8 And Jehovah saith unto Moses and unto Aaron, 'Take to you the fulness of your hands 'of' soot of a furnace, and Moses hath sprinkled it towards the heavens, before the eyes of Pharaoh, 9 and it hath become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and it hath become on man and on cattle a boil breaking forth 'with' blains, in all the land of Egypt.' 10 And they take the soot of the furnace, and stand before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkleth it towards the heavens, and it is a boil 'with' blains, breaking forth, on man and on beast; 11 and the scribes have not been able to stand before Moses, because of the boil, for the boil hath been on the scribes, and on all the Egyptians. 12 And Jehovah strengtheneth the heart of Pharaoh, and he hath not hearkened unto them, as Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Exodus 9:8-12
Commentary on Exodus 9:8-12
(Read Exodus 9:8-12)
When the Egyptians were not wrought upon by the death of their cattle, God sent a plague that seized their own bodies. If lesser judgments do not work, God will send greater. Sometimes God shows men their sin in their punishment. They had oppressed Israel in the furnaces, and now the ashes of the furnace are made a terror to them. The plague itself was very grievous. The magicians themselves were struck with these boils. Their power was restrained before; but they continued to withstand Moses, and to confirm Pharaoh in his unbelief, till they were forced to give way. Pharaoh continued obstinate. He had hardened his own heart, and now God justly gave him up to his own heart's lusts, permitting Satan to blind and harden him. If men shut their eyes against the light, it is just with God to close their eyes. This is the sorest judgment a man can be under out of hell.