By Rabbi Yosef Pinkus

Dear Rabbi,

I heard a theory that the plague of frogs was not actually frogs but crocodiles. That seems pretty interesting. How come it’s not taught in schools? And do you think it’s true, or is this just a theory?

— Nathan

Dear Nathan,

Wherever you heard this theory, it must have been from a very educated source because there are, in fact, good sources for this idea.

The primary source for this is Don Isaac Abarbanel, the 15th-century Portuguese financier, statesman and esteemed biblical commentator. He suggests that the animal of the tzefardea plague was crocodiles.

The main thrust of his argument comes from a thematic understanding of the plagues. Looking at the plagues, we find that many of them were directed toward the Egyptian gods as a means of education and awareness. The plague of blood was directed toward the Nile, which was viewed as sacred in Egyptian culture, and it hit home very hard. In this vein, a plague of crocodiles would be doing the same thing. Crocodiles were worshipped as gods in Egyptian culture, and the Egyptians would even mummify dead crocodiles in their honor.

His second piece of evidence comes from a verse in Psalms which describes the plague in terms of destruction. Frogs, by their nature, are annoying and frustrating but not terribly destructive. The crocodile is an animal defined by its fierce, destructive nature, which Abarbanel argues fits the Psalms’ description far better. Taken together, these twin theological and textual arguments form a surprisingly compelling case.

So why, given all of this, is it not the standard way of looking at things?

The traditional view held by Rashi and accepted by nearly every major commentator is that the plague was frogs. The evidence for this view is rooted primarily in the Torah’s own description, which seems to clearly imply something more akin to a plague of frogs.

The verse describes the animals coming into “the houses, the bedrooms and the beds” of the Egyptians. This is significant. The plague is framed not as a Jurassic Park-like nightmare of roaming crocodiles but as an invasion of Egyptian private spaces. That is a different kind of plague entirely.

There is also a more practical dimension. Crocodiles can reach upward of 20 feet in length. They would barely fit through the door of a modest home, let alone into a bed. The description points to something far smaller.

The verses also describe the creatures as swarming, which is a characteristic far more indicative of frogs than of large reptiles.

And then there is the croaking. Oral traditions recorded in the Talmud and Midrash describe the incessant noise of the frogs as central to the plague. Midrash paints a picture of frogs in the food, in the house, on everything one touched, and the noise was everywhere and constant. It is a portrait of total, maddening infiltration. That portrait belongs to a frog, not a crocodile.

So while there is genuine reason to entertain Abarbanel’s theory, the weight of the evidence favors frogs. But it is certainly a cool idea to think about.

Rabbi Yosef Pinkus is a rabbi in the Dallas Community Kollel, a division of the Dallas Area Torah Association. Submit your questions to him at asktherabbi@tjpnews.com.