Aish Da’at: Vaeira II

“Moses cried out to God concerning the “D’var” – the matter of the frogs he had inflicted upon Pharaoh.” (Exodus 8:8) Why does the verse add “d’var,” which also means word? Why does it specify Pharaoh if the frogs afflicted all of Egypt?

The frogs functioned almost as a speech about the glory of God. They were willing to risk their lives for their Creator, declaring His mastery of all creation. They carried a special message for Pharaoh who declared himself the God of the Nile. The Nile slapped him in his face, so to speak, with its frogs that went out to attack him as they declared their message of God’s mastery. (Baeir Moshe, Page 193)