How many plagues did Yahweh send upon Egypt in the Book of Exodus?
Answer: Ten
According to the Hebrew Bible, there were ten plagues prior to the Israelites’ escape from Egypt (Exodus 7–12). This series of natural and supernatural disasters was supposed to soften Pharaoh’s heart to let the people of Israel go. But the defiant pharaoh did not allow for a peaceful departure, and the Israelites were able to flee only with the aid of the strong arm of Yahweh.
In chronological order, the ten plagues included water turned to blood, frog infestation, gnat infestation, fly infestation, livestock disease, boils, hail and storms, locust infestation, total darkness, and the death of all firstborn male children and livestock. Inconsistences in the account of the first plague suggest the list originated from two separate literary traditions—the Jahwist source (J) and the Priestly source (P)—which accords with the Documentary Hypothesis about the Torah’s origins.
Additionally, a poetic retelling of the “signs and wonders” that preceded the Exodus appears in Psalms 78:43–51 and 105:28–36. The former recounts six plagues (blood, flies, frogs, locusts, hail, death of the firstborn), to which the latter adds two more (darkness, gnats) but still omits livestock disease and boils.
How many plagues did Yahweh send upon Egypt in the Book of Exodus? Answer: Ten According to the Hebrew Bible, there were ten plagues prior to the Israelites’ escape from Egypt (Exodus 7–12). This series of natural and supernatural disasters was supposed to soften Pharaoh’s heart to let the people of Israel go. But the defiant pharaoh did not allow for a peaceful departure, and the Israelites were able to flee only with the aid of the strong arm of Yahweh. In chronological order, the ten plagues included water turned to blood, frog infestation, gnat infestation, fly infestation, livestock disease, […]