Murrain

Murrain (from Old French morine, death or pestilence) designates the fifth of the ten plagues of Egypt, recorded in Exodus 9:1–7. The Hebrew deber (literally destruction or pestilence) describes a severe epidemic disease that struck the livestock of Egypt — horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks — causing widespread sudden death among animals in the field (Ex. 9:3, 6). The plague was announced in advance by Moses and executed on the appointed day by the LORD. A divine distinction was preserved: none of Israel's livestock died (Ex. 9:4, 6–7), a fact that Pharaoh verified but that still failed to soften his heart. Psalm 78:50 reflects on the plague in the context of God's judgments in Egypt, and Psalm 105:29–36 reviews the plagues in sequence. The murrain was the first plague to strike living creatures directly rather than natural elements or human persons, escalating the pressure on Pharaoh to release Israel.