Category Archives: Out of Egypt

Bible 911 Exodus

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Exodus 9:11 – And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. (KJV)

Exodus 9:11 is part of what God did to set His people free from bondage by bring them out from Egypt. This narrative is about the plague of boils verses 8 – 12. We will start with 9:11 and then look at the rest of this plague.

This is not the first time the magicians have been part of trying to keep Israel in Egypt, but it is the last time we hear about them. They played a role with the rod that became a snake, the water being blood, the frogs, and the gnats. In 8:19 they finally admit that “the finger of God” had done this. I want to think that was an admission of how great God is, but I am not sure of that. They could be part of the “officials” that were there to advise Pharoah. Their inability to “stand” before Moses is a serious blow to the aura of Egypt’s power and their beliefs. Anyway, they are not heard from again, I wonder if they recovered from their boils. This is on par with their later counterparts in Babylon not being able to supply what Daniel could give.

Strong’s Hebrew: 2748. חַרְטֹם (chartom) — an engraver, writer (biblehub.com)

Stood – These words for Moses before Pharoah and the magicians come from the same root but are different forms of the word. Strong’s Hebrew: 5975. עָמַד (amad) — to take one’s stand, stand (biblehub.com) Moses’ word means to stand and the magicians’ word implies not able to stand, it is the first time it is used in the Hebrew text. You can imply several aspects of the word but do your homework first. I just find it amazing that Moses was allowed to be standing and not made to kneel in the presence of this self-proclaimed god.

Boils – Strong’s Hebrew: 7822. שְׁחִין (shechin) — a boil, eruption (biblehub.com) The King James will have the word blains in this verse, look it up. This affliction was on man and beast, this is a first. Yes, the flies and gnats bothered both and may have left bites. The goddess Isis is the deity that the Lord is embarrassing here, she was over medicine and peace. This is a great pdf for the plagues. 10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf (rice.edu) 2 Timothy 3 gives a name to these priests – Jannes and Jambres. Historical fact or legend, I do not know but that is what they have been called. Please note that only two names are listed.

The Egyptian people and the magicians or “soothsaying” priest took the brunt on this. Boils are not nice, so this must have been an attention getter. The text uses several words that our modern thinking may run together. Exodus 5:3 and 9:15 is deber, it is also used in 2 Samuel 24:15, when David counted the men. Strong’s Hebrew: 1698. דָּ֫בֶר (deber) — pestilence (biblehub.com)

Moses and Aaron

9:8-12 is about the boils, but it has several special things associated with it. The Lord addressing Moses and Aaron is also with the snake story (7:8, the first sign) and with the Passover (12:1, the last thing). The other ones are addressed just to Moses. I believe this shows plague #6 (number of man) that personally affects the Egyptians is significant. Why stress that both are present and told? Aaron was needed as the second witness to confirm the matter (he also was “speaking” for Moses). Two witnesses are seen again in Revelations 11:6.

“The Lord said” or its variations are used many times in the Bible, it is a very common statement/thought. I think we tend to overlook the importance of it. Strong’s Hebrew: 559. אָמַר (amar) — to utter, say (biblehub.com) (This is just one word for this statement or speaking.) Once upon a time I had started that study, I lost the notes, but it is more complex than you may think.  

How were they spoken to? An audible voice? Dreams or visions? Was a priest or elder in the Israelite community giving voice to the Holy Spirit? I know Moses was special, however, do not let modern paradigms limit your supernatural God. I am thankful that the Father gave us His written Word to help direct us, but Moses and the Prophets did not have that luxury. They had some of it, but they were writing it for us.

Soot

The carbon/mineral residue from burning fuel. Moses and Aaron took this black or gray powder from a kiln or furnace that may have been used by God’s Children. The NIV has “handfuls” of this carried before Pharoah and thrown into the air. This is one of the special things about Plague #6, so we will look at soot. Strong’s Hebrew: 6368. פִּ֫יחַ (piach) — soot (biblehub.com)

When this dust multiplied and settled all over Egypt, it metaphorically turned the country into a furnace. This is reflected in Deuteronomy 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51, and Jeremiah 11:4. In these verses Egypt is referred to as an “iron furnace” that held the Family. I will give you some links; thoughts and “facts” that can run all over the place.

Use a text analysis tool and study the other words like scattered, and abroad. The connections here are interesting.

Moses took a product of the slavery and just threw it into the air with his hand. No staff, proclamations, striking the ground, or warnings, just boils taking out the magicians and covering the people.

Moses did something to announce the plagues. That almond tree limb was present with every sign and wonder that Moses did.

  1. Staff-blood
  2. Staff-frogs
  3. Staff-gnats struck the dust
  4. Spoke-flies
  5. Spoke-animals die
  6. Moses threw soot in the air nothing was said to Pharoah-boils
  7. Stretch out your hand-hail
  8. Stretch out your hand-locusts
  9. Stretch out your hand-darkness
  10. Warned them about the coming death

I need to revisit my post The Wonders that Plagued Egypt; more study adds to your thoughts.

Contrary to the noise I heard during COVID about Jehovah “causing or letting” that plague occur; I see that He announced the plagues He sent, so there was no mistake. That does include the one that David picked when he counted the fighting men.

Pharoah

The snake that got eaten in Chapter 7. His role was pretty limited from one respect, do what the Lord wants or have your false support system exposed and judged. This politician-god tried to control the narrative by ignoring or haggling with Moses and God. With each haggle he was hardened, and his losses were compounded. It is interesting that his people, more or less, supported him through all of this.  

Exodus 911 has moved a few “tent pegs” in my thinking.

Wine, Beer, and Vinegar in the Bible

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Wine, beer, and vinegar are some of the beverages you find in the Bible. These three all have their beginnings with yeast. Vinegar was made by letting air have free access to wine and the bacterium in the air does the rest. No, I do not think the ancients would talk to you about microbes, but they did understand yeast starters and the like. From everything I have read, their wine and beer are not like their modern counterparts. (See the articles below.)

Do I consume alcohol? No. That decision came very early in my Christian-walk and had nothing to do with Bible study or outside influences. Over the years it has been interesting to experience the reaction of people who do drink, when I choose not to. I do not remember anyone ever asking me why I don’t drink. SO, this study in not about your choice or mine. It is an introductory look at the topic because it is in the Bible.

There may have been distilling units in the Indus Valley a long time ago, but the production of alcohol got its start in Spain in the late 1200’s. (From an internet search.) So, Biblical references to “strong drink” are not what we call “intoxicating drinks”.

A reoccurring thought/statement is that wine, beer, and vinegar were safer and healthier to drink than the water. I find no reason to argue with that as not everyone had a nice spring next to the house. Please leave opinions and preferences aside and look at Paul’s advice to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:38 and 5:23. (I have heard statements about divine healing, medicine, in favor of and totally against drinking come from these verses.) In 3:38 Paul says “much” wine, not avoid wine. Timothy may have been choosing to not drink (like a Nazirite vow). Paul may have been repeating Luke’s medical advice because of the water, no that is not mentioned. Was Paul confused? I think the advice of “not much” and “a little” is what needs to be heard and why he might recommend this. This pair of verses show the good and evil sides of the same drink.

Vinegar or Sour Wine

Bacteria in the air will change alcohol into acetic acid, changing wine into vinegar. The ancients were not as quick to throw things away as modern societies do. You will find Ruth dipping her bread in vinegar during her rest break and Jesus being given some as He hung on the cross. I have come to believe that soldier, who was mocking Jesus, did not offer that to be nice.

Beer or Strong Drink

This ancient drink has a history much older than Moses and the five books he wrote. From everything I have read, it did not resemble our modern six pack from the corner store. The Egyptians baked bread and then made it into beer, apparently, they had various flavors and colors of this brew. It was part of the workmen’s daily wage in Egypt.

Compare an undiluted beer to straight water and it is “strong”; even the wine could be watered down and had things added to it for flavoring. Get modern out of your head, it is not the same drink, but it was possibly drunk every day.

Wine or the Blood of Grapes

If you chose to translate “new wine” as grape juice, that is fine. Grapes are harvested in the fall in Israel. I am not sure their refrigeration units would have kept the juice fresh until the springtime Passover Feast. I do respect your choice about not consuming the 12%. Christian Brothers used to make a nice communion wine, Manischewitz was also good, I do not suggest MD 20/20 as to many people wanted seconds.

Basic winemaking has changed little since Bible times; it has gotten more efficient and the product looks a little different. Mixing wines and adding flavors to it was practiced very early in human history. Like beer, it was more of a daily drink, because it could be stored once the alcohol killed off the yeast. In reading the Bible, excessive drinking was the problem and not the wine. Having “just one” does not always work.

Like knowledge, wine has a good and evil role in human history. Noah got drunk and Jesus said to remember it as His blood in communion, that is a wide spread for uses. Because of its many uses and restrictions, I see a lot more in that wood-plant that produces grapes.

Some positive references:

  • Genesis 14:18 – Melchizedek brought out wine and bread as a refreshing meal to Abraham and his party.
  • Judges 9:13 – The vine did not want to lose its new wine that cheered God and man to rule over trees.
  • New wine was part of the blessing in Joel 2:19.
  • Luke 7:33 and 34 – John the Baptist may have taken the Nazirite vow as found in Numbers 6:3, and was called crazy. Jesus must have drunk wine because He was called names.
  • It was a Drink Offering to the Lord.

Some other facts about wine:

  • Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler. If you use Bible Gateway looking for wine and beer, use the NIV. It is listed nine times; other translations have strong or intoxicating.  Proverbs 20:1 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)
  • Nazirite Vow- Numbers 6:3. No wine, strong drink, vinegar, raisins, or any other part of the grape plant.  Numbers 6:3 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com) I feel it is important that in the rules for separating yourself for God, that the two major things were no grapes/yeast and hair. Step very carefully into that study.  
  • Deuteronomy 29:6 – Moses is talking to the Children, they had no bread, wine or strong drink for almost forty years so they could know God. Sounds like the vow for the Nazirite. Once they got manna they had no yeast. Deuteronomy 29:6 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Ancient Israel and the History of Beer – Biblical Archaeology Society

Beer in Ancient Egypt | Ancient Egypt Online

Frogs in the Bible | Mark’s Bible Study (ificouldteachthebible.com)  Heket, the frog goddess and goddess of beer/bread, many of my original links are gone from the net.

Click to access 10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf

Strong’s Hebrew: 3196. יָ֫יִן (yayin) — wine (biblehub.com)

Strong’s Hebrew: 7941. שֵׁכָר (shekar) — intoxicating drink, strong drink (biblehub.com)

It is important to know and remember that Jesus is our life, not if you drink or do not drink. Wine, beer, and vinegar were part of biblical life.

Complaints in the Bible or Musing to Murmuring

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Well, I suggest you use this post as a launchpad for your own study of complaining found in the Bible. This study comes from looking into Job 9:11 and righteousness in the Book of Isaiah. I am surprised at the scope of the thoughts about “complaints” in the Bible; God bless translators. The word complain was not the key term I used in this study; the links below will show this.

These links are not in any particular order. These are great resources as they have more than my ink and leaf Strong’s Concordance and show how the word is used in translations besides the KJV. 

Additional words of “complain” in the Strong’s/KJV

  • H 7378 – to toss or grapple
  • H 1058 – to weep
  • H 596 – to mourn or complain
  • H 6682 – a screech or cry
  • G 3202
  • G 157 – to have affection for

There are several types of “complaints” in the Bible, you will find man complaining to and about God, God “complaining” about man and man-to-man interactions. To complicate this, you need to look at what is being said and how it is being done. How does this relate to righteous behavior? Part of our concept of righteousness is our active relationship with the Father. So, communicating with God is our praises, our thanks, our needs, and our concerns. Righteous not religious is the goal. How do you want your friends and children to speak to you? 

This balance is shown in two interesting texts. The first is the Ten Commandments. The first four focus on how to relate to God; the last six are how we are to treat other people. My second comparison is the Lord’s Prayer, the first part is towards the Father, and starting with asking for our daily epiousios bread is our needs and how we relate to our fellow man.

Prophets Who “Complained”

I will list five prophets, there may be more and more examples from these five. Each of these men were under stress for different reasons.

Isaiah 24:16 – Chapter 24 is complex, 1-13 is about destruction, 14-16a is praise to God, and 16b is Isaiah wailing because of his condition. Most of his kings did right in the eyes of the Lord, but he must have been burdened by what he was seeing in his visions.

Jeremiah 12, see Chapters 15 and 16, and 20:7 – 18. Chapter 12 is a complaint of what Jeremiah sees and God answers this in the second part of the chapter. 20:7-18 is a complaint and I did not find an answer to it. There is another complaint section for Jeremiah; 15:10 is a complaint followed by an answer 11 – 14; 15 – 18 is another complaint followed by the Lord’s reply 19 – 21 and Jeremiah in 16:19 makes a statement of repentance.

He did not have an easy job; Babylon was coming to destroy Jerusalem, the people did not like him, the king would not do what was right, and his own family was plotting to kill him.   

Habakkuk 1:2 and 12, then 2:1 – His book is built on two questions that stem from what he sees around him. 2:1 is his resolve to wait for an answer. God did answer both of his questions 5-11 and 2:2 – 20. Habakkuk ends his oracle with a “musical prayer” where he is giving quality time to the Lord.

Elijah – In the cave he was moaning to God because of Jezebel and his limited information on how many people were still faithful to God. (1 Kings 19)

Jonah – His complaint, I feel, came more from the fact that if Nineveh was not destroyed it would technically make him a false prophet. He knew God was merciful and he did not want to go.

Others Who Used Their Voices

David and the Psalms – Much of David’s life is an open book for us to read, his complaints and praises. Okay, that is because he wrote about them in the psalms or songs he wrote. They record a wide range of emotions and feelings. 1 Samuel 30 may have been one of the roughest spots for him up to that time in his life; Saul and Israel were after him, the Philistines had just booted him out of camp, he returns to Ziklag to find everything taken, and his men are mad at him. Did he “complain”? Most people I know would have said a few words and phrases at that moment, but those led to 1 Samuel 30:6 and I can hear Psalm 71 starting to be shaped in his heart. That song may have been finished when his son, Absalom, tried to overthrow his kingdom. Here are some other examples of Psalms that reflect a down time or a time of meditation.

  • Psalm 1:2
  • Psalm 31:1
  • Psalm 55:2
  • Psalm 64:1
  • Psalm 102:1
  • Psalm 142:2

The Journey – I will draw a line in the Red Sea for this post. On the west side of the line is Egypt, which is now a defeated foe, the miracles that subdued Egypt’s gods, and a healthy people leaving with riches. Now to the east side of the line is a new life so they can meet and know their God, and thank Him for freeing them and the Promised Land. Those forty years are well documented. Take a Muse Moment and reflect on your Journey since your baptism?  

In Exodus and Numbers, the people complain about God Strong’s Hebrew: 8519. תְּלֻנּוֹת (tluwnah) — murmuring (biblehub.com)  See Testing God Ten Times. Moses did not like it when God said He would not go with them, Numbers 11:10. God had a few things to say about the People, Numbers 14:27. The people complain to Aaron about Moses on the Mountain, Exodus 32:1. There are more, but to be fair there were times when they willingly obeyed God and He did not fail to provide them with manna, shade in the day and a warm covering at night.

Job – 7:13, 9:27, 10:1, 21:4, and 23:2. Translators will vary on how they view the word “complaint”, so study. There are other passages in Job that would very easily come across to fit a modern idea of complaining.

New Testament – You may not find the word complain associated with any of these stories or parables, but I took off my “Good Morning” glasses and saw people who had a lot to say. I think the range of emotions went from musing to murmuring.

  • Luke 15 – the oldest son talking to his father
  • John 4 – the woman at the well
  • John 11:21 – Martha addressing Jesus about her brother dying
  • Luke 1 – Zechariah and Mary talking to the Gabriel. I have decided that this will be a Christmas 2024 post, so more on this later. But one of these murmured and one mused.

I took a break during my study and found this; it is related. Held (youtube.com) by Natalie Grant

My takeaway is not simple or cut and dry. The Hebrew words for complaining, moaning, and musing seem to carry a wide range of uses and applications. Your heart-attitude is a factor in musing or murmuring. God is not against you; He wants what is best for you.

Bread in the Bible – Epiousios

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Because epiousios is in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3 it is the second best-known bread in the Bible. Those references are in the center of the Lord’s Prayer, along with forgiveness, and they contain the special Greek word epiousios. How special? It is only used twice in the corpus of Greek writings and literature. Okay, I did not say just the Bible, I said all of Greek literature before the time of Jesus. (God bless translators.) It has been rendered “daily”. Never have I heard this word or how special it is; take some time and check out these links. O the verse- Give us this day our DAILY bread. (Mark translation.)

Since there is nothing to compare it to, my first reaction was MANNA! What is this special concept in the Lord’s Prayer that is sandwiched between “give us this day” and “bread”? “Daily” has worked; “for the coming day” may be just as good, or is there even more? As this is a study, I will put it in context with the Sermon on the Mount and then break that compound word down. After all of that, I will share my crust with you (The crust on a loaf of bread is special to me.).

Luke – Only Matthew and Luke recorded this prayer by the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit. Luke had heard this prayer many times before he wrote it to Theophilus. There are slight variations between the two in the Greek text but that should be expected. Others have added more and bigger changes than these slight variations. (I am working on a study on the Lord’s Prayer.) Luke 11 to me is the start of his version of the Sermon on the Mount, it does go for a few chapters.

Thoughts on the Word

The Author of Creation and the Word of Life coined a word. Epiousios was not a mistake or an accident. If you look at verse 11, it could have been said “Give us today our bread” and the meaning would have been clear.

I thank the Father for the food we have to eat and His grace for willingly taking care of my family. Do I have a simple explanation for epiousios. No, but the study has moved some “tent pegs” because my God has pushed my box out of shape. I will try to put this compound word into the context of Jesus’ sermon and His teachings for His Kingdom. Now, let’s think above our possessions.

The Sermon – I need to start/mention the baptism of Jesus (3:13), which compares to the Children passing through the Red Sea. He then goes into the wilderness and is tempted (4:1-4). The first temptation is about bread or what He needs to live on. (If it is just a number reference it is from Matthew.) Jesus then picks up and adds to John the Baptist’s message; the good news that the kingdom of heaven/God is near (4:17) and He is healing every disease (4:23). Remember that the Children came out of Egypt healed. Relax take a breath and view the Sermon as a Jesus version of the Ten Commandments and the Law. Now consider how food, water, manna, and quail played into the trip to the mountain where they met God. A note to myself – they had gold, silver, and possessions but no food or water; what did they complain about?

The Sermon has several references to food, eating, and what is needed to maintain our lives. I decided the best way to study these was to list them.

  • 5:6 – those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
  • 5:13 – you are salt (needed for life) stay flavorful
  • 5:42 – help those who need to borrow from you
  • 6:11 – gives us bread every day and “more”. We could be praying every day for what we need tomorrow. It could be a statement to give us above what we need so we can share.
  • 6:19 – watch what you are storing up
  • 6:25 – life is more important than food, Father knows we need it so don’t worry
  • 6:31 – don’t worry about what to drink or eat
  • 7:9 – if you ask Father for bread or fish, He is not going to give you something harmful
  • 7:16-20 – good fruit comes from good trees

Actual and metaphorical these verses help to open the Kingdom and show the righteous relations that God wants with the Body of Christ and that we are to have with the other parts of the Body. Luke 6:38 with the “good measure” being poured for us, then pressed, shaken, and running over is exhorting us to get out of our box and give above what is sufficient. I am beginning to feel that is a good picture of epiousios.

The Parts

Epi is a prefix in Greek, and I have seen it as a word. It can mean upon or above. We are talking about Father God, the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills.

Ousios in our “modern” jargon carries the concept of substance or being. In the Wiki article above that concept was part of the trinitarian doctrine and the controversy that arose in the early church. See Luke 15:12+13.

My Musings

I may say “daily” but I am not sure I can go that small in my thinking ever again.

Metaphorically I can see epiousios as the crust on a loaf of bread. It is on top of the substance that most people like. It has formed from the heat changing the dough to make a shield for the soft inner part. The crust can have a pleasant color. It gives me something to chew on while I enjoy the softer inside. Personally, I like to eat the crust.

Many kernels of grain are needed to make a loaf of bread. They are picked, ground up, and mixed together to make bread. The Body of Christ has many individual “kernels” that are being prepared so we can be the Bride and be presented spotless and perfect.   

Artos in the Book of Matthew

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Artos is the Greek word for bread and loaves (Strong’s G 740), and I like using Matthew as a reference point. There are kernels of truth in many other verses in the New Testament about bread, and if you look into the Hebrew, you will find lechem. The town of Bethlehem is the town of bread. So, grab a donut or make a sandwich, and let’s start studying bread. ἄρτος | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Matthew 6:11, which is in the center of the Lord’s Prayer and started this study, that will be another post. After having sliced through the crust of this topic, I found many questions that needed looking at. But we will start in Matthew 4.

Jesus was fasting and the “tempter” started his grinding attacks with a “what if”. The challenge was to make bread. Elegant sermons abound for this story, and I will not attempt to match them. So, I am going to ask questions. Why stones? Stones indicate that man had used them for something. I would expect rocks to be out in the wilderness. Why bread? I love the smell of fresh bread, but what about the fragrant aroma of beef, lamb, or bird? (Check Leviticus 1, all of those are parts of sacrifices.) Jesus’ answer, in verse 4 may give us a clue or open the bag for several metaphors for bread used in Matthew and beyond. Bread, leavened or not, barley, or wheat (See Ruth 2) were the mainstay of the diet, in Egypt they even used baked bread to make the beer. We should fill our larders every day with the words of God so we can taste the righteousness and get strength from the grace that Jesus opened up to us.

I think it is fair to take a Muse Moment and look at 7:9 when in the Sermon Jesus flips the pan and asks who would give his son a stone instead of bread. The word again is lithos and not petra. Jesus is our petra, but when man “handled Him” He became the cornerstone that would cause them to stumble.

I am not leaving out any ingredients in this study, just mixing them in a slightly different order. My next stop is 12:4 where Jesus is not getting along with the Pharisees because of heads of grain. Those heads of grain put this story between Passover and the Feast of Trumpets. It had to be a carefully measured walk also because it was on the Sabbath and the Pharisees were tagging along. David and the Shewbread or Bread of the Presence and breaking the Law is the main sticking point this time. That consecrated bread is what was put into the Tabernacle to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus’ point is that He is the Lord of the Sabbath and that the Sabbath is not the lord of man. This is not a license to not rest with God one day a week, just do not make more rules to follow. Love God and love man is more than enough.

My guess is that those twelve loaves were made of barley (See Judges and the story of Gideon.) The recipe for those loaves is not written in the Law and only the priest knew how to make them. In Purpose or Prothesis, I asked about what they were made of during the forty years of wandering. They may have stayed in one place long enough to grow grain, but manna was their main food source. That of course makes them gluten-free for their time of wandering:)

I am not done, but I am hungry, so the other references on bread will be served up later.