Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 3. The hand of the Lord] The power of God manifested in judgment.
Upon the horses] µysws susim. This is the first place the horse is mentioned; a creature for which Egypt and Arabia were always famous.
ss sus is supposed to have the same meaning with sas, which signifies to be active, brisk, or lively, all which are proper appellatives of the horse, especially in Arabia and Egypt. Because of their activity and swiftness they were sacrificed and dedicated to the sun, and perhaps it was principally on this account that God prohibited the use of them among the Israelites.
A very grievous murrain.] The murrain is a very contagious disease among cattle, the symptoms of which are a hanging down and swelling of the head, abundance of gum in the eyes, rattling in the throat, difficulty of breathing, palpitation of the heart, staggering, a hot breath, and a shining tongue; which symptoms prove that a general inflammation has taken place. The original word rbd deber is variously translated. The Septuagint have qanatov, death; the Vulgate has pestis, a plague or pestilence; the old Saxon version, , from , to die, any fatal disease. Our English word murrain comes either from the French mourir, to die, or from the Greek marainw maraino, to grow lean, waste away. The term mortality would be the nearest in sense to the original, as no particular disorder is specified by the Hebrew word.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - God will have Israel released, Pharaoh opposes it, and the trial is whose word shall stand. The hand of the Lord at once is upon the cattle, many of which, some of all kinds, die by a sort of murrain This was greatly to the loss of the owners; they had made Israel poor and now God would make them poor. The hand of God is to be seen, eve in the sickness and death of cattle; for a sparrow falls not to the ground without our Father. None of the Israelites' cattle should die the Lord shall sever. The cattle died. The Egyptians worshipped their cattle. What we make an idol of, it is just with God to remove from us This proud tyrant and cruel oppressor deserved to be made an example by the just Judge of the universe. None who are punished according to what they deserve, can have any just cause to complain. Hardness of hear denotes that state of mind upon which neither threatenings nor promise neither judgements nor mercies, make any abiding impression. The conscience being stupified, and the heart filled with pride an presumption, they persist in unbelief and disobedience. This state of mind is also called the stony heart. Very different is the heart of flesh, the broken and contrite heart. Sinners have none to blame but themselves, for that pride and ungodliness which abuse the bounty an patience of God. For, however the Lord hardens the hearts of men, it is always as a punishment of former sins.
Original Hebrew הנה2009 יד3027 יהוה3068 הויה1961 במקנך4735 אשׁר834 בשׂדה7704 בסוסים5483 בחמרים2543 בגמלים1581 בבקר1241 ובצאן6629 דבר1698 כבד3515 מאד׃3966
