Exodus Chapter 8 verse 20 Holy Bible

ASV Exodus 8:20

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
read chapter 8 in ASV

BBE Exodus 8:20

And the Lord said to Moses, Get up early in the morning and take your place before Pharaoh when he comes out to the water; and say to him, This is what the Lord says: Let my people go to give me worship.
read chapter 8 in BBE

DARBY Exodus 8:20

And Jehovah said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh -- behold, he will go out to the water -- and say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
read chapter 8 in DARBY

KJV Exodus 8:20

And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
read chapter 8 in KJV

WBT Exodus 8:20

And the LORD said to Moses, Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; (lo, he cometh forth to the water) and say to him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
read chapter 8 in WBT

WEB Exodus 8:20

Yahweh said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; behold, he comes forth to the water; and tell him, 'This is what Yahweh says, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
read chapter 8 in WEB

YLT Exodus 8:20

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Rise early in the morning, and station thyself before Pharaoh, lo, he is going out to the waters, and thou hast said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, Send My people away, and they serve Me;
read chapter 8 in YLT

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerses 20-24. - It has been noticed that - setting apart the last and most terrible of the plagues, which stands as it were by itself - the remainder divide themselves into three groups of three each - two in each group coming with a warning, and the third without. (See Exodus 8:16; Exodus 9:8; Exodus 10:21.) In other respects, no great regularity is observable. There is a general principle of increasing severity in the afflictions, but it does not obtain throughout the entire series. The first three caused annoyance, rather than actual injury, either to persons or property. Of the next three, two were upon property, one upon both property and person (Exodus 9:10). Of the remaining three, two again inflicted injury on property, while one (the plague of darkness) was a mere personal annoyance. The exact character of the fourth plague depends on the proper translation of the word arob. The Jewish commentators connected this word with Ereb and 'Arab, words meaning "mingled" or "mixed;" and supposed a mixed multitude of animals - beasts, reptiles, and insects - to be meant. But the expression used throughout, which is ha-'arob, "the arob," marks very clearly a single definite species. So much was clear to the LXX., who rendered the word by κυνόμυια, "the dog-fly," which is not the common house-fly (Musca domestica), but a distinct species (Musca canina). Flies of this kind are said to constitute a terrible affliction in Egypt (Philo, De vit. Mos. 2. p. 101; Munk, Palestine, p. 120; etc.); but they attack men chiefly, and do no harm to houses or to the fruits of the field, whereas the 'arob is spoken of as a pest in the houses, and as "destroying the land" (verse 24). It has been, therefore, suggested that the Blatta orientalis, or kakerlaque, a kind of beetle, is really intended. These creatures suddenly appear upon the Nile in great numbers; they "inflict very painful bites with their jaws; gnaw and destroy clothes, household furniture, leather, and articles of every kind, and either consume or render unavailable all eatables"(Kalisch). They sometimes drive persons out of their houses; and they also devastate the fields. Verse 20. - Lo, he cometh forth to the water. See Exodus 7:15, and comment. It is suspected that on this occasion Pharaoh "went to the Nile with a procession to open the solemn festival "held in the autumn when the inundation was beginning to abate (Cook). Say unto him. Repeat, i.e., the Divine command so often given (Exodus 5:1; Exodus 7:16; Exodus 8:1).

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersTHE FOURTH PLAGUE.(20, 21) There is. again, a doubt as to the nature of the fourth plague. In the original it is called the plague of "the 'ar�b." which is used throughout in the singular number. The LXX. translate ha-'arob by "the dog-fly" (? ????????). The Jewish commentators connect the word with the root 'ereb or 'arab, and suppose it to designate either a mixed multitude of all kinds of wild beasts (Josephus and Jonathan), or a mixture of all sorts of insects (Aquila, &c). Moderns generally agree with the LXX. that a definite species of animal--probably an insect--is meant, but doubt about the particular creature. The dog-fly, it is said (Musca canina), is not a pest in houses, as the 'arob was (Exodus 8:21; Exodus 8:24), nor does it do any damage to the land (Exodus 8:24). It is therefore suggested that the plague was really one of the kakerlaque, a kind of beetle, which is injurious both to the persons of men, to the furniture and fittings of houses, and to the crops in the fields. It is in favour of the kakerlaque that, like all beetles, it was sacred, and might not be destroyed, being emblematic of the sun-god, Ra, especially in his form of Khepra, or "the creator." Egyptians were obliged to submit to such a plague without attempting to diminish it, and would naturally view the infliction as a sign that the sun-god was angry with them. They would also suffer grievously in person, for the kakerlaque "inflicts very painful bites with its jaws" (Kalisch); and they would begin for the first time to suffer in their property, which neither the frogs nor the mosquitoes had damaged. The plague was thus--if one of the kakerlaque--an advance on previous plagues, and if less disgusting than some others, was far more injurious.(20) Early in the morning.--Comp. Exodus 7:15; and on the early habits of an Egyptian king, see Herod. ii. 172.He cometh forth to the water.--It is conjectured that this was on the occasion of the great autumn festival, when, after the retirement of the Nile within its banks, and the scattering of the grain upon the fresh deposit of mud, the first blades of corn began to appear. It is not improbable that Khepra, "the creator," was then especially worshipped. . . .