The KJV Holy Bible

 

Exodus Chapter Eight

 

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:

3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:

4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.

5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.

6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord.

9 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

10 And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God.

11 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.

12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.

13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.

14 And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.

16 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.

17 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.

18 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.

19 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.

20 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.

21 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.

22 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.

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

24 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.

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

26 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?

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

28 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.

29 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.

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

31 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.

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

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Exodus: The Psychic Swarm and the False Compromise of the Ego

"Exodus Chapter Eight escalates the Alchemical pressure upon the Lower Ego through the successive Plagues of Frogs, Lice, and Flies. Esoterically, these plagues Represent the Uncontrolled Manifestation of base, chaotic Thoughts and parasitic Emotional states that naturally arise when the physical vessel is stripped of its Divine Equilibrium. As the Spiritual Will applies intense heat to the Unredeemed Mind, the ego desperately attempts to negotiate, offering partial surrender while secretly plotting to maintain its earthly throne. This chapter maps the Absolute Exhaustion of the carnal Intellect and the futility of trying to compromise with the Higher Self."

 

 

Verses 1-7: The Plague of Frogs and the Invasion of the Astral - "And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him... I will smite all thy borders with frogs: And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed... And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt." 

Frogs are amphibious creatures, crossing fluidly between water (the Astral/Emotional plane) and land (the physical/material plane). Esoterically, they represent base, croaking, repetitive lower Thoughts that emerge from the turbulent Emotional waters to completely overrun the Conscious Mind. The ego’s most sacred and private spaces (the house, the bedchamber) are invaded by this chaotic noise, proving that without the Supreme Control of the Spiritual Will, the lower Mind is completely defenseless against its own generated Psychic clutter and uncontrolled desires.

 

 

Verses 8-15: The Respite and the Ego's False Repentance - "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me... And when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said." 

The lower ego cannot tolerate the Extreme Psychological discomfort of its own chaotic state. In a moment of weakness, Pharaoh begs the Spiritual Will (Moses) for relief. However, this reveals a Profound Truth about the carnal Mind: it possesses no genuine desire for Spiritual Liberation, only a desire for comfort. Once the Will removes the immediate Alchemical friction (the respite), the ego instantly forgets its vulnerability and crystallizes its resistance once again. The physical Mind will always attempt to reassert its dominance the moment the pressure of Spiritual Discipline is lifted.

 

 

Verses 16-19: The Plague of Lice and the Limit of the Earthly Intellect - "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 the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not... Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened..." 

Dust represents the most dense, foundational matter of the physical plane. Striking the dust and turning it into lice (parasites) symbolizes the Realization that Purely Material Pursuits Ultimately Drain and Feed off the Vitality of the Soul. At this precise Alchemical stage, the ego's Magicians (the lower, rationalizing intellect) finally hit their absolute limit—they cannot replicate this transmutation. The carnal Intellect is forced to admit that the Power of the Higher Self ("the finger of God") completely supersedes its earthly illusions. Yet, driven by blind pride, the ego (Pharaoh) stubbornly refuses to accept this Undeniable Truth.

 

 

Verses 20-24: The Plague of Flies and the Separation of Goshen - "...else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee... And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there... that thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth." 

Flies represent Spiritual Decay, Putrefaction, and the Restless, Buzzing Distraction of the physical senses that constantly feed on dead matter. As this Psychic decay overwhelms the ego, the Divine establishes a critical Psychological separation: the land of Goshen, where the Spiritual Faculties (the Israelites) reside, is completely protected. This is the Occult Practice of Mental Compartmentalization. The Adept isolates their Highest Spiritual Aspirations in a protected, impenetrable sanctuary of the Mind, ensuring the Divine Spark remains Pure and Undisturbed even while the lower earthly nature is being aggressively purged and tormented.

 

 

Verses 25-32: The Ego's Attempt at Compromise - "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... And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go." 

Desperate and exhausted, the ego tries to negotiate a compromise: "Sacrifice, but stay in the land (Egypt)." It will allow the Adept to practice Spirituality, but only if that Spirituality remains confined within the limits and structures of the material, earthly Mind. The Spiritual Will flatly rejects this trap, Knowing that True Divine Realization demands Absolute Separation from earthly attachments. Giving the ego even a fraction of an inch allows it to eventually reclaim total control, resulting in Pharaoh once again locking down the human Temple.