Gospel Gazette Online
Volume 26 Number 2 February 2024
Page 16

Questions and Answers

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What Are the Names of the
Egyptian Gods Corresponding
to the 10 Plagues?

Louis Rushmore, Editor

There are numerous resources discoverable by a search on the Internet, which supply names of Egyptian gods that may correspond to the 10 plagues about which one reads in the Bible. However, they sometimes vary from each other. In addition, more than one of the Egyptian gods and goddesses could relate to some of the plagues.

Upon review of the plagues, several distinguish between afflictions that fell upon the Egyptians that were withheld from the Israelites (Exodus 11:7). All of the plagues, and especially considered as a whole, amply demonstrate divine power that cannot be matched by mortals. “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God’…” (Exodus 8:19 NKJV). Pharaoh’s magicians could not compete with divine, truly miraculous power! Each of the 10 plagues proved that the God of the Israelites or of the Hebrews (Exodus 7:16) – the only true God – is supreme and without any rivals. “…against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord” (Exodus 12:12).

Resources consulted appear at the end of the article, but many more could also have been examined. One reference work appropriately titled its chart, “Egyptian Gods Against Whom the Plagues Were Possibly Directed” (emphasis added). This accounts for variations between resources and acknowledges a degree of subjectivity or reliance upon educated conjectures. Following are some of the extrapolations regarding the idol gods of the Egyptians over whom Almighty God exercised greater power through the 10 plagues.

  1. Nile River to Blood: Turning the Nile River to blood manifested power over “Hapi (also called Apis), the bull god, god of the Nile; Isis, goddess of the Nile; Khnum, ram god, guardian of the Nile; others” (“What the Bible Tells…” emphasis added). Several Egyptian gods and goddesses overlapped in matters attributed to them and relative to the 10 plagues. The Egyptians also considered the Nile to be the bloodstream of Osiris (Barnes). Plague one appears in Exodus 7:14-25.
  2. The Plague of Frogs: “Heqet, goddess of birth, with a frog head” was overshadowed by the power of God. Barnes noted that Hapi along with Heqet were frog goddesses as well as thought to be responsible for fertility and reproduction. This plague occurs in Exodus 8:1-15.
  3. The Plague of Lice: Seb or Geb was an earth god for Egypt. Some prefer the rendering of “gnats” (e.g., ESV, NIV, YLT),  rather than “lice” (e.g., KJV, NKJV, ASV) and associate the Egyptian god, Set, with plague #3. Set was the idol god of the desert, of disorder, of storms and of war. This plague appears in Exodus 8:16-19.
  4. The Plague of Flies: Uatchit was the fly god of Egypt, but he could not resist God. Read about plague #4 in Exodus 8:20-32.
  5. The Plague Causing the Death of Livestock: Hathor was a goddess with a cow head, and Apis was the bull god. Other gods may have had a relationship to livestock, too. Exodus 9:1-7 discloses this plague.
  6. The Plague Resulting in Boils: Isis was the god over healing and likely the chief deity overcome by Almighty God. Additional pseudo deities may also have been proven to be inept. Exodus 9:8-12 details this plague.
  7. The Plague of Hail: Nut, the sky goddess, and Osiris, god of the crops, may have been the helpless gods overpowered by the one true God. Read about this plague in Exodus 9:13-35.
  8. The Plague of the Locusts: Again, Nut, the sky goddess, and Osiris, god of the crops, may be the Egyptian gods routed by the God of the Hebrews. Exodus 10:1-20 tells about this plague.
  9. The Plague of Darkness: Ra or Re was the sun god of ancient Egypt, and Horus was a god of the sky. Neither were able to repel the power of the true God. Either or both of these gods, as well as others, were defeated by God. Read about plague #9 in Exodus 10:21-29.
  10. The Plague Taking the Lives of the Firstborn: Pharaoh as well as his firstborn son were themselves considered gods of Egypt. The pharaohs of Egypt also were unable to thwart the great and only true God. Exodus 12:29-36 chronicles this final plague.

Assigning various ancient Egyptian gods to each of the 10 plagues is a plausible but an uncertain undertaking. There is no age-old, definitive list among archaeological discoveries or in historical narratives that concisely and authoritatively matches each of the plagues with the Egyptian gods and goddesses. We can surmise, suspect or speculate such a correlation, and in many instances, we may be right. Study a little about the plagues and the ancient Egyptian gods to form your own conclusion on the matter.

Works Cited and Consulted

“10 Egyptian Plagues for 10 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses.” Owlcation. 13 Oct 2023. 1 Jul 2024. <https://owlcation.com/humanities/Ten-Plagues-For-Ten-Gods>.

Barnes, Donnie S. “The 10 Plagues: Jehovah Versus the Gods of Egypt.” <https://www.biblecharts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-10-Plagues-Jehovah-Versus-the-Gods-of-Egypt.pdf>.

Hendrickson, Daniel. “Exodus 7-11: God’s Judgement on Egypt.” Calvary Chapel. 29 Jun 2024. <https://www.calvarypalosverdes.com/blog/exodus7-11#:~:text=Judgement%20on%20the%20Egyptian%20gods&text=The%20plague%20of%20blood%20was,Ra%2C%20the%20god%20the%20sun>.

“What the Bible Tells Us About the 10 Plagues of Egypt.” Zondervan Academic 2 May 2018. 1 Jul 2024. <https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/what-the-bible-tells-us-about-the-10-plagues-of-egypt>.

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