Exodus 9:26
ESV
Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.
NIV
The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
NASB
Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.
CSB
The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
NLT
The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.
KJV
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
NKJV
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
What does Exodus 9:26 mean?
Egyptians have now seen several supernatural disasters which affected them but didn't touch the lands of the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 8:22; 9:4, 7). The most recent is a horrific hailstorm that pummels every living thing in Egypt (Exodus 9:24–25). However, the Goshen territory is spared from destruction.The man God named Israel—Jacob (Genesis 32:28)—and his sons went to Egypt escape a massive famine (Genesis 46:26–27). Goshen was the region where Joseph's family settled when they first moved in (Genesis 47:1, 11). Over time, their warm welcome turned into fear, oppression, and then brutal slavery (Exodus 1:8–14). The fact that Goshen—the Hebrew territory—is spared emphasizes that these are judgments from the God of Israel against the nation of Egypt. Further, it shows that there is no power in Egyptian idols; only the Hebrew God is real.
Another clear separation of God's people will come during the ninth plague (Exodus 10:22–23). The last disaster, involving the death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:4–7), will strike anyone who fails to follow God's instructions (Exodus 12:27).
