Plagues on you and your servants and your people

Question

In Exodus 9:14 (NASB)

For this time I am going to send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

Does that mean the Israelites will suffer too?

Answer 1

For at least three of the 10 plagues of Egypt, the Israelites did not experience anything:

• Plague 5: Ex 9:4, 6 - no Israelite effect
• Plague 7: Ex 9:26 - no Israelite effect
• Plague 9: Ex 10:33 - no Israelite effect
• Plague 10: The Israelites avoided the death of the first-born by painting their door posts with lamb blood

Whether the Israelites were affected by the other plagues is not stated, but they probably did not feel much, else they would have been ruined before they left Egypt.

In the case of Ex 9:14 - this occurs as part of the narrative of the 7th plague of hail. In this case (as per list above) we are specifically told that the land of Goshen was NOT affected (V26). Note the better translations of Ex 9:14 in other versions:

• NIV: or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
• NLT: If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
• ESV: 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.
• BSB: Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

From this we learn two things:

1. The comments were direct solely at Egypt and its people
2. The purpose of the plagues was to impress Egypt and the rest of the "all the earth" that YHWH was the supreme and only God.

There is NO suggestion here that the Israelites will suffer anything except the sight of the greatness of their God, YHWH.