2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them,
Rashi
Hold them—As in (Deu 25:11), “and take hold of his private parts.”
but for those who are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ROM 2:8
John Gill
But for those who are contentious—This is a description of the other sort of persons to whom God will render according to their deeds, “who are of the contention”; who contend for victory, and not truth; strive about words to no profit; are quarrelsome, and sow discord among men, and in churches.
And do not obey the truth—Neither attend to the light of nature, and to that which may be known of God by it; nor regard and submit to the gospel revelation and so design both the Gentiles, which knew not God, and Jews, and others, who obey not the gospel.
But obey unrighteousness—Are servants of sin.
Wrath and fury—Wrathful or fiery fury, the hottest of his fury.
21 I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, but she repented not.
John Gill
I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality—Of idolatry. This may have respect to the time of the witnesses, the Waldenses, and others, who bore a testimony against the Romish idolatry, and reproved for it, and denounced the judgment of God in case of impenitence; and as these things were repeated time after time, this may be called a time given to repent in; just as Jezebel had a time given her to repent in, from the time that Elijah declared the word of the Lord, that the dogs should eat her: so the Jews say of the old world, that God gave them “time to repent,” but they repented not.
But she repented not—See (Rev 9:20-21); for the time for, and means leading to repentance may be given, yet if the grace of repentance itself is not given, men, either particular persons, or whole bodies of men, will never repent of their sins. The Alexandrian copy, Complutensian, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read, “but she would not repent.”
22 Behold, I will throw her onto a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, REV 2:21-22
John Gill
Behold, I will throw her onto a bed—Of sickness and languishing; and which denotes the sickly, pining, and languishing state of the church of Rome, as a just retaliation for her bed of luxury and deliciousness, adultery and idolatry, she had indulged herself in; this was threatened, and was yet to come, and began at the time of the Reformation, signified by the next church state; and, ever since, the whore of Rome has been visibly sickening and decaying. The Alexandrian copy reads, “into a prison.”
And those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation—The kings of the earth, and their subjects, who have joined in the idolatries and corruptions of the Romish church (Rev 17:2; 18:3), which may be understood either of that distress and uneasiness the Reformation in some countries gave them; or those outward troubles, wars, and desolations they have been since attended with, particularly the empire of Germany; which has been in great tribulation, formerly by the Turks, and of late by internal broils among themselves, and by the armies of other princes entering into it; or it may regard that eternal vengeance that will be recompensed to all such persons.
Unless they repent of her works—Their spiritual fornication or idolatry, and all the abominations the members of that apostate church are guilty of. There seems to be an allusion in this verse to Ahaziah and Joram, sons of Ahab and Jezebel, who followed their mother’s idolatrous practices, and were cast upon a bed of sickness (2Ki 1:2; 8:29).
They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. REV 16:9
John Gill
They were scorched by the fierce heat—Burned with rage against the followers of Christ; were filled with envy at the success of his gospel, and with fury and madness at the ruinous condition of the antichristian state, being deprived of its head, and chief officers.
And they blasphemed the name of God who had power over these plagues—Plagues or judgments are from God, when and wherever they come; they are sent and inflicted by him, and he can lessen or increase them, continue or remove them, as he pleases; and these, unless sanctified, will not reform men, but harden them, and set them a blaspheming the author of them. And this blasphemy may either respect the nature and perfections of God, charging him with inequality in his ways, and with injustice and unfaithfulness; or the gospel, and the truths of it, which declare his glory, and his greatness; and which will now have a general spread, to the great mortification and confusion of the followers of antichrist.
They did not repent and give him glory—That is, they did not repent of their wicked deeds, their idolatries, murders, sorceries, fornications, and thefts, as in (Rev 9:20-21) so as to own and confess them, which is, the meaning of giving glory to God in repentance; see (Jos 7:19). This shows that repentance is not in man’s power, but in the gift of God’s grace; for though he may give space, yet if he does not give grace to repent, no man will repent; nor will any means of themselves produce it; as not the most powerful and awakening ministry, as the ministry of John the Baptist, and of Christ, and of the gospel preachers that will be in those times, this vial refers to, nor the greatest mercies and favours, so not the severest judgments; see (Amo 6:6-11). The event of this vial, or the plague of it, is applied, by Mr. Daubuz, to the wars between the emperors and the popes, and between the Guelphs and Gibelines.
3 behold, the hand of the Lord will be upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks, a very severe plague.
Rashi
Behold, the hand of the Lord will be—The verb הוֹיָה is in the present tense, for so one says in the feminine gender of the past הָיְתָה, of the future, תִּהְיֶה, and of the present, הוֹיָה, the latter form being similar to עוֹשָֹה and רוֹצָה and רוֹעָה.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. ACT 13:11
4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.
Rashi
וְהִפְלָה means will make a distinction.
5 And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”
63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” MAT 27:63-64
7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. ROM 9:18
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and Moses shall cast it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh.”
Rashi
Handfuls—Old French jaloynes, double handfuls.
Soot from the kiln—The word פִּיחַ denotes a thing which is blown away (נִפָּח) from coals that have become extinguished after being burnt in a kiln; in Old French olbes. פִּיחַ is derived from a root that signifies blowing, and it so called because the wind blows it about and scatters it abroad.
And Moses shall cast it—And anything cast with force must be cast only with one hand. Hence there were here several miracles: one, that Moses single handful held his own double handfuls and those of Aaron, and another, that this dust spread itself over the entire land of Egypt (Midrash Tanchuma, Vaera 14; Shemot Rabbah 11:8).
9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Rashi
Boils—Heb. שְׁחִין, an expression of heat. There are many examples of its use in the language of the Mishnah (Yoma 53b): “a hot (שְחוּנַה) year.”
Boils breaking out in sores—Render it as the Targum does: boils growing sores, through which blisters break out.
So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. REV 16:2
10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast.
Bava Kamma 80b:12
The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. Here it is referring to moist sores; whereas there it is referring to dry sores, which are more dangerous than moist ones. As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: The boils that the Holy One, blessed be he, brought upon the Egyptians were moist on the outside and dry on the inside, as it is stated: “And it became boils breaking out with oozing on man and beast” (Exo 9:10). The phrase “breaking out” is referring to the exterior of the wound. Since the verse specifies that the outside was oozing with secretions, it can be inferred that the inside was dry. This indicates that the sores can be of either type.
Bekhorot 41a:10
Rather, there are three types of garav: First, the garav of the verse that deals with blemishes, which is dry both on the inside and on the outside. This cannot be healed, and it is called ḥares in Deuteronomy. The second is the garav of the mishna, which can be healed, and is moist on the outside and inside. Third, the garav of Egypt, mentioned in Deuteronomy as one of the types of boils of Egypt. This garav is dry on the inside and therefore cannot be healed, but it is moist on the outside, as it is written with regard to the plague of boils in Egypt: “And it became boils breaking out in avabu’ot on man and animal” (Exo 9:10). Avabu’ot is referring to a substance that pours out and is moist.
Rashi
On man and beast—If you ask, “Whence did they obtain these beasts? Has it not already been stated (v. 6), ‘all the livestock of the Egyptians died’?” I reply that this judgment was decreed only upon those in the fields, as it is said (v. 3), “upon your livestock that are in the field,” and everyone who feared the Lord took his livestock into the houses. So it is taught in the Mechilta in the comment on (Exo 14:7) “And took six hundred chosen chariots.”
11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.
9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. 2TI 3:8-9
12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish
11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. REV 16:10-11
14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
Rashi
All my plagues—We may gather from this that the plague of the firstborn is equivalent to all the plagues.
For this reason her plagues will come in a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and she will be burned up with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her. REV 18:8
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, REV 22:18