NOTES for Exo 7:1-25
God's intervention in the situation turned for Egypt into what is quite rightly usually called the "plagues of Egypt." By plagues in this case one means punishment in the general sense, not a death sentence, as we usually understand the word today. In this sense one can indeed speak of plagues: a series of natural disasters falls on Egypt, each of which can be regarded precisely as a punishment, and a collective punishment at that.
A natural question arises: is it good and right to punish a whole people for a decision made by one person, even if he is the ruler? The question is all the more relevant for Egypt, because the Egyptians did not choose their pharaohs, so they could bear no responsibility, even indirect responsibility, for the decisions their pharaohs made. Some people, however, could still influence Pharaoh.
It is no accident that the text of the story mentions Egyptian magicians ("sorcerers") who, by doing something similar to what happened by the will of God revealed through Moses, confirmed Pharaoh in the thought that what was happening did not go beyond the natural order and therefore was not worth giving any special meaning. These magicians undoubtedly share responsibility with Pharaoh for the decisions he made in that situation. As for ordinary Egyptians, they most likely knew nothing at all about what was happening, seeing only the result: the disasters falling on the country. At least that must have been the case in the beginning, when no one in Egypt, except those directly involved in their affairs, knew anything about Moses or the Hebrews.
Nevertheless, the consequences of Pharaoh's decision affect all the inhabitants of his country. So what then: does God punish the whole people for the guilt of one? One could say so, if one thinks at all that God specially punishes anyone. Usually, however, this does not happen: for punishment, it is quite enough for a person to be left alone with the consequences of his own sins. This is even more enough for a whole people: collective sin usually produces more serious consequences than personal sin.
God, for His part, is simply carrying out His plan. His plans, as a rule, are inclusive: God does not at all want, for example, to lead His people into the promised land at the cost of Egypt's destruction, or even at the cost of damage inflicted on Egypt. The damage begins when Pharaoh refuses to follow God's will to the extent necessary for God's plan to be carried out. That is when Egypt's problems begin, but God is not at fault here: He did everything so that Egypt would not have these problems. The matter remained only with Pharaoh. His choice brought problems upon his country, but here God could do nothing: a human being is free, and for God that freedom is an absolute value.