He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
Parallel translations
- WEB He spoke, and swarms of flies came, and lice in all their borders.
- BSB He spoke, and insects swarmed—gnats throughout their country.
- NKJV He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, And lice in all their territory.
- NASB He spoke, and a swarm of flies And gnats invaded all their territory.
- NLT When the Lord spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians, and gnats swarmed across Egypt.
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
At God's word swarms of flies and gnats filled all Egypt's territory. It matters because His mere command brought judgment across the whole land.
Overview
This recalls the plagues of flies and gnats (Exodus 8:16-24). The psalmist stresses that God 'spoke' and it was done, highlighting the power of His word. These pests covered the entire land, showing the comprehensive reach of His judgment on a nation that defied Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Exod 8:21–24Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
- Isa 7:18And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
- Ps 78:45He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
- Exod 8:16–18And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 105:31 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
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