Exodus 8:16

Lice] RM 'sandflies,' Or 'fleas.' Opinion has been divided both in ancient and modern times as to the nature of these insects. From the fact that they are here said to have attacked the beasts as well as man, and to have come out of the dust, it has been inferred that they were gnats or mosquitoes. Several kinds of small stinging insects are known to breed in the sand, and these pests are particularly prevalent after the fall of the Nile and the drying up of the pools. On the other hand, RV has good authority for retaining the rendering 'lice' in the text. Rawlinson says that lice in N. Africa constitute a terrible affliction, and he quotes Sir S. Baker to the effect that 'at certain seasons it is as if the very dust of the land were turned into lice.' It will be observed that the third plague came without warning.