Exodus 8:24

“And the Lord did so, etc.] And this he did immediately of himself without any means; not by the rod of Aaron, to let the Egyptians see that there was nothing in that rod, that it had no magic virtue in it, and what was done by it was from the Lord himself, who could as well inflict plagues without it as with it; (see <19A531>Psalm 105:31) and there came a grievous swarm of flies; or a “heavy” f237 one, which was both very numerous, and very troublesome and distressing: into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt: into the palace of Pharaoh, and into the palaces of his nobles, ministers, and courtiers, and into the dwelling places of all his…”

“There came a grievous swarm of flies - The prince of the power of the air has gloried in being Beel - zebub, the god of flies; but here it is proved that even in that he is a pretender, and an usurper; for even with swarms of flies God fights against his kingdom and prevails. Exodus 8:26”

“there: Exo 8:21; Psa 78:45, Psa 105:31 the land: How intolerable a plague of flies can prove, is evident from the fact that whole districts have been laid waste by them. The inhabitants have been forced to quit their cities, not being able to stand against the flies and gnats with which they were pestered. Hence different people had deities whose office it was to defend them against flies. Among these may be reckoned Baalzebub, the fly-god of Ekron; Hercules, muscarum abactor, Hercules the expeller of flies; and hence Jupiter had the titles of απομυιος, μυιαγρος, μυιοχορος, because he was supposed to expel flies, and especially clear his temples of these insects. See Bryant. Exo 8:14…”