See note Exo. 5:2¹.

In the third group of three plagues, God altered some of the principles of nature. In this, the seventh, plague He changed the function of the rain so that it no longer watered the earth to produce life but became hail to damage the produce of the earth, and it no longer quenched people’s thirst but killed them. Moreover, the hail was mingled with fire (v. 24), indicating again that God had changed one of the natural principles that govern the earth.

On the one hand, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart; on the other hand, He made Pharaoh stand. Because God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, Pharaoh would not submit to God’s dealings. Furthermore, realizing that Pharaoh, in himself, was not strong enough to stand against Him, God made him stand that He might have the opportunity to show His power and have His name proclaimed throughout all the earth (cf. Rom. 9:17). Pharaoh was never fully subdued by God; however, he was sovereignly used by God to fulfill God’s purpose. See note Exo. 14:4^1a.

Lit., your heart.

On the one hand, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exo. 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8); on the other hand, Pharaoh himself hardened his heart (Exo. 8:15, 32; 9:34). This indicates both that God is sovereign (Rom. 9:14-24) and that man has a free will created by God and is therefore responsible for his actions. God’s sovereignty and man’s free will correspond and are not contradictory. God first hardened Pharaoh’s heart in His sovereignty (Exo. 4:21), and Pharaoh carried out this hardening through his own free will. Because Pharaoh hardened his heart, eventually his heart hardened, i.e., became hard, and remained hard (Exo. 7:13, 22; 8:19; 9:35).

At the end of the fifth plague all the resources of Egypt had been judged by God. Nevertheless, the ashes, the remainder of things burned, still had to be dealt with. This indicates that anything that remains of our fallen life must be judged by God. When the ashes were sprinkled into the air by Moses and Aaron, they became dust that caused boils. In the eyes of God, everything related to the Egyptian living, the living of the world, must be exposed and judged thoroughly. Even the “ashes,” the remains of sinful things, must be judged. Nothing of the life of the world should remain.

When He comes in to judge the world according to His righteousness, God still takes care of His people in order to fulfill His desire to have a dwelling place on earth (v. 26; 11:7; 12:13, 23; cf. Rev. 7).

The animals killed by this plague were used for both transportation and food. Thus, through this plague God judged both the transportation and the food in Egypt, indicating that the means of transportation and the way of eating in the world will be judged by God. Because the livestock belonged to the Egyptians, they were implicated in the sin of the Egyptians; hence, the livestock of the Egyptians were also subject to the righteous judgment of God.