The Plague of Gnats

Early in the cycle of plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt in the days of Moses, the judgments that the Egyptians received were not directly life-threatening, as many commentators have noted. The residents of the land of the Nile evidently could find fresh water by digging even when the river had turned to blood (Ex. 7:20–24). Likewise, the plague of frogs was more of a nuisance than a danger to life (8:1–15). This shows the Lord’s mercy in His judgment. Pharaoh and Egypt’s refusal to release the Israelites merited destruction, but God did not send His worst against them at first.

We see the same kind of grace in the third plague, which is described in Exodus 8:16–19. This plague of gnats likewise proved more of an annoyance than a true risk to life. The English translation “gnats” amounts to an educated guess, for the Hebrew term could mean another kind of biting insect, including mosquitoes. It could also be that the use of insects here is meant to pronounce divine judgment on the Egyptian god Kheprer, who was symbolized by an insect, specifically the flying beetle. Whatever the case may be, the use of insects here demonstrates God’s power over creation. As John Calvin comments, “All creatures are ready at God’s lightest command, whenever He chooses to make use of them to chastise His enemies; and again, that no animal is so vile and contemptible as not to have the power of doing injury when God employs it.”

The Egyptians were familiar with gnats, for their number increased annually after the flooding of the Nile, since they laid their eggs in pools of standing water. The source of gnats in this case was clearly supernatural, however, for the insects were produced through the transformation of the dust of the earth (vv. 16–17). Moreover, this time the Egyptian magicians could not replicate the miracle. One could use sleight of hand to copy the Nile’s transformation or the inundation of frogs, but as one commentator notes, capturing enough gnats or mosquitoes to then produce them at will and mimic the plague proved much more difficult. This led to the magicians’ first recognition that a power superior to the sorcerers of Egypt was at work. Nevertheless, even when the magicians acknowledged to Pharaoh that they were facing the might of God, the king would not relent but again hardened his heart against the Creator (vv. 18–19). As we have noted, when people refuse to turn from their sin, not even a miracle will convince them.