But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.
The verse belongs to the plague of hail mingled with fire, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Its time was announced beforehand, so it could not be dismissed as chance. It demonstrated that the whole earth is under the command of the Hebrews' God, with thunder, hail, and storm obeying His voice.
The barley and flax were struck because they had reached mature, vulnerable stages, with the barley in the ear and the flax in boll. By contrast, the wheat and the rye were not struck because they had not yet grown up, so their immature growth spared them while the mature crops were destroyed. Under this judgment proud Pharaoh humbled himself, admitted his sin, declared God righteous and himself and his people wicked, and begged for intercession that the thunder and lightning would cease.
The verse belongs to the plague of hail mingled with fire, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Its time was announced beforehand, so it could not be dismissed as chance. It demonstrated that the whole earth is under the command of the Hebrews' God, with thunder, hail, and storm obeying His voice.
The barley and flax were struck because they had reached mature, vulnerable stages, with the barley in the ear and the flax in boll. By contrast, the wheat and the rye were not struck because they had not yet grown up, so their immature growth spared them while the mature crops were destroyed. Under this judgment proud Pharaoh humbled himself, admitted his sin, declared God righteous and himself and his people wicked, and begged for intercession that the thunder and lightning would cease.