Exodus 9:8-12·~1 min

The Sixth Plague: Boils

The LORD tells Moses and Aaron to use soot from a furnace as the sign, and it spreads as dust that becomes festering boils on man and beast.

T⁸hen the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air. ⁹It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast throughout the land.” ¹⁰So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast.

The magicians cannot stand because of the boils, and Pharaoh still does not listen, with his hardened heart matching the LORD’s earlier word.

¹¹The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians. ¹²But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.

Section summaryAt the LORD’s command, Moses tosses furnace soot into the air, and it becomes boils on people and animals throughout Egypt. Even the magicians are overcome, yet Pharaoh still does not listen, as the LORD had said.

Role in the chapterThis section tightens the conflict by bringing affliction onto bodies and silencing Egypt’s magicians. What once imitated Moses now cannot even stand before him, while Pharaoh’s resistance moves further into the hardness already foretold.