Original Word: פִיחַ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: piyach
Pronunciation: pee'-akh
Phonetic Spelling: (pee'-akh)
KJV: ashes
NASB: soot
Word Origin: [from H6315 (פּוַּח - utters)]

1. a powder (as easily puffed away), i.e. ashes or dust

ashes

From puwach; a powder (as easily puffed away), i.e. Ashes or dust -- ashes.

see HEBREW puwach

Word Origin
from puach
Definition
soot
NASB Translation
soot (2).

מִּיחַ noun [masculine] soot, ᵐ5 αὶθάλη (? wafted about); — construct (הַ)כִּבְשָׁן ׳פ Exodus 9:8,10 (P) furnace-soot.

Overview

פִיחַ (Strong’s 6368) denotes the fine soot or powdery ash produced in a furnace. In the Old Testament its presence is confined to the narrative of the sixth plague, where the soot becomes an instrument of judgment in the hand of God.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Exodus 9:8–10 — the only two occurrences, describing “soot from a furnace” that Moses casts heavenward before Pharaoh, bringing festering boils upon man and beast.

Historical Context: Egyptian Kilns and Hebrew Bondage

Furnaces (Hebrew כִּבְשָׁן, kibshan) were central to Egyptian brick-making, the very labor to which Israel was subjected (Exodus 1:13–14). The same tool of oppression is turned by the LORD into a weapon of retribution. Ashes that once testified to Israel’s forced labor now testify to divine liberation.

The Sixth Plague and Divine Justice

1. Divine Initiative: “Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take handfuls of soot from the furnace…’” (Exodus 9:8). God Himself prescribes both the material and the method.
2. Cosmic Scope: The soot “will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt” (Exodus 9:9), underscoring the total reach of divine sovereignty.
3. Moral Target: Boils strike both humans and livestock, revealing the futility of Egypt’s gods of healing (e.g., Imhotep, Sekhmet).
4. Escalation: Unlike earlier plagues, no warning precedes this act; judgment intensifies as Pharaoh’s heart further hardens.

Symbolism of Soot and Ash in Scripture

• Humiliation and Mortality — Dust and ash often mark repentance or ruin (Job 42:6; Jonah 3:6). Here, soot underscores Egypt’s humiliation.
• Purity vs. Defilement — While ashes from sacrifices can symbolize purification (Numbers 19:9), furnace-soot coats the body with uncleanness, prefiguring the boils’ ceremonial and physical defilement.
• Reversal Theme — What was a by-product of human industry becomes a sign of divine activity, echoing earlier reversals (water to blood, dust to gnats).

Intertextual Echoes

Exodus 8:17 — Moses strikes the dust and it becomes gnats; in Exodus 9 the soot becomes boils. Both plagues transform ordinary particles into agents of affliction, magnifying God’s creative power.

Genesis 18:27; Job 30:19 — The imagery links back to humanity’s origin from dust and its return to it, reinforcing the mortality Pharaoh refuses to acknowledge.

Doctrinal Insights

1. Sovereignty: God employs the simplest matter to confound the mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27 principle foreshadowed).
2. Retributive Justice: Oppressive tools become vehicles of judgment (Galatians 6:7).
3. Progressive Revelation: Each plague dismantles a facet of Egyptian theology, preparing the redemptive climax in Passover.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Illustrates how unrepented sin invites escalating consequences; a call to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6).
• Pastoral Care: Reminds sufferers of affliction that God is both Judge and Deliverer, able to transform instruments of pain into testimonies of His power.
• Discipleship: Encourages vigilance against hardening the heart; Pharaoh’s refusal stands as a perpetual warning (Hebrews 3:12–13).

Worship Reflection

The narrative invites thanksgiving for deliverance through a greater Exodus accomplished by Christ, who bore judgment “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:12) so that His people might stand cleansed, not covered in soot but in righteousness.

Summary

פִיחַ functions as more than furnace residue; it becomes a tangible emblem of God’s holiness, justice, and redemptive purpose, urging every generation to heed His word, forsake hardness of heart, and trust the Deliverer who still turns ashes into beauty.

פִּ֖יחַ פִּ֣יחַ פיח pî·aḥ Piach pîaḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts