Exodus 9 covers the fifth, sixth and seventh plagues on Egypt: the death of livestock, the boils, and the hail that tore through the land, along with Pharaoh’s repeated refusal to let the Israelites go. These questions are written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each set moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how it shapes daily life.
Exodus 9 at a Glance
The chapter opens with God sending Moses back to Pharaoh with a clear message: let my people go, or the plagues will fall. The livestock plague follows, and God makes a clear distinction between Israel and Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart remains hard, so God sends boils, then a hail storm more severe than any Egypt had known, which strikes the field and the people who did not heed the warning.
The chapter ends with Pharaoh admitting sin, asking for prayer, and then hardening his heart again once the storm stops. Moses’s calm authority and Pharaoh’s shifting words give the story its tension, and the closing verses remind readers that God’s purposes do not depend on Pharaoh’s cooperation.
Observation Questions
Use these questions to slow the group down and anchor everyone in what the text actually says before anyone offers an interpretation. Read the relevant verses aloud before discussing each one, and ask participants to point to specific words rather than summarizing from memory.
Exodus 9:3-4
3 Behold, the LORD’s hand is on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks with a very grievous pestilence. 4 The LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt; and nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’”
(WEB)
Read this aloud early to set up the contrast between Israel and Egypt, which runs through the whole chapter. Ask the group to listen for the words “distinction” and “nothing shall die,” and let those words frame the discussion.
Exodus 9:16
But indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth…
(WEB)
This verse gives the purpose behind Pharaoh’s story and is worth reading slowly. It invites the group to consider how God’s power and name are made known through events that look, from our side, like struggle or delay.
Exodus 9:20-21
20 Those who feared the LORD’s word among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses. 21 Whoever didn’t respect the LORD’s word left his servants and his livestock in the field.
(WEB)
Reading these two verses together shows two responses to the same warning, side by side. They give the group a concrete picture of what reverent attention to God’s word looks like in practical terms.
Exodus 9:27-28
27 Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray to the LORD; for there has been enough of mighty thunderings and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
(WEB)
Pharaoh’s confession is worth hearing in his own words before the group discusses it. Read it aloud so people can weigh his tone and his request for prayer for themselves.
Exodus 9:29
Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands to the LORD. The thunders shall cease, and there will not be any more hail; that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
(WEB)
Moses’ statement that the earth is the LORD’s is a short, clear line that suits a closing discussion. Reading it near the end helps the group leave the session with God’s ownership of all things in view.
Memory Verse for Exodus 9
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you thankful that the earth is yours and that nothing in our lives escapes your care. Thank you for the way you made a difference between your people and the world around them, and for the promise that your purposes stand even when rulers resist. Soften our hearts where they have grown stubborn, and make us quick to heed your word when it comes to us in warning or in grace. Help us to turn from our own patterns of quick apology and slow change, and give us the courage to take the next faithful step. Make your name known through our lives, and let us trust you in the places we cannot see. Amen.
