Plagues In The Odyssey

Oppressed by the Pharaoh, the Israelites were subjugated and forced to do the bidding of Egyptian society. Even with Moses, their connection to God, the Israelites still lacked the means to break free from the chains of Pharaoh. They required God's assistance in order to escape slavery. The miracles that wreaked havoc upon Egypt at the command of Moses and Aaron are generally known as the “plagues” of Egypt, the exact number depends on how people differentiate them. In terms of narrative structure, some passages refer to them as signs from God rather than plagues. In the beginning Exodus, the main source of the Israelites problems was the Pharaoh and his administration, not the whole civilization of Egyptians. However, the plagues that God …show more content…
It is a constant theme throughout the beginning of Exodus that the Pharaoh was the source of the Israelites problems. He proclaimed that “if it is a [hebrew] boy, kill him”(Exodus 1:16) . In addition, he enslaved the rest of the Israelite and forced them to work tireless hours for little or no wages. His mistreatment of the Israelite’s set precedent for his advisors and countrymen to also treat them with disdain. Consider the example later on in Exodus, when Moses witnesses “an Egyptian man beating a hebrew man”(Exodus 2:11). The pharaoh and his people did not fear the Gods of the Israelites as he believed he was appointed by his Gods to rule the kingdom. Therefore, he deducted that he could treat the Hebrews anyway he wanted too without any repercussions. When Moses finally becomes prophet to God on Earth, he tries to convince the Pharaoh to let him celebrate a holiday and get a day off from work in order to so. In response to this request the Pharaoh defies the existence of the Israelites God by saying “Who is this Lord that I should heed him and let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2). Throughout the Hebrew …show more content…
Each plague starts to get more and more deadly until God decides “every first born Egyptian boy will die” ( Exodus 11:5). This is important because the first born boy is supposed to inherit the family's holdings when he comes of age. Another purpose of the plagues is to impart on the people that no matter how powerful a person is there is only one true God. In past chapters God’s power is extremely potent, such as when he floods the Earth, killing almost all the world's species. However in this case, God is to a certain extent, merciful, as he is willing to give Pharaoh and his people a chance by not totally destroying the Egyptians society immediately after he refuses to heed God's word. The plagues reveal the Pharaoh's is responsible for his fate and the fate of his people. In general, acquiescing to God's demands acts is in a person's self interest, as he possesses all mighty