Creation and plague

In an essay in Andre Wenin, ed., Studies in the Book of Genesis Literature, Redaction and History (Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium) , Benedicte Lemmelijn argues that the plague narrative is playing off of the creation narrative of Genesis 1-2.  Citing Z. Zevit’s work on the plagues, he notes that “the ten plagues . . . do correlate with ten creation words in Genesis’ creation narrative (cf. also 10 times [and he said] in Genesis 1,3.6.9.11.14.20.24.26.28.29).”

He goes on to suggest correlations with particular plagues and events of the creation week.  The first plague links to the separation of water and land.  The same Hebrew word is used to describe the “pooling together” of waters in Genesis 1:10 and the pools that become filled with blood in Exodus 7:19.  He sees a water, earth, sky sequence in the next three plagues, and notes that the frogs are “swarmers” (cf. Genesis 1:20) and the lice remind us of “creeping things” in Genesis 1:24.  Cattle, given to man in the creation account, die of pestilence in Exodus 9:1-70), and the destruction of vegetation by hail and locusts reverses the gift of vegetation in Genesis 1:12.  Finally, darkness reverses the advance of the first day, as Egypt is turned from light to darkness.  In the end, Egypt is plunged back into the watery chaos, now the waters of the Red Sea.

Lemmelijn doesn’t buy all of Zevit’s correlations.  They are too imprecise, and Zevit, he thinks, forces evidence.  The result is that exegesis of the plague narrative is turned to eisegesis.  Though some of the correlations are clearer than others, it seems to me that, on the contrary, Zevit is onto something.  Egypt is, and certainly considers itself, a cosmos, and Yahweh is systematically dismantling the world that is Egypt.  It would be surprising if there were no allusions to the original creation.