Why the Ten Plagues Followed a King's Siege Order in Egypt

(Exodus 10:21:) "Stretch out your hand toward the heavens." The Holy One, blessed be He, brought the plagues upon them in the battle-order of a king of flesh and blood. A king of flesh and blood, when a province rebels against him, what does he do? He sends out legions, and they surround it. At first he dams up their water-channel; if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he brings war-cries against them. [And if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he shoots arrows at them; if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he brings legions against them; if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he brings spear-fighters against them;] if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he hurls naphtha at them; if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he flings catapult-stones at them; and if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he stirs up against them a great host of troops; if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he binds them in the prison-house; if they turn back, well and good, but if not, he kills the great ones among them. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, came upon the Egyptians in the battle-order of kings. At first He dammed up their water-channel, as it is said (Psalms 78:44): "He turned their rivers into blood, so that they could not drink of their streams." And they did not turn back, so He brought war-cries upon them—these are the frogs, as it is said (Exodus 8:8): "concerning the matter of the frogs," etc. And they did not turn back, so He brought the arrows upon them—these are the lice, as it is said (Exodus 8:13): "And there was lice [upon man and upon beast]," for it would enter into the body of the Egyptian like an arrow. [And they did not turn back, so He brought legions upon them—this is the swarm of wild beasts, as it is said (Psalms 78:45): "He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them." And they did not turn back, so He brought spear-fighters upon them—this is the pestilence.] And they did not turn back, so He hurled naphtha at them—this is the boils. And they did not turn back, so He flung catapult-stones at them—this is the hail. And they did not turn back, and afterward He stirred up against them a great host of troops—this is the locusts. And afterward He put them in the prison-house [this is the darkness], as it is said (Exodus 10:21): "And there shall be darkness," etc. And they did not turn back, so He killed all the great ones among them, as it is said (Exodus 12:29): "And the LORD smote all the firstborn."