Lexical Summary tsephardea: Frog Original Word: צְפַרְדֵּעַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance frog From tsaphar and a word elsewhere unused meaning a swamp; a marsh-leaper, i.e. Frog -- frog. see HEBREW tsaphar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition frogs NASB Translation frogs (13). Brown-Driver-Briggs צְפַרְדֵּעַ noun feminineEx 8:2 (compare also AlbrZAW xv (1895), 322 Ges§§ 135o 145o) frogs (Arabic ![]() ![]() צֶ֫פֶת see II צפה. Topical Lexicon Occurrence in Scripture צְפַרְדֵּעַ appears thirteen times, always rendered “frog(s),” ten times in Exodus 8 and once each in Psalm 78:45 and Psalm 105:30. Every reference looks back to the second plague on Egypt, making the word inseparable from that historic judgment. The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 8) When Pharaoh hardened his heart after the first plague, the Lord warned, “If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs” (Exodus 8:2). The Nile, the source of Egypt’s life and a focus of its worship, would “team with frogs” (8:3). These amphibians invaded every sphere—palace, bedroom, ovens, and kneading bowls—so that “the frogs will come upon you and your people and all your officials” (8:4). Aaron’s staff over the waters (8:5-6) brought the promised inundation; Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated the sign (8:7) but could not remove it. Pharaoh pleaded, “Pray to the LORD to remove the frogs from me and my people” (8:8). Moses granted him the honor of naming the time, “that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God” (8:10). The removal came exactly as requested (8:11-13), yet Pharaoh again hardened his heart. Covenantal Confrontation with Egyptian Deities Ancient Egypt associated frogs with Heket, a goddess of fertility and resurrection who was often depicted with a frog’s head. By flooding Egypt with uncontrollable frogs—and then killing them in heaps that stank (8:14)—Yahweh exposed Heket’s impotence and demonstrated His absolute sovereignty. Each plague systematically dismantled Egypt’s pantheon; the frog plague therefore served as a polemic against false fertility cults. Psalmic Recollections Generations later, Israel’s worship recalled the frogs as a sign of covenant faithfulness: Both psalms employ the plague to bolster trust in the Lord’s saving power and to warn against forgetfulness of His mighty acts. Theological Themes 1. Divine Lordship over Creation: The creatures that normally inhabited riverbanks became instruments of judgment the moment God commanded. Typological and Prophetic Resonance Revelation 16:13 describes “unclean spirits like frogs” proceeding from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The imagery recalls Exodus: demonic forces, like the plague-frogs, flood the earth prior to final judgment. This linkage places the Exodus narrative within a broader biblical pattern: temporary plagues foreshadow final cosmic confrontation and victory. Historical and Cultural Background Frogs thrived in the annual Nile inundation, symbolizing fertility. Egyptians protected them; killing a frog could incur severe penalties. The plague therefore struck at Egypt’s social order and religious taboos, intensifying its psychological impact and demonstrating that obedience to God outweighs cultural norms. Ministerial Applications • Preaching: The narrative offers a compelling call to repentance, exposing how temporary concessions (Pharaoh’s pleas) differ from genuine surrender. Related Passages for Study Exodus 7–12; Deuteronomy 4:34; Nehemiah 9:10; Acts 7:36; Revelation 16:13-14. Forms and Transliterations בַּֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃ בצפרדעים׃ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֗ים הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃ הַֽצֲפַרְדְּעִ֔ים הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ הצפרדע הצפרדעים הצפרדעים׃ וּ֝צְפַרְדֵּ֗עַ וצפרדע צְפַרְדְּעִ֑ים צְפַרְדְּעִים֒ צפרדעים baṣ·p̄ar·də·‘îm baṣp̄ardə‘îm BatzfardeIm ha·ṣă·p̄ar·də·‘îm haṣ·p̄ar·də·‘îm haṣ·ṣə·p̄ar·dê·a‘ haṣăp̄ardə‘îm haṣp̄ardə‘îm haṣṣəp̄ardêa‘ hatzafardeIm HatzfardeIm hatztzefarDea ṣə·p̄ar·də·‘îm ṣəp̄ardə‘îm tzefardeIm ū·ṣə·p̄ar·dê·a‘ ūṣəp̄ardêa‘ utzefarDeaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 8:2 HEB: כָּל־ גְּבוּלְךָ֖ בַּֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃ NAS: your whole territory with frogs. KJV: all thy borders with frogs: INT: your whole territory frogs Exodus 8:3 Exodus 8:4 Exodus 8:5 Exodus 8:6 Exodus 8:7 Exodus 8:8 Exodus 8:9 Exodus 8:11 Exodus 8:12 Exodus 8:13 Psalm 78:45 Psalm 105:30 13 Occurrences |