The Ten Plagues

In a footnote of the post Distinguishers, I mentioned that while researching the gods of ancient Egypt, I was reminded that scholars have correlated the ten plagues listed in Exodus to the various deities. For those interested in this stuff, I discovered a table that attempts to connect the plagues of Exodus with various Egyptian gods.

DeityDomainBiblical Context
Ra (Re)Sun god, king of godsPlague of Darkness – Yahweh darkened the sun god’s domain (Exodus 10:21-23)
HapiNile & fertilityWater to Blood – Judgment on Nile (Ex. 7:17-21)
Heqet (Heket)Fertility, birthPlague of Frogs (Ex. 8:1-15)
GebEarthPlague of Dust to Gnats. Dust = earth (Ex. 8:16-19)
KhepriRenewal, sunrise, dung beetlePlague of Flies, beetles (Ex. 8:20-32)
HathorLove, beauty, cowsDeath of Livestock – cattle killed (Ex. 9:1–7)
SekhmetPlague, war, healing??Boils – plague that her power could not stop (Ex. 9:8-12)
Nut, SethSky goddess, Storm god Hail from the sky (Ex. 9:13-35)
Neper / RenenutetGrain & harvestLocusts destroy crops (Ex. 10:1-20)
PharaohA divine king, considered “son of Ra.”Death of Firstborn – God usurps Pharaoh’s claim to divinity (Ex. 12:29-30)

Below are some depictions of the various Egyptian deities I found on-line. I am not vouching for their accuracy!

Rah
Hapi
Geb
Heqet
Hathor
Sekhmet
Nut
Khepri
Neper
Renenutet

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Curt Hinkle

I am a practical theologian. A theology that doesn't play out in one's everyday life is impractical, or of no real use. A simple definition of theology is the attempt to understand God and what he is up to, allowing us to join him in his work.

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