“He spoke and there came swarms,

Gnats in all their boundaries.”

(Psalm 105:31)

Some would suggest that this is simply a reference to the third plague, that of gnats (KJV renders this as lice) throughout the land. Yet, the term עָרֹב (arob) is used to refer to the plague of flies that arrived in the land (fourth plague — see Exodus 8:17) and not to refer to the previous plague. So, here, there are two plagues brought together by the psalmist. Swarms of nuisance insects, first in the form of gnats and then in the form of flies. Yet, with the flies, these creatures only infested the lands of Pharaoh and not the lands where the Israelites dwelt (Exodus 8:22).

In the Egyptian pantheon, Geb (god of the earth) was the husband of Nut (goddess of the air). Interestingly, these plagues are thus joined. The third plague (gnats or lice) begins as Moses throws the dust of the earth (that which is supposed to be controlled by Geb) into the air (the realm of Nut) and it becomes pestilence. Then, from the air (Nut) come flies (swarming nuisance insects) by the command of God. Both of these plagues follow the death of Heqet’s frogs, creatures designed to keep such pests at a tolerable level. 

Once again, we find the God of the Bible demonstrating that He has power over the gods and goddesses that the people of Egypt worshiped. In the account of the ten plagues, here would be where the “missing two” plagues would fall. The plague of the death of the livestock (fifth plague) and that of the boils (sixth plague). Since there are no Egyptian deities associated directly with these two plagues, it may be assumed that the psalmist is simply omitting them because his focus is on the idolatry of the Egyptians.

Some would suggest that these are indirect plagues against Hathor and Isis, goddesses that were protectors of the people and their property. Yet, one could argue that every plague is directed at those gods and goddesses who were to be protectors of the people. Another option, might be to argue that the fifth and sixth plagues are plagues that arose out of the third and fourth plagues. For instance, swarms of flies can be very detrimental to a herd of cattle, biting them, sucking their blood, and infecting them with disease. Similarly, if the King James translators are correct that כֵּן (ken) should be translated as “lice,” then the boils could be a result of the sores and sickness that might be described as boils (remember, lice too, can carry infectious disease). Thus, it could be speculated that the sixth plague could be a byproduct of the third plague and the fifth plague a byproduct of the fourth plague. While speculative, it would offer an explanation as to their absence.