The Ten Plagues of Egypt and Their Spiritual Targets
A Biblical Look at God’s Judgment on the gods of Egypt
The Exodus story is more than a series of ancient disasters. It’s a spiritual showdown. Each plague was a verdict against Egypt’s spiritual rulers, culminating in God’s final judgment in the death of the firstborn. But understanding this requires us to talk about a word we often misunderstand: god.
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” — Exodus 12:12
God Himself says these plagues were directed against all the gods of Egypt. But what does that mean?
Why We Avoid the Word “god” for Others
The passage in Exodus 12:12 makes it clear that God was targeting Egypt’s spiritual powers. But to understand the weight of that statement, we need to examine what Scripture actually means by the word “god.” We often avoid using the word “god” for any being other than the LORD, even though Scripture itself sometimes does. This isn’t about rewriting the Bible. It’s about clarity in modern language.
Michael Heiser, in his work on the unseen realm, explains that in Hebrew the word elohim is not a claim of equal power or worthiness. It simply refers to any inhabitant of the spiritual realm; whether that’s YHWH, angels, demons, the disembodied dead, or false gods of the nations.
What makes the God of Israel unique is not just that He is an elohim, but that He is the Creator of all elohim, eternal, uncreated, all-powerful, and sovereign over both the spiritual and earthly realms. All other elohim are contingent, created beings.
This is why, in everyday speech, we prefer terms like divine beings, spiritual rulers, or false gods rather than just “god.” Using “god” without qualification risks placing created beings and the Creator in the same mental category, something Scripture itself works to dismantle.
The Ten Plagues as Judgments on Egypt’s elohim
The 10 plagues of Egypt, as described in the Book of Exodus, can be interpreted as judgments against the gods of Egypt, showcasing the superiority of the God of Israel over the Egyptian deities. Here is a breakdown of each plague and the corresponding Egyptian god it may have been directed against:
First Blood (Rods to Serpents)
Targeted Gods
Nehebkau: Known to be a giant snake that traversed the primeval waters, this serpent god became associated with the Egyptian sun god, Ra, following the world’s creation. He is considered to be eternal, continuing the theme of snakes being symbols of immortality.
According to the Coffin Text Spells (ancient Egyptian mythological accounts inscribed around 2100 B.C.E.) Nehebkau swallowed seven cobras, giving him power against harm from any magic.
Nehebkau was also a central god to the Egyptian afterlife his job was to reunite the dead with their living soul. That’s why it is significant that this miracle occurred first, before the ensuing fatal plagues.
Wadjet: This Egyptian cobra goddess on our list is known to be guardian of childbirth and children. Later depictions associate Wadjet with the protection of the pharaohs.
Renenutet: In the Underworld, she is known to take the shape of a humongous serpent that breathes fire.
Renenutet is not one to be trifled with: In the Underworld, she is known to take the shape of a humongous serpent that breathes fire.
Apep: Best known as “lord of chaos” or “god of death”.
As one of the first Egyptian deities to have existed, he is oftentimes described to be a giant, malevolent serpent deity.
On the other hand, a few renditions do portray him as a crocodile. Although symbols of power, reptiles were heavily associated with rebirth as well. Ancient Egyptians believed that Apep was around before the creation of the world, and that he was a creature of darkness and disarray.
I. Water Turned to Blood (Exodus 7:14-24)
Targeted Gods:
Hapi: The god of the Nile, responsible for the annual flooding that deposited
rich silt on the banks, essential for agriculture.)Osiris: The god of the underworld, associated with the Nile, which was
considered his bloodstream.Khnum: The guardian of the Nile sources.
Tauret: Goddess of the river and childbirth, often associated with the
Nile.Sobek: The crocodile god, associated with the Nile and its creatures.
Wadjet: The cobra goddess, protector of Lower Egypt, often associated
with the Nile delta.
Explanation:
The Nile, essential for Egyptian life, was turned to blood, challenging the
gods responsible for the river's sustenance and life-giving properties.By turning the Nile's waters to blood, the plague directly challenged the
gods associated with the river, demonstrating their inability to protect or
purify their most vital resource as well as the creatures living within it.The Nile turning to blood would symbolize Wadjet’s failure
to protect her domain.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Anhur: A god of war and the sky, whose domain includes the natural
order, which was disrupted by the transformation of the Nile.Nephthys: Goddess of the rivers and mourning. The Nile turning to blood
could signify the destruction of life and invoke mourning.Ma'at: Goddess of truth, balance, and order. The chaos introduced by the
bloodied Nile would challenge her principles of order.
II. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
Targeted Gods:
Heket: The goddess of fertility, depicted with a frog’s head, symbolizing
life and fertility.Khnum: The ram-headed god, creator of human bodies, was also linked
to water.
Explanation:
The plague of frogs, which came from the Nile, would challenge
Khnum’s creative and sustaining powers.Frogs were sacred and symbolized fertility; their overwhelming presence
turned them from symbols of blessing to a curse, undermining Heqet's positive association with fertility and renewal.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Neith: Goddess of creation and war, associated with the primordial waters
of creation, which the Nile symbolizes. The plague could challenge her
creative aspects.Mehet-Weret: Primordial goddess of creation, depicted as a cow
emerging from the primordial waters. The plague of frogs arising from the
Nile could disrupt her association with life-giving waters.
III. Gnats/Lice (Exodus 8:16-19)
Targeted Gods:
Geb: The god of the earth, associated with the land and soil.
Shu: God of the air and wind.
Explanation:
Gnats or lice came from the dust of the earth, showing the impotence of
Geb in protecting the land from becoming a source of torment. This plague also demonstrated Geb's inability to maintain the sanctity and purity of the earth.The emergence of gnats or lice from the dust when seen as a
disturbance of the air and earth, implicates gods like Shu who are
associated with the air.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Aker: An earth god who guards the gateway to the underworld. The earth
producing gnats or lice could challenge his protective role.Amentet: Goddess of the underworld and the west. The gnats or lice
coming from the earth could symbolize a failure to control the boundaries
of life and death.
IV. Flies (Exodus 8:20-32)
Targeted Gods:
Khepri: The god of creation, movement of the Sun, and rebirth, often depicted
as a scarab beetle.Uatchit: Often depicted as a fly or associated with flies, she was a
symbol of protection.
Explanation
The plague of flies represented chaos and decay, challenging Khepri's (who was supposed to protect against such chaos and decay) power over creation and order.
The plague of flies would have shown Uatchit's inability to protect the
Egyptians from this overwhelming pestilence.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Renpet: Goddess of time, growth, and seasons. The disruption caused by
the flies could symbolize a breakdown in the orderly progression of time
and seasons she oversees.Wepwawet: God of war and funerary rites, depicted as a wolf. The flies
could represent decay and the failure to maintain the sanctity of the land
and the dead.
V. Death of Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7)
Targeted Gods:
Hathor: The goddess of love and protection, depicted as a cow,
symbolizing fertility and motherhood.Apis: The sacred bull god, an embodiment of strength and fertility.
Ptah: Sometimes associated with Apis as the creator god, linked to crafts
and creation.
Explanation
The death of livestock attacked the gods associated with animals and
fertility, undermining their power and influence. It also challenged these gods' ability to protect and sustain cattle, which were vital for the economy and religious sacrifices.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Hesat: A cow goddess associated with motherhood and nourishment. The
death of livestock, especially cattle, could undermine her nurturing role.Bat: An early cow goddess similar to Hathor. The death of livestock
challenges her role in fertility and nourishment.
VI. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
Targeted Gods:
Sekhmet: The goddess of healing and war, known for her power to cause and cure epidemics.
Sunu: The god of pestilence & healing.
Isis: The goddess of medicine, peace, and healing.
Imhotep: Deified as a god of medicine and healing.
Thoth: God of wisdom, science, and medicine. His wisdom would be
seen as ineffective against the plague of boils.
Explanation:
The outbreak of boils demonstrated the inability of these healing deities to
protect the Egyptians from disease and challenged these gods by showing their inability to prevent or cure the disease.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Nefertem: God of healing, beauty, and perfume. The outbreak of boils
would challenge his healing and beautifying powers.Heka: God of magic and medicine. The boils would undermine his power
to heal and protect through magical means.
VII. Hail (Exodus 9:13-35)
Targeted Gods:
Nut: The sky goddess, responsible for the heavens and weather.
Seth: The god of storms, disorder, and chaos.
Tefnut: Goddess of moisture, rain, and fertility.
Explanation:
The devastating hailstorm highlighted the impotence of Nut and Seth in
controlling the weather and protecting Egypt from natural disasters.The destructive hail, a form of precipitation, would challenge Tefnut's role
in managing and providing beneficial moisture for the land.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Amun: A major deity who merged with Ra to become Amun-Ra, originally
a god of the air and wind. The hailstorm would represent a failure of his
protective and nurturing aspects.Mut: A mother goddess associated with the sky. The hailstorm would
challenge her protective aspects over the heavens.
VIII. Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
Targeted Gods:
Seth: The god of storms, disorder, & chaos; also indirectly linked to crops.
Neper: The god of grain, responsible for the prosperity of the harvest.
Min: .God of fertility and vegetation.
Renenutet: Goddess of the harvest and nourishment.
Serapis: A god associated with fertility and healing, later syncretized with
Greek deities.Osiris: The god of the afterlife and resurrection, also associated with grain
and fertility.Anubis: Protector of the dead, also associated with the fields and the
harvest.
Explanation:
The devastation of the crops by locusts would challenge Osiris’s
ability to ensure the fertility of the land.The locusts devoured the crops, representing a direct attack on the gods
of agriculture and the harvest. Revealing the inability of these
agricultural deities to protect the harvest.The locusts devouring crops would indicate the inability of Min and
Renenutet to protect and ensure the fertility of the fields and the provision
of food.The destruction of crops by locusts would challenge Serapis' role in
ensuring agricultural fertility and health.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Sobek: The locusts would challenge his role in protecting the fertility of
the Nile valley.Nehebkau: A serpent god who guards and provides for the afterlife. The
devastation of crops would undermine the sustenance he is supposed to
provide.
IX. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29)
Targeted God:
Ra: The sun god and one of the most important deities in the Egyptian
pantheon, symbolizing light and life.Amun-Ra: Regarded as king of the gods and the chief national deity of Egypt.
Horus: A sky god associated with the Sun.
Thoth: God of the moon, wisdom, and writing.
Explanation:
The plague of darkness directly challenged Ra's power, showing that
even one of the most powerful gods in the Egyptian pantheon could be overruled.The plague of darkness was a direct affront to Ra and Horus, showing
that the God of Israel could eclipse the might of the Egyptian sun gods.The prolonged darkness would challenge not only the sun gods but also
deities like Thoth, who were associated with celestial bodies and cosmic
order.The “king of the gods” Amun-Ra could not even shine light on his people. Cosmic order supposedly upheld by him was in the hands of Israel’s God. Showing that even Egypt’s highest divine authority was subject to the Creator’s will.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged
Khonsu: God of the moon and time, whose light was entirely eclipsed
during the three days of darkness.Mafdet: Goddess of justice and order, who might be seen as unable to
maintain the cosmic order disrupted by the darkness.Anubis: Although primarily the god of mummification and the afterlife, he
was also associated with the night. The prolonged darkness would
challenge his control over the realms of the dead and the night.
X. Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 11:1-12:36)
Targeted Gods:
Pharaoh himself: Considered a god himself and the divine son of Ra.
Isis: Goddess of protection and fertility.
Hathor: Goddess of protection and fertility.
Meskhenet: Goddess of childbirth.
Bes: Protector of households, mothers, and children.
Khnum: Creator god who forms children on his potter's wheel, his
creative power was proven powerless in the face of the death of the
firstborn.
Explanation:
The death of the firstborn struck at the heart of Egyptian society, showing
the impotence of Pharaoh and the protective gods over the most intimate
aspects of life and death.The death of the firstborn would strike at the heart of family and lineage,
showing the inability of gods like Meskhenet and Bes to protect the most
vulnerable and cherished members of society.
Additional Deities Potentially Challenged:
Bastet: Goddess of home, fertility, and childbirth, unable to protect the
firstborn.Neith: War goddess, also a protector of the home and family, challenged
by the destruction of families.Nephthys: Protective goddess of the dead, unable to prevent widespread
death.Bes: God of households, childbirth, and infants, whose protection was
rendered ineffective by the death of the firstborn.Qebehsenuef: One of the Four Sons of Horus, protector of the intestines
and a guardian of the deceased. The plague would challenge his role in
safeguarding the living and the dead.Taweret: A protective goddess of childbirth and fertility. The death of the
firstborn would challenge her protective role over infants and mothers.Selqet: Scorpion goddess of healing and protection, especially during
childbirth. The plague would show her inability to protect the most
vulnerable.
These interpretations highlight the theological message that the God of Israel was superior to the Egyptian deities, each plague systematically undermining the authority and power of specific gods within the Egyptian pantheon. Each of these plagues can be seen as a direct challenge to the power and authority of the wide array of gods in the Egyptian pantheon, emphasizing the theme that the God of Israel was superior to all the deities worshiped by the Egyptians.
Why This Matters
Following Michael Heiser’s insight, these “gods” (elohim) were real spiritual beings but not rivals to YHWH in power or nature. In Hebrew thought, elohim simply means an inhabitant of the spiritual realm. Only the God of Israel is uncreated, infinite, and sovereign.
The plagues were a courtroom demonstration: YHWH was not merely winning against competitors, He was exposing pretenders. Each act was a visible, historical proof that the One True God rules over all other beings, in heaven or on earth.
Modern “Egyptian Gods”
The plagues were not just ancient history, they were a pattern. God still dismantles false objects of trust today.
In Egypt, the elohim behind the idols promised life, security, and prosperity. Today, our “Egyptian gods” rarely take the shape of carved statues, but they still demand worship:
Wealth as our Nile: the thing we think sustains us.
Politics and power as our Pharaoh: the one we think will save us.
Pleasure and comfort as our Hathor: the goddess of good feelings.
Technology and science as our Thoth: the source of wisdom we imagine is ultimate.
Like Egypt’s gods, these modern idols can be real spiritual influences, but they are not the Creator. They can be taken down in an instant.
The message of Exodus 12:12 still stands:
“Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”
Michael Heiser’s reminder should ring in our ears: many beings may inhabit the spiritual realm, but only one is the eternal, uncreated, all-powerful God. Every other elohim, ancient or modern, bows before Him.
Disclaimer:
The list of targeted Egyptian deities in connection with each plague is my own compilation, based on historical research, biblical study, and interpretive connections. It is not flawless and should not be taken as an infallible or definitive identification of each deity. Some connections may be debated by scholars, may include misinterpretations, or reflect limited historical data. The intent is to provide a thoughtful framework for reflection, not an authoritative reconstruction of ancient Egyptian religion. — This article was polished with the help of AI tools to improve clarity and flow.
Change Your Mind?
If you ever decide this content isn’t for you, you can unsubscribe with the link below at any time.