Exodus 9:29

My Notes

What Does Exodus 9:29 Mean?

"And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S." Moses promises to stop the hail plague — and names the purpose: so Pharaoh will know the earth belongs to the LORD. The cessation of the plague is as much a revelation as the plague itself. God doesn't just demonstrate power through sending the hail. He demonstrates power through stopping it. Both the sending and the stopping declare: the earth is the LORD's.

The phrase "spread abroad my hands" describes intercessory prayer — Moses will pray for Pharaoh's relief. The man who brought the plague also brings the prayer that ends it. The same servant of God who announced the judgment intercedes for the mercy.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does the stopping of the plague (not just the sending) teach about God's comprehensive control?
• 2.How does Moses interceding for Pharaoh (the oppressor) model prayer for your enemies?
• 3.What does 'the earth is the LORD's' challenge about the ownership claims of the powerful?
• 4.Where do you need both the sending (judgment) AND the stopping (mercy) to know who God is?

Devotional

I'll spread my hands to the LORD. The thunder stops. The hail ends. So you'll know: the earth is the LORD's. Moses promises to end the plague — and the ending is as much a demonstration of divine power as the beginning was.

As soon as I am gone out of the city. Moses has to leave the city to pray — possibly because the hail made outdoor prayer impossible, or because the prayer requires distance from the idolatrous environment. The geography of the prayer matters: Moses goes outside the city to intercede. The prayer that stops the plague happens in the open air, where the hands can be spread toward the sky that just produced the fire-and-ice judgment.

I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD. Kaph — palms, the flat of the hands, spread open toward heaven. The posture of total openness: nothing hidden, nothing held back, everything offered upward. The same hands that Aaron used to signal the plague are the hands Moses uses to signal the prayer. The instrument of judgment becomes the instrument of intercession.

The thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail. The promise is specific: the exact plague God sent, God will stop. On Moses' prayer. At Moses' request. The same control that produced the hail produces the cessation. The God who sends also stops. And both — the sending and the stopping — carry the same message.

That thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. The purpose of BOTH the plague and the cessation: knowledge. Pharaoh needs to know that the earth — not just the sky, not just the weather, the EARTH — belongs to the LORD. The land Pharaoh thinks he owns is owned by someone else. The weather Pharaoh can't control is controlled by someone else. The crops Pharaoh depends on are held in the hand of someone else. The earth is the LORD's.

The stopping of the plague is a demonstration of control as powerful as the starting. Anyone can start a fire. Stopping it proves you command it. The hail proved God's power to send destruction. The cessation proves God's power to end it. Both say: I control this. The earth, the sky, the thunder, the hail — the LORD's.

Moses intercedes for the man who enslaves his people. The intercessor prays for the oppressor's relief. Not because the oppressor deserves it. Because the demonstration of God's control — sending AND stopping — serves the revelation that Pharaoh needs.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture