The hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field. The hand of God — used throughout the plague narrative as the primary image of divine action — here produces plague on the animals of the field. The field (sadeh) as distinct from the stable or pen means the animals most exposed, least protected by any human structure. The plague will reach the animals where they are most vulnerable. Psalm 50:10–11 declares that every animal of the forest is God's, the cattle on a thousand hills; the God who owns every animal in Egypt is now striking them with disease. The livestock are not guilty of anything; their death is the economic consequence of their owner's choices. Proverbs 14:4 observes that an empty stable means no crops; the fifth plague ensures that Pharaoh's stables will soon be empty.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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