The
Plagues of Egypt , also called the
ten biblical plagues, were ten calamities that, according to the
biblical Book of Exodus, the
God of Israel inflicted upon
Egypt to persuade the
Pharaoh to release the ill-treated
Israelites from
slavery. Pharaoh capitulated after the tenth plague, triggering
the Exodus of the Hebrew people. The plagues served to contrast the power of the God of Israel with the Egyptian gods, invalidating them. Some commentators have associated several of the plagues with judgment on specific gods associated with the
Nile, fertility and natural phenomena. According to , all the gods of Egypt would be judged through the tenth and final plague: "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the ."