The Ten Wounds of Egypt

Mission of Moses

When the enslaved Israelites sought to leave Egypt, Pharaoh said no.
According to a very ancient tradition and ancient documents in Hebrew and Greek handed down by history, Israel’s occupation of the land of Goshen in the delta, west of the Nile, and the actual oppression of the Hebrew people lasted approximately 80 years, perhaps even longer over the four centuries of their sojourn in Egypt (Exodus 7:1-13).
Their cries reached God, who sent Moses with the mission to free them (Exodus 2.23). Etenel charged him with performing miracles of unprecedented power (Psalms 78.12-43), signs intended to attract attention. These signs accredited Moses, accompanied by his brother Aaron, as God’s ambassador to the Hebrews (Exodus 4.8, 9, 30, 31; 8.22-23) and before Pharaoh (Exodus 3.20; 4.21). These were manifestations of authority, not mere natural phenomena.

Succession and evolution of wounds

The first three wounds are caused by Moses« brother Aaron, who »took his staff and stretched out his hand over the waters of the Egyptians” (Exodus 7:14-25; 8:1-11; 8:12-15). In the group of the following three wounds, the first two are caused by God and the third by Moses (Exodus 8:16-28; 9:1-7; 9:8-12). The other three wounds by Moses are caused by him extending his hand with his staff (Exodus 9:22–23; 10:12–13; 10:21; and the last without any mention of him).
Hailstones, locusts, etc.… None of these phenomena were new to the Egyptians, but they occurred with extraordinary intensity while sparing the Hebrews. The Ten Plagues all have a meaning: they demonstrate the power of God and the nullity of idolatry. The biblical scholars estimate the negotiation between Moses and Pharaoh over a period of about two years. In the face of Pharaoh’s refusal to let the people of Israel go, the Ten Plagues (literally ten «strokes») fell upon the land, affecting nature, the climate, and the people. These plagues are a response not only to the various idols of Egypt but also a very powerful teaching for the Hebrew people and for all of humanity:

«…You will have no other gods before my face.
You shall not make for yourselves any carved images, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them…» (Exodus 20. 3-4).

At the tenth plague, Pharaoh capitulates and finally allows the Hebrew people to depart. According to the Bible, after the «dry» crossing of the Sea of the Chones, which closes in on the Egyptian army that was launched to pursue them, Moses leads the twelve tribes into the desert, towards Canaan, under the orders of the Lord.

Here is the list of the Ten Wounds and their meanings