What does the phrase "This is the finger of God" mean in this passage?

When the magicians said, “This is the finger of God,” they were admitting that what happened with the lice was beyond their tricks and power. They had copied the earlier signs in some way, but with the lice they could not. The sudden change of dust into living creatures showed that only the true God, who made everything, could do this. So that phrase points to God’s direct action. Even people who served false gods had to confess that a greater power was at work, and that Pharaoh was now resisting the true God, not just people.

Why could the Egyptian magicians not produce lice like they did the earlier signs?

The magicians tried to bring forth lice with their enchantments but failed. This shows that their power was limited and depended on what God allowed. God used something as small and common as dust and lice to shame their proud wisdom. Earlier they seemed able to copy some signs, which might have kept Pharaoh from taking God’s warnings seriously. Here God stopped them, so they had to admit His hand was in it. Their failure left Pharaoh without excuse, because even his own advisors said God was acting.

Why did God spare the land of Goshen from the swarms of flies?

God said He would “sever” or set apart the land of Goshen, where His people lived, so that no swarms of flies would be there. This was not just to make life easier for Israel, but to show that He knows and marks out His own people. The same God who sends judgment can also hold it back. By doing this, God showed He rules over all the land and can draw a clear line between those who belong to Him and those who fight against Him. It was a sign that He was present and caring for Israel in the middle of Egypt’s trouble.

Why did Pharaoh try to make a compromise about where Israel should sacrifice?

When the flies made life miserable, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and first said they could sacrifice “in the land.” He wanted to keep control and not truly let them go. Moses replied that this was not right, because Israel would sacrifice animals that the Egyptians treated as sacred and hated to see killed, which could lead to violence against them. God had said they must go into the wilderness. Pharaoh’s offer shows how a person can admit some truth and yet still try to keep their own way, instead of fully submitting to what God has clearly said.

What does this passage show about the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart?

In these verses Pharaoh sees more clear signs of God’s power. His own magicians admit God is at work. He begs Moses to pray for him and even promises to let the people go. But once the flies are gone, he hardens his heart again and refuses. This shows that being frightened by trouble is not the same as real repentance. A hard heart can be moved for a moment, yet go back to its old way as soon as the pain is removed. The story warns that repeated refusal to listen to God can make a person more stubborn, not softer.

What does this passage teach about God’s power over creation?

God turns dust into lice that cover people and animals, and He sends swarms of flies that fill homes and spoil the land. Then, at Moses’ prayer, He removes the flies so completely that “there remained not one.” All this shows that every part of creation is under God’s command, from the smallest insect to whole swarms. He can use low and despised creatures as tools to judge proud nations. At the same time, He can set limits so that the plagues reach Egypt but stop at Goshen. Nothing in creation is outside His rule.

Why did Moses insist on going three days' journey into the wilderness to worship?

Moses was not just choosing a random place. God had said that His people were to go out and serve Him away from Egypt. Worship was to be done as God commanded, not on Pharaoh’s terms. Also, the animals Israel would sacrifice were regarded as sacred by the Egyptians, so offering them in Egypt would stir anger and likely violence. By insisting on going into the wilderness, Moses showed that God’s people must be free from the control of idol worship and human pressure when they serve God. True worship cannot be shaped by fear of man.

How does God answer Moses’ prayer in this passage?

Pharaoh asks Moses to pray for him so that the swarms of flies will stop. Moses warns Pharaoh not to deceive God again, then goes out and prays. God listens and does exactly what Moses asked, removing the flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people, so that not one is left. This shows that God is ready to listen when His servant calls on Him, even on behalf of someone as stubborn as Pharaoh. It also underlines that the timing and ending of the plagues are in God’s hand, not chance, and that He responds to real intercession.

What was happening in Egypt when God sent the lice and swarms of flies?

At this point, Egypt was already under judgment from earlier plagues, and Pharaoh had been warned several times to let Israel go to serve God. God then told Moses to have Aaron strike the dust so that it became lice on people and animals. Later, God warned Pharaoh that if he still refused, He would send swarms of flies that would fill the houses and ruin the land. The flies came heavily on the Egyptians but not on Israel in Goshen. These events were part of a series of blows meant to humble Egypt and force Pharaoh to release God’s people.

How can this passage about lice and flies apply to my life today?

This passage reminds you that God is not weak or distant. He rules even the smallest parts of life and can use simple things to shake human pride. It also warns against a heart like Pharaoh’s, that cries out when life is hard but goes back to the old way once the trouble passes. When God sends warnings or makes you see your sin, the right response is not to bargain with Him but to obey what He has clearly said. It also encourages you that God knows how to keep and mark out His people, even while judgment falls around them.

Exod.8.16

Exodus 8:16

KJV GOD

¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

The Third Plague: Gnats

¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.

¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.

And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us.

And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.

And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.

And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord.

And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.