What was the second plague?

Ah, the plagues of Egypt! They certainly make for a fascinating story. The second plague, which those wily Egyptians probably didn’t see coming, was indeed an invasion of frogs. Imagine their surprise as the banks of the Nile overflowed not just with water but with these slimy little leapfroggers! It's interesting to note that the Hebrew word for frogs sounds like "ulit" and some believe it could have a connection to the name of the Egyptian goddess Hekt, who was often depicted as a woman with a frog’s head.

Symbolism runs deep in these plagues. When the frogs hopped prolifically, it was a mult-layered message illustrating the disturbance of creation and God's supremacy over Egyptian gods thought to protect the people from chaos. Plus, frogs are related to fertility and rebirth, which was pretty ironic considering the emerging chaos.

Did you know that down there in ancient Egypt, in contrast to this biblical froggy plight, frogs were considered sacred and even incalculably useful? It gives you a chuckle to think how the Egyptians found their divine, hopping friends turning against them.

This moment was a bite-sized lesson (or maybe a frog-sized one) serving as a bold reminder of both nature's unpredictability and divine justice. To the unlikeliest of creatures, frogs become both a nuisance and a powerful, transformative symbol of something much larger at work. So the next time you catch a glimpse of a frog, remember—there’s sometimes a whole world of meaning beneath those slimy surfaces!