The Fifth Plague: Pestilence מכת דבר
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 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, בֹּא אֶל-פַּרְעֹה; וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֵלָיו, כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים, שַׁלַּח אֶת-עַמִּי, וְיַעַבְדֻנִי. כִּי אִם-מָאֵן אַתָּה, לְשַׁלֵּחַ, וְעוֹדְךָ, מַחֲזִיק בָּם הִנֵּה יַד-יְהוָה הוֹיָה, בְּמִקְנְךָ אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה, בַּסּוּסִים בַּחֲמֹרִים בַּגְּמַלִּים, בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן--דֶּבֶר, כָּבֵד מְאֹד.  
       שמות ט: א-ג --   

Then the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks; there shall be a very grievous murrain. 
-- Exodus 9:1-3

The Plague:
The fifth plague that God imposed on the Egyptians was Dever or pestilence. All Egyptian livestock, including cattle, horses, donkeys, etc. found in their fields were destroyed.   The Jewish cattle were unharmed. In fact, Pharaoh investigated the Jewish cattle to ascertain if any were harmed and found that none were, however, he still persisted on disallowing the Israelites from leaving Egypt.

Why Pestilence and destruction of wild stock?
The Egyptians worshiped many animals, and many animal-headed deities. Horses and cattle were not only highly valued in the land of Egypt, but they were also sacred. The god Apis was represented as a bull, and had been worshipped in Egypt since around 3,000 B.C. Hence, God sent the plague of Dever to display His strength over their gods.

Additionally, we see a "Measure for Measure" - The Cattle Plague was a response to the the Egyptians' criminal appropriation of cattle belonging to Jews. By destroying the Egyptian livestock, God, as it were, took back the Egyptian cattle, thus demonstrating that unjust enrichment would not be tolerated.

The Pharaoh relented, promised to let the Israelites leave. And then, once the the Dever was removed, Pharaoh's heart hardened and he reneged on his promise.

The Ten Plagues of Egypt: Information and more
   ▪ Ten Plagues of Egypt, an Overview
   ▪  Plague of Blood (דָם): Ex. 7:14–25
   ▪ Plague of Frogs (צְּפַרְדֵּעַ): Ex. 7:25–8:11
   ▪ Plague of Lice (כינים): : Ex. 8:16–19
   ▪ Plague of Wild Animals / Swarm of Flies (עָרוֹב): Ex. 8:20–32
   ▪  Plague of Livestock Death (דֶּבֶר): Ex. 9:1–7
   ▪ Plague of Boils (שְׁחִין): Ex. 9:8–12
   ▪ Plague of Hail (בָּרָד): Ex. 9:13–35
   ▪ Plague of Locusts (אַרְבֶּה): Ex. 10:1–20
   ▪ Plague of Darkness (חוֹשֶך): Ex. 10:21–29
   ▪ Death of the Firstborn (מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת): Ex. 11:1–12:36

The Ten Plagues of Egypt - a Passover (Pesach) brings you much more about the holiday, its meaning and its traditions... See the links below.

• Passover Home
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• The Ten Plagues of Egypt
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