The truth behind the Plagues of Egypt
The plagues in context: According to the Book of Exodus, God inflicted plagues on Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves.
Two theories: British physicist Colin Humphreys, author of the book 'Miracles.
First plague: water into blood: The first divine plague occurred when Pharaoh Ramesses II refused to free the Israelites.
First plague: water into blood: One scientific explanation is that a rise in temperature led to an extreme drought and turned the Nile red.
First plague: water into blood: Another hypothesis is that the river changed color because of earthquakes triggered by a volcanic eruption
Second plague: frogs: According to Exodus, Pharaoh Ramesses II still resisted freeing the Israelites from slavery.
Second plague: frogs: According to the British physicist Colin Humphreys, this "curse" was a direct consequence of the first.
Second plague: frogs: The volcanic eruption theory posits that the toxic gases released by the earthquakes starved the water of oxygen.
Third plague: lice: The Egyptians prayed for an end to this terrible series of plagues.
Third plague: lice: According to Colin Humphreys, the drought led to the multiplication of lice eggs.