Ten Plagues

Water Turning into Blood (Exodus 7)

1400 BCE

This plague was probably against the Egyptian god of Nile – Hapi, was a deification of the annual flooding (inundation) of the Nile River in Ancient Egyptian religion, which deposited rich silt on its banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops. (the water bearer). His name means Running One, probably referring to the current of the Nile.

Frogs Coming From the Water (Exodus 8:1-15)

1400 BCE

This plague was probably against the Egyptian goddess of fertility – Heket who had the head of a frog. It was said that it was Heqet who breathed life into the new body of Horus at birth, as she was the goddess of the last moments of birth. As the birth of Horus became more intimately associated with the resurrection of Osiris, so Heqet’s role became one more closely associated with resurrection.

Dust into Lice (Exodus 8:6-19

1400 BCE

It was believed in ancient Egypt that Geb’s laughter were earthquakes and that he allowed crops to grow. Frequently described mythologically as father of snakes (one of the names for snake was ‘son of the earth’).

Flies (Exodus 8:20-32)

1400 BCE

The Egyptians were plagued by the flies. This plague was probably against the Egyptian god of creation – Khepri who had the head of a fly.

Boils and Sores (Exodus 9:8-12)

1400 BCE

The people and animals were affected by boils. This plague was probably against the Egyptian goddess of Medicine – Isis taught her people the skills of reading and agriculture and was worshipped as the goddess of medicine and wisdom. Isis was called the Mother of Life, but she was also known as the Crone of Death. Isis was a great enchantress, the goddess of magic. Together with Thoth, she taught mankind the secrets of medicine.

Hail Raining Down from the Sky (Exodus 9:13-35)

1400 BCE

Hail rained down from the sky and destroyed the crops. This plague was probably against the Egyptian goddess of sky – Nut. She was originally the goddess of the nighttime sky, but eventually became referred to as simply the sky goddess. Her headdress was the hieroglyphic of part of her name, a pot, which may also symbolize the uterus.

Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)

1400 BCE

Whatever crops were left in fact after the destruction by Hail, were now completely consumed by the swarms of locusts that were unleashed from the sky. This plague was probably against the Egyptian god of storms and disorder – Seth was a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion. In later myths, he is also the god of darkness and chaos.

Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29)

1400 BCE

Darkness fell upon Egypt. This plague was probably against the Egyptian sun god – Ra, the ancient Egyptian sun god, identified primarily with the midday sun. To the Egyptians, the sun represented light, warmth, and growth. This made the sun deity very important as the sun was seen as the ruler of all that he created. The sun disk was either seen as the body or eye of Ra.

Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 11:1-10)

1400 BCE

Pharaoh the King of Egypt was considered to be the greatest Egyptian god of all. Formal religious practice centered on the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Although he was a human, the pharaoh was believed to be descended from the gods. He acted as the intermediary between his people and the gods, and was obligated to sustain the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could maintain order in the universe

Death of Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7)

1400 BCE

This plague affected the Egyptians by creating a huge economic disaster, in areas of food, transportation, military supplies, farming, and economic goods that were produced by these livestock. This plague was probably against the Egyptian goddess – Hathor who had the head of a cow. Hathor is commonly depicted as a cow goddess with head horns in which is set a sun disk with Uraeus, which suggests a role as sky-goddess and a relationship to Horus who, as a sun god, is “housed” in her.

Ten Plagues of Egypt

Period: 1400 BCE to 1275 BCE

In Exodus 7-12 we see God do 10 Plagues that lead to the release of the Israelites and the suffering of Egypt from a hard-hearted Pharoah. Here in this Timeline is a look at the plagues but with a spin on the possible gods that Yahweh was targeting.