But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
Parallel translations
- WEB But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they had not grown up.
- KJV But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.
- BSB but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.)
- NASB But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.)
- NLT But the wheat and the emmer wheat were spared, because they had not yet sprouted from the ground.)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wheat and spelt survived because they ripen later. Some food remained, which the locusts would later consume.
Overview
The sparing of the later crops shows that God's judgment, though severe, was measured at this stage. This surviving produce becomes the very thing the eighth plague of locusts will devour. The detail reveals the ordered progression of the plagues toward total devastation. It quietly displays God's deliberate control over the timing and scope of each judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Exod 10:22Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 9:32 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.