Exodus 8:24

The land was corrupted— Le Clerc understands the expression, the land was corrupted of the flesh and other eatables in the land; which, these vermin having preyed upon and fly-blown, bred maggots, stench, and putrefaction. Bochart understands it of the inhabitants of the land. The original word signifies to destroy or spoil, as well as to corrupt; so that we may imagine the air was infected, and many of the people poisoned and stung to death by them. The Psalmist says, these flies devoured them, Psalms 78:45. Heathen historians have recorded facts something similar to the plagues of frogs and flies. Pliny mentions a city in France which was of old depopulated by frogs. And that whole countries have been infested with flies, appears from the number of gods which were worshipped, because they were supposed to have driven them away. Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, Exodus 1:2 signifies the god of flies. The Romans had their Hercules, muscarum abactor, the driver away of flies. The Eleans had their god Myagrus, whom they invoked against pestilential swarms of flies; and Jupiter, for the same reason, was stiled Απομυιος and Μυωδης.