VaEra

Back

Forward


9:8

9:9

9:8	God said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take a handful of furnace soot and throw it up in the air before Pharaoh's eyes. Vayomer Adonay el-Moshe ve'el-Aharon kechu lachem melo chofneychem piach kivshan uzrako Moshe hashamaymah le'eyney Far'oh.
9:9	It will settle as dust on all Egypt, and when it falls on man or beast anywhere in Egypt, it will cause a rash breaking out into boils.' Vehayah le'avak al kol-erets Mitsrayim vehayah al-ha'adam ve'al-habehemah lishchin pore'ach avabu'ot bechol-erets Mitsrayim.

Commentary:

handful
A double handful, where both hands are placed together and filled (cf. Leviticus 16:12; Ibn Ezra ad loc.; Rashi here translates it as joinchiez, a 'joined handful.'

soot
(Rashi; Hirsch; Septuagint). Or, 'ashes' (Targum Yonathan; Vulgate), or 'cinders' or 'embers' (rescoldo in Spanish; Radak, Sherashim). Some sources state that it is the white ash that forms on burning embers (Lekach Tov; Sekhel Tov).

boils
(Hirsch). Or 'blisters' (Sekhel Tov). Others have, 'boils breaking into open sores' (Septuagint). (See Bava Kama 80b).

Notice: This computer program is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this program, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law.