Ten Blows in a Countdown to Destruction

In 1728 B.C.E., something happened that would have dire consequences for Egypt and for its religion. About two centuries after a man named Abraham visited Egypt, his descendants moved there to escape the consequences of a serious famine. (Genesis 12:10; 46:6, 7) Known as Israelites, they remained there for 215 years. This set the stage for a battle of gods, a multitude of Egyptian gods on the one side and the sole Israelite God, Jehovah, on the other. When the Israelites asked permission to leave Egypt to worship Him, things rapidly came to a head.

Egypt’s ruler, the pharaoh,a a title derived from the Egyptian word for “great house,” rejected their request. Jehovah then expressed his purpose to exercise his power in a miraculous way in behalf of his people. (Exodus 7:1-6; 9:13-16)