Pharaoh; Stand	Aaron	Yes	–	Yes
	2. Frogs from the Nile	8:1–15	Yes	–	Go in to Pharaoh	Aaron	Yes	Yes	Yes
	3. Dust to gnats	8:16–19	–	–	–	Aaron	Yes	–	Yes
2nd Cycle	4. Flies	8:20–32	Yes	Early in the morning	Present yourself to Pharaoh	God	–	Yes	Yes
	5. Egyptian livestock die	9:1–7	Yes	–	Go in to Pharaoh	God	–	–	Yes
	6. Boils	9:8–12	–	–	–	Moses	–	–	Yes
3rd Cycle	7. Hail	9:13–35	Yes	Early in the morning	Present yourself before Pharaoh	Moses	–	Yes	Yes
	8. Locusts	10:1–20	Yes	–	Go in to Pharaoh	Moses	Yes	Yes	Yes
	9. Darkness	10:21–29	–	–	–	Moses	Yes	Yes	Yes
	10. Death of firstborn	11:1–10; 12:29–32	Yes	–	–	God	Yes	Yes	Yes