Exodus 9:6 states that "all the livestock of Egypt died" during the fifth plague, yet Exodus 9:20 mentions some Egyptian livestock surviving and being threatened by the later plague of hail.

In ancient Hebrew idiom, the word "all" (kol) is frequently used to denote "all kinds" or "a vast majority," rather than an absolute mathematical totality. The fifth plague struck the livestock that was specifically "in the field" (Exodus 9:3). Any livestock that had been sheltered in barns or stables by Egyptians who feared God (as seen in Exodus 9:20) would have survived the pestilence. Thus, "all" refers to the unprotected livestock across the entirety of the land, leaving those that were sheltered to face the subsequent plagues.