People have often asked me, 'how long did the plagues last'? Well, since no one alive today was living then we can't be for sure but we do have some pretty good clues to follow.
Some Possibilities
The Mishnah says the plagues lasted for one year, but the one year began from the “burning bush” incident until the Exodus.
Rashi says that each plague lasted one month (3 weeks for a warning, and one week for the plague itself); hence the plagues lasted 10 months.
What Does The Bible Have To Say?
The 1st plague (water to blood) lasted for 7 days (Exodus 7:25). The Nile River was the lifeblood of Egypt. They were called the "children of the Nile". The annual flooding of the river created the soil needed for them to have their crops in the spring: barley, flax and later wheat and spelt.
The 2nd plague of frogs. This plague was closely tied to the first. The annual flooding of the Nile would cause frogs in abundance that were driven out of the marshes by the flooding. They even worshipped a frog god named Heka.
The Nile normally flooded in late August until about the end of October. By then the floods ended so they could plant their spring crops.
Therefore, we can safely assume that the first and second plague happened in fall. Maybe around our September/October.
God used these plagues to prove he controlled the Nile - their life source.
The 3rd plague was lice or gnats
The 4th plague was flies
The 5th plague was death of livestock
The 6th plague was boils
As we continue we will see that the 7-10th plagues all seemed to happen in the first month (month of the Exodus). If the 1st and 2nd plagues happened around September/October and the last 4 all happened in early Spring (March/April), then the 3rd - 6th plagues all happened within about a 5 month period between October and March. If each plague came with a month's warning then each of those plagues would not have lasted more than a week. After all, It is recorded that the first plague did last for seven 7 days.
The 7th plague (hail). In Exodus 9:31-32 we read:
"the flax and barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bloom. But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they were not ripe”.
Flax and barley normally bloom in our equivelent months of February/March, and barley ripens by the first Hebrew month (month of Exodus) or our months of March/April. Passover is associated with the barley harvest so we can be assured that we are talking about being in the months of March/April here since it says that the barley was aviv (ripe). So, this plague of hail must have occurred sometimes in the first week of Nisan. Not too many days before the Exodus occured.
The 8th plague was sent and it was swarms of locusts. God said they would destroy "every plant of the land that the hail left" (Exodus 10:12). This means that it shortly followed the hail. We know from modern sources that locusts can devastate entire vegetation in just 2-3 days. They definitely don’t need a whole week. Historically, they usually go through an area and wipe it clean in a couple days and they are moving on to the next area.
It would seem reasonable to assume that the 7th and 8th plague each lasted only 2-3 days and that the time frame was in the first days of the Exodus month.
God proved that He had control over their crops.
The 9th plague (darkness) lasted for 3 days (Exodus 10:21-23).
The 10th plague (death of the firstborn) lasted only one night - the night of the Exodus, the 15th of the first month. Therefore, the 7th through the 10th plagues all happened within the first 15 days of the first month. If the Hebrews were preparing for Passover on the 14th, which is the day they killed the lamb, then it should be safe to say that these 4 plagues all happened within 13 days; an average of about 3 days including the warning and the plague itself.
In conclusion:
All 10 plagues seem to have happened between late fall and early spring, or a 5-6 month period.
Each plague seemed to have come with a warning (giving Pharoah time to repent).
The plagues themselves seem to have lasted:
1st plague - 7days
2nd plague - unknown
3rd through 6th plagues - possibly 7 days or less
7th and 8th plague - 2 or possibly 3 days
9th plague - 3 days
10th plague - one night
All of this seems to show a pattern similar to what John sees in the book of Revelation (among other things Revelation chapter 9 speaks about the wicked being tormented for 5 months). In addition, it also mirrors back to the book of Genesis and Creation (except we see a deconstruction of sorts taking place instead of a creation taking place).
I personally believe the Creator did a quick work with the plagues. Human nature tends to forget quickly unless the disasters are numerous and come very close together.
The Bible declares that a quick work will be done in the last days before the return of Yeshua.
Bo Yeshua, Bo! (Come Yeshua, Come)
Leisa
For more on this topic please see the articles linked below.