There were ten plagues in Egypt in the biblical Book of Exodus.

Number of plagues

In the standard Jewish and Christian biblical tradition, the story speaks of ten distinct plagues sent upon Egypt before Pharaoh released the Israelites. These are associated particularly with Exodus chapters 7–12 in most Bible translations.

List of the ten plagues

Commonly, the ten plagues are listed in this order.

  • Water of the Nile turned to blood
  • Frogs swarming over the land
  • Gnats (or lice) infesting people and animals
  • Flies swarming throughout Egypt
  • Disease killing livestock
  • Painful boils on humans and animals
  • Hailstorm destroying crops and property
  • Locusts consuming remaining vegetation
  • Darkness over the land
  • Death of the firstborn in Egyptian households

Notes from scholarship

Some biblical scholarship points out that Psalms 78 and 105 seem to compress or reorder the plagues, listing seven or eight instead of ten, suggesting the tradition may have developed over time. However, in religious teaching, liturgy, and most popular references today, the accepted count remains ten plagues.