And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
The dust itself obeys God's command; He has infinite arrows in His quiver. When the magicians failed here, they had to confess "This is the finger of God", a divine power that has the devil on a chain, and stops him short with nothing but a gesture.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 8:16-19
The magicians attempted their enchantments but could not produce these creatures, God simply would not permit them to deceive Pharaoh any longer. He stopped them at lice to shame them utterly and prove their former works were never real, only allowed by divine permission. Since they could not make the gnats, neither could they remove them.
AI summary
The very smallness of these insects made them a terrible scourge in Eastern lands, where their sting embitters life; their insignificance became their terror. The magicians never even tried to imitate them, and owned at last, This is the finger of God.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 8:16-19