According to the Bible, the Ten Plagues of Egypt were a divine demonstration of God’s power and displeasure to persuade the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go :
- Plague of blood: The Nile River, a vital source of life for Egypt, turned to blood.
- Plague of frogs: Frogs represent the undoing of the ordered separation between land and water, and Yahweh’s return of Egypt to chaos.
- Plague of gnats or lice: Aaron struck the dust with his staff, causing a swarm of bugs to torment the Egyptians.
- Plague of flies: Swarms of gnats and flies darkened the skies.
- Plague of locusts: The locusts were so numerous that they blocked out the sun and destroyed the land. Moses prayed to God for an end to the plague, and God sent a wind from the west to drive the locusts away.
- Plague of the firstborn: The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn, including the Pharaoh’s firstborn son. After this plague, the Pharaoh granted the Israelites their freedom.
