📖 Biblical Definition
A plague in Scripture is a divine judgment sent by God against rebellion, idolatry, or oppression. The ten plagues of Egypt are the supreme example — each a targeted blow against the gods of Egypt and the pride of Pharaoh, demonstrating that the LORD alone is God (Exodus 12:12). Plagues also struck Israel when they sinned — after the golden calf (Exodus 32:35), after Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16:46-49), and after Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:9). In Revelation, the final plagues pour out God's wrath upon a world that refuses to repent. Every plague in Scripture serves the same purpose: to demonstrate that God is sovereign, sin has consequences, and repentance is urgent.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Any thing troublesome or vexatious; a pestilential disease; a judgment of God.
expand to see more
PLAGUE, n. [L. plaga, a stroke.] 1. Any thing troublesome or vexatious. 2. A pestilential disease; an acute, malignant, and contagious disease. 3. A state of misery. 4. In Scripture, a signal punishment or judgment of God. Note: Webster understood plagues in their full biblical context as divine judgments — not merely natural disasters but purposeful acts of God.
📖 Key Scripture
• Exodus 12:12 — "On all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD."
• Numbers 16:46-49 — "Wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun."
• Revelation 16:1 — "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."
• 2 Samuel 24:15 — "So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel... and 70,000 men of the people died."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Plagues are stripped of divine agency and reduced to natural phenomena.
expand to see more
Modern theology recoils from the idea that God sends plagues as judgment. The ten plagues of Egypt are reinterpreted as natural ecological events, and any connection between sin and suffering is dismissed as primitive. But Scripture is explicit: God sent the plagues. He announced them in advance. He controlled their timing, scope, and cessation. He distinguished between His people and the Egyptians. To strip plagues of their divine origin is to strip God of His sovereignty and to eliminate the call to repentance that every plague carries.
Usage
• "The plagues of Egypt were not random disasters — they were precision strikes against every false god Pharaoh trusted."
• "When God sends a plague, it is always a call to repentance — the question is whether men will harden their hearts or humble themselves."