Gnat

The Gnat is the form taken by Egypt’s dust in the third plague: at the LORD’s command, Aaron strikes the ground with his rod, and gnats appear on people and animals throughout the land. The Egyptian Magicians cannot reproduce the sign, marking a turning point in their contest with Moses and Aaron, though Pharaoh still refuses to heed them.

Appearance in the Third Plague

After the plagues of frogs and gnats’ immediate predecessor, the LORD instructs Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his rod and strike the dust. Aaron does so, and the dust becomes gnats throughout Egypt; they are upon both people and animals. The account presents the plague as an abrupt transformation of the land’s ordinary ground into a source of affliction.

The Magicians’ Failure and Pharaoh’s Response

The Egyptian Magicians try to produce gnats by their secret arts but cannot. They tell Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God”; their admission recognizes a power their own arts cannot match. Pharaoh’s heart nevertheless remains hardened, and he does not heed them.

Narrative Significance

The Gnat plague changes the pattern established by the preceding signs: unlike the Magicians’ imitation of the frogs, their attempt to reproduce the gnats fails. Their recognition makes the limit of their power explicit, but it does not secure Pharaoh’s release of the Children of Israel. The episode thus distinguishes acknowledgment of divine power from compliance with the demand to let the people go.