שמות, פרק ט׳, פסוק י״א

The plague of boils marks a dramatic turning point in the confrontation between Moses and the Egyptian leadership. The very men who once claimed they could compete with divine miracles now find themselves completely helpless, physically battered, and deeply humiliated. The magicians' involvement at this specific stage highlights a steady decline in their power. During the earliest plagues, they attempted to copy the miracles, and in later ones, they merely stood by in silence. Now, they are stripped of even the basic ability to be present [קאסוטו]. They attempted to intervene one last time because Moses and Aaron physically initiated the boils, and the magicians hoped to prove this was merely human sorcery rather than a divine decree [מלבי״ם, העמק דבר]. Furthermore, since the magicians likely served as the national doctors, a medical disaster directly challenged their expertise and damaged their standing immediately [רש״ר הירש]. As the primary sinners who denied God's work, they suffered a burning humiliation when they could no longer face Moses, the truly wise and pious man [ביאור יש״ר].

Their total collapse is understood on several levels. Physically, the severe boils likely erupted on their knees and legs [בכור שור, צפנת פענח]. Suffering from extreme discomfort, irritated skin, and endless scratching, they simply could not remain on their feet [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Mentally and socially, they were overwhelmed with shame over their diseased appearance. They locked themselves in their homes, not daring to show their faces in the streets or at the royal palace, and were even too embarrassed to look at one another [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, חזקוני]. Functionally, their role was destroyed. In the past, they regularly confronted Moses to test him and cast doubt on his warnings. Now, that ability to cope was gone. While Moses and Aaron stood firm, the magicians were forced to retreat in disgrace [שד״ל, קאסוטו].

Their downfall was sealed by the fact that the disease struck both the magicians and the rest of the nation. Because not a single person in Egypt was spared, the magicians could not even attempt to cast boils on someone else to demonstrate their own power [מלבי״ם]. The affliction was also permanent; the disease settled into their bodies and never healed, leaving them plagued until the day they died [מלבי״ם, שפתי כהן]. The detail that the plague hit the entire nation implies that the king of Egypt himself was infected. This direct, painful strike to his own body actually softened Pharaoh's heart. Because of this sudden weakening of his resolve, God immediately had to harden his heart so that He could continue to strike him and fully display His wonders [שפתי כהן].