Exodus7
New King James Version
1So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
2You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.
3And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
4But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
6Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did.
7And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ”
10So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.
14So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.
15Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.
16And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!
17Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood.
18And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
19Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ”
20And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
21The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.
23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.
24So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.
25And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 7.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Moses and Aaron encouraged. (1–7). The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. (8–13). The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians. (14–25).
vv1-7
God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring out of his wrath upon them. Moses, as the ambassador of Jehovah, speaking in his name, laid commands upon Pharaoh, denounced threatenings against him, and called for judgments upon him. Pharaoh, proud and great as he was, could not resist. Moses stood not in awe of Pharaoh, but made him tremble. This seems to be meant in the words, Thou shalt be a god unto Pharaoh. At length Moses is delivered from his fears. He makes no more objections, but, being strengthened in faith, goes about his work with courage, and proceeds in it with perseverance.
vv8-13
What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, trying to copy the real miracles of Moses by secret sleights or jugglings, which to a small extent they succeeded in doing, so as to deceive the bystanders, but they were at length obliged to confess they could not any longer imitate the effects of Divine power. None assist more in the destruction of sinners, than such as resist the truth by amusing men with a counterfeit resemblance of it. Satan is most to be dreaded when transformed into an angel of light.
vv14-25
Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be had; but now the Egyptians must either drink blood, or die for thirst. Egypt was a pleasant land, but the dead fish and blood now rendered it very unpleasant. It was a righteous plague, and justly sent upon the Egyptians; for Nile, the river of Egypt, was their idol. That creature which we idolize, God justly takes from us, or makes bitter to us. They had stained the river with the blood of the Hebrews' children, and now God made that river all blood. Never any thirsted after blood, but sooner or later they had enough of it. It was a significant plague; Egypt had great dependence upon their river, Zec 14:18; so that in smiting the river, they were warned of the destruction of all the produce of their country. The love of Christ to his disciples changes all their common mercies into spiritual blessings; the anger of God towards his enemies, renders their most valued advantages a curse and a misery to them. Aaron is to summon the plague by smiting the river with his rod. It was done in the sight of Pharaoh and his attendants, for God's true miracles were not performed as Satan's lying wonders; truth seeks no corners. See the almighty power of God. Every creature is that to us which he makes it to be water or blood. See what changes we may meet with in the things of this world; what is always vain, may soon become vexatious. See what mischievous work sin makes. If the things that have been our comforts prove our crosses, we must thank ourselves. It is sin that turns our waters into blood. The plague continued seven days; and in all that time Pharaoh's proud heart would not let him desire Moses to pray for the removal of it. Thus the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath. No wonder that God's anger is not turned away, but that his hand is stretched out still.
Key Words
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
רָאָה: to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
פַּרְעֹה: Paroh, a general title of Egyptian kings
אָח: a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))
אַהֲרוֹן: Aharon, the brother of Moses
נָבִיא: a prophet or (generally) inspired man
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
Cross References
Exodus 7Establishes Aaron as the spokesman/prophet to Moses, who acts as God's representative.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Directly fulfills God's warning in verse 18 that the Egyptians would loathe to drink of the river.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Explicitly names the Egyptian magicians (Jannes and Jambres) who withstood Moses and Aaron.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Shows the magicians copying the subsequent plague, reinforcing their role in Pharaoh's self-deception.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
The initial divine warning that God would harden Pharaoh's heart to display His power.
Supported by John Calvin
Poetic justice: Egypt cast Israel's male infants into the Nile; their river is turned to blood.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Historical psalm commemorating the first plague, specifically noting their waters were turned to blood.
Supported by Matthew Poole
An inspired historical summary of this first plague, describing how God turned their waters to blood.
Paul names Jannes and Jambres as the specific Egyptian magicians who resisted Moses.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jesus references the Old Testament usage of calling those to whom the word of God came 'gods'.
Supported by John Calvin
The eventual admission by the magicians of 'the finger of God' after failing later plagues.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The third vial plague in Revelation mimics the first plague, turning waters to blood in judgment.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Connects Pharaoh's hardened response here directly back to God's prediction in verse 13.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Verbal parallel where Pharaoh again does not 'set his heart' to God's warnings.
Stephen confirms Moses' age of forty when fleeing, and forty years in Midian before this mission.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The initial identification of the shepherd's rod that becomes God's instrument of signs.
Supported by JFB
Pharaoh asked, 'Who is the Lord?'; God now answers, 'In this thou shalt know...'
Supported by Matthew Henry
Echoes the judgment on Egypt's economy and fishing, which died with the river's pollution.
Highlights the seven days' duration of the first plague, preceding Moses's next warning to Pharaoh.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Psalmist celebrates Moses His servant and Aaron whom He had chosen to perform signs.
Supported by John Calvin
Points to the ultimate exposure and limits of the magicians' deceptive folly before God.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The identical request first commanded by God to be spoken before Pharaoh.
Supported by JFB