MembersThe Science Behind the 10 Plagues of Egypt

Is there a scientific explanation for the Ten Plagues of Egypt? Join us for a tour through the common theories and texts.

By Haggai Olshanetsky and Lev Cosijns | | Topics: Natural Disasters
Science has long tried to explain, or perhaps discredit, the miraculous natural events recorded in the Bible, most famously the Ten Plagues of Egypt.
Science has long tried to explain, or perhaps discredit, the miraculous natural events recorded in the Bible, most famously the Ten Plagues of Egypt. Photo: Doron Horowitz/Flash90

The Bible is filled with the descriptions and stories of numerous disasters and climatic events. There are disasters in Scripture that are mentioned in the context of punishment for the sins of the people of Israel. But many other such events are not regarded as disasters, but rather as miracles set and performed by God to save the people of Israel. The most famous and unique of these the Ten Plagues, commonly retold every year on Passover. Why are these disasters different from any other? Because they are not one but many, a string of consecutive catastrophic events that brought the Kingdom of Egypt to its knees.

There has been a growing movement among scientists and archaeologists to find an explanation, or historical background, for different legends and stories from antiquity and religious texts, especially the Bible. One of the hottest topics explored is the explanation for the Ten Plagues.

There are two main theories regarding the causes of these events. The first is the eruption of the volcano of Santorini around 1600 BCE. The second and less common theory...

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