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Exodus Chapter
Seven
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 7
Moses and Aaron are
ordered to go to Pharaoh, and require the dismission of the people of Israel,
but they are told before hand that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened, and would
refuse to let them go, until the hand of the Lord was stretched out, and great
judgments were brought down upon, Egypt, and then they should come forth, Exodus 7:1, which
orders Moses and Aaron obeyed, and their age is observed, when this was done, Exodus 7:6 and they
are bid to work a miracle, when Pharaoh should demand one, by turning a rod
into a serpent, which they did; but Pharaoh's magicians doing the same in
appearance, his heart was hardened, Exodus 7:8 and then
they are directed to meet him at the river, and require the same as before; and
if he refused, to smite the waters of the river with the rod, and turn them
into blood, which they did, Exodus 7:15, but
Pharaoh's magicians doing the same by enchantments, he did not regard it,
though the plague lasted seven days, Exodus 7:22.
Exodus 7:1 So the Lord said to Moses:
“See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be
your prophet.
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `See, I have
given thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother is thy prophet;
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... In answer to his objection, taken from his own meanness, and
the majesty of Pharaoh, and from his want of readiness and freedom of
expression:
see; take notice
of, observe what I am about to say:
I have made
thee a god to Pharaoh; not a god by nature, but made so; he was so by commission and
office, clothed with power and authority from God to act under him in all
things he should direct; not for ever, as angels are gods, but for a time; not
in an ordinary way, as magistrates are gods, but in an extraordinary manner;
and not to any other but to Pharaoh, being an ambassador of God to him, and as
in his room and stead to, rule over him, though so great a monarch; to command
him what he should do, and control him when he did wrong, and punish him for
his disobedience, and inflict such plagues upon him, and do such miracles
before him, as no mere man of himself, and none but God can do; and even
exercise the power of life and death, as in the slaying of the firstborn, that
Pharaoh should stand in as much fear of him, as if he was a deity, and apply to
him to remove the plagues upon him, as if he was one:
and Aaron thy
brother shall be thy prophet; to declare the will of God revealed to him
by Moses from the Lord; so that this seems to be more than to be the mouth and
spokesman of Moses and interpreter and explainer of his words, or to be acting
the part of an orator for him; for Moses in this affair being God's viceregent,
and furnished with a knowledge of the mind and will of God respecting it, as
well as with power to work miracles, and inflict plagues, was made a god to
both Pharaoh and Aaron; see Exodus 4:6 to
Pharaoh in the sense before explained, and to Aaron, he being his prophet, to
whom he communicated the secrets of God, and his will and pleasure, in order to
make the same known to Pharaoh. Thus highly honoured was Moses to be a god to a
sovereign prince, and to have Aaron to be his prophet.
Exodus 7:2 2 You
shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh
to send the children of Israel out of his land.
YLT 2thou -- thou dost speak all that I command
thee, and Aaron thy brother doth speak unto Pharaoh, and he hath sent the sons
of Israel out of his land.
Thou shalt
speak all that I command thee,.... That is, to Aaron his prophet, whatever
the Lord made known to him in a private manner as his will to be done:
and Aaron thy
brother shall speak unto Pharaoh; whatsoever should be
told him by Moses, as from the Lord:
that he send
the children of Israel out of his land; this was the principal
thing to be insisted upon; and all that was said or done to him was to bring
about this end, the dismission of the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 7:3 3 And
I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land
of Egypt.
YLT 3`And I harden the heart of Pharaoh, and have
multiplied My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt,
And I will harden
Pharaoh's heart,.... See Gill on Exodus 4:21.
and multiply my
signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt; work one miracle and
wonderful sign after another, until they are all wrought intended to be
wrought; and which he had given Moses power to do, and until the end should be
answered and obtained, the letting go of the children of Israel.
Exodus 7:4 4 But
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.
YLT 4and Pharaoh doth not hearken, and I have put
My hand on Egypt, and have brought out My hosts, My people, the sons of Israel,
from the land of Egypt by great judgments;
But Pharaoh
shall not hearken unto you,.... Regard not what they said, nor answer
the demand they made, or obey the command of God delivered by them to him: this
the Lord apprised them of, that they might not be discouraged, and conclude
their labour would be in vain, their attempts fruitless, and they should never
gain their point, but spend their time, and expose themselves to danger to no
purpose:
that I may lay
mine hand upon Egypt; the inhabitants of Egypt, smiting them with one plague after
another, and particularly with the last, slaying their firstborn; every plague
was a stroke of his hand, and an effect of his mighty power and vengeance, and
more especially that:
and bring forth
mine armies; the children of Israel consisting of 600,000 men, besides women
and children, Exodus 12:37 which,
divided into twelve tribes, made twelve fine armies, 50,000 men in a tribe or
army upon an average:
and my people
the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; the word "and"
need not be supplied; if any supplement is necessary, the word "even"
would be better, since this clause is added by way of explanation, showing who
are meant by the armies of the Lord, his people to be brought out:
by great
judgments; inflicted upon the Egyptians.
Exodus 7:5 5 And
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.”
YLT 5and the Egyptians have known that I [am]
Jehovah, in My stretching out My hand against Egypt; and I have brought out the
sons of Israel from their midst.'
And the
Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord,.... Jehovah, the one
only true and living God; this they should know by the judgments executed upon
them, and be obliged to acknowledge it:
when I stretch
forth mine hand upon Egypt: especially the last time, to destroy the
firstborn:
and bring out
the children of Israel from among them; by which it would appear
that he was mightier than they, and obtained the end for which the plagues were
inflicted on them.
Exodus 7:6 6 Then
Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded
them, so they did.
YLT 6And Moses doth -- Aaron also -- as Jehovah
commanded them; so have they done;
And Moses and
Aaron did as the Lord commanded them,.... After this they
never showed any reluctance, or made any objection to any message they were
sent with, or any work they were ordered to do, but went about it at once, and
performed it with all readiness and cheerfulness:
so did they; which is not
a superfluous and redundant expression, but very emphatic, showing with what
care and diligence they did every thing, and how exactly they conformed in all
things to the divine will.
Exodus 7:7 7 And
Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they
spoke to Pharaoh.
YLT 7and Moses [is] a son of eighty years, and
Aaron [is] a son of eighty and three years, in their speaking unto Pharaoh.
And Moses was
eighty years old,.... At this time, which is observed partly to show how long
Israel had been afflicted in Egypt; for their great troubles and miseries began
about the time of the birth of Moses, or a little before, as appears from the
above history; and partly to show the patience and forbearance of God with the
Egyptians, and how just and righteous were his judgments on them; with this
perfectly agrees Stephen's account of the age of Moses, Acts 7:23 and Aaron
eighty three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh; so that they were men
that had had a large experience of things, and had been long training up for
the service designed to be done by them; they were men of wisdom and prudence,
of sedate and composed countenances, and fit to appear before a king, whose age
and venerable aspect might command attention to them. Aben Ezra observes,
that"in all the Scripture there is no mention of any prophets that
prophesied in their old age but these, because their excellency was greater
than all the prophets.'By this it appears that Aaron was three years older than
Moses. A Jewish chronologer saysF14Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 7. 1. ,
that it is affirmed in an exposition of theirs, that Aaron prophesied to the
Israelites in Egypt eighty years, which is making him to be a very young
prophet when he first entered into the office. The Arabic writersF15Patricides,
p. 26. apud Hottinger. p. 415. say, Miriam was at this time eighty seven, so
was seven years older than Moses, and four years older than Aaron; see Exodus 2:4.
Exodus 7:8 8 Then
the Lord
spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
YLT 8And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto
Aaron, saying,
And the Lord
spake unto Moses and unto Aaron,.... After he had given them their
commission, and instructions to go to Pharaoh, and a little before they went in
to him:
saying, as follows.
Exodus 7:9 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.’”
YLT 9`When Pharaoh speaketh unto you, saying, Give
for yourselves a wonder; then thou hast said unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast
before Pharaoh -- it becometh a monster.'
When Pharaoh
shall speak unto you, saying, show a miracle for you,.... To prove
that they came from God, the Jehovah they said they did, and that they were his
ambassadors, and came in his name, and made the demand for him; which when he
seriously reflected on things, he would be ready to require, hoping they would
not be able to show any, and then he should have somewhat against them, and
treat them as impostors:
then thou shalt
say unto Aaron, take thy rod; the same that Moses had in his hand at
Horeb, and brought with him to Egypt; this he had delivered into the hand of
Aaron, who was to be his agent, and with this rod do signs and wonders as he
did, and on account of them it is sometimes called the rod of God:
and cast it
before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent; as it became one before
at Horeb, when Moses by the order of God cast it on the ground, and afterwards
became a rod again, as it now was, Exodus 4:2 Hence
Mercury, the messenger of the gods with the Heathens, is represented as having
a "caduceus", a rod or wand twisted about with snakesF16Vid.
Chartar. de Imag. Deorum, p. 136. imag. 48. .
Exodus 7:10 10 So
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.
YLT 10And Moses goeth in -- Aaron also -- unto
Pharaoh, and they do so as Jehovah hath commanded; and Aaron casteth his rod
before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it becometh a monster.
And Moses and
Aaron went in unto Pharaoh,.... Into the palace of Pharaoh boldly, and
with intrepidity, clothed with such power and authority, and assured of
success:
and they did as
the Lord had commanded; they demanded in his name the dismission of the children of
Israel, and upon his requiring a miracle to confirm their mission, wrought one
as follows:
and Aaron cast
down his rod before Pharaoh, and it became a serpent: or a
"dragon", as the Septuagint version; this word is sometimes used of
great whales, Genesis 1:21 and of
the crocodile, Ezekiel 29:3 and it
is very likely the crocodile is meant here, as Dr. LightfootF17Works,
vol. 1. p. 702. thinks; since this was frequent in the Nile, the river of
Egypt, where the Hebrew infants had been cast, and into whose devouring jaws
they fell, and which also was an Egyptian deityF18Crocodylen adorat,
Juvenal, Sat. 15. . Though no mention is made of Pharaoh's demanding a miracle,
yet no doubt he did, as the Lord had intimated he would, and without which it
can hardly be thought it would be done; and ArtapanusF19Apud Euseb.
Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 435. , an Heathen writer, expressly asserts
it; for he says,"when the king required of Moses to do some sign or
wonder, the rod which he had he cast down, and it became a serpent, to the
amazement of all, and then took it by its tail and it be came a rod
again;'which is a testimony from an Heathen of the truth of this miracle.
Exodus 7:11 11 But Pharaoh also called
the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in
like manner with their enchantments.
YLT 11And Pharaoh also calleth for wise men, and
for sorcerers; and the scribes of Egypt, they also, with their flashings, do
so,
Then Pharaoh
also called the wise men and the sorcerers,.... The cunning men and
wizards, a sort of jugglers and deceivers, who pretended to great knowledge of
things, to discover secrets, tell fortunes, and predict things to come, and by
legerdemain tricks, and casting a mist before people's eyes, pretended to do
very wonderful and amazing things; and therefore Pharaoh sent for these, to
exercise their art and cunning, and see if they could not vie with Moses and
Aaron:
now the
magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments; or by their
secret wiles and juggles, making things seem to appear to the sight when they
did not really, but by dazzling the eyes of men by their wicked and diabolical
art, they fancied they saw things which they did not; for the word has the
signification of flames of fire, or of a flaming sword, or lance, which being
brandished to and fro dazzles the sight. The Targum of Jonathan gives the names
of two of these magicians, whom he calls Jannes and Jambres, as does the
apostle; see Gill on 2 Timothy 3:8.
JosephusF20Antiqu. l. 2. c. 13. sect. 3. calls these magicians of
Egypt priests, and ArtapanusF21Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar.
Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 435.) says, they were priests that lived about
Memphis. According to the ArabsF23Arab. Geograph. Climat. 2. par. 4.
lin. 21. , the name of the place where they lived was Ausana, a city very
ancient and pleasant, called the city of the magicians, which lay to the east
of the Nile: their name in the Hebrew language is either from a word which
signifies a style, or greying tool, as FullerF24Miscell. Sacr. l. 5.
c. 11. thinks, because in their enchantments they used superstitious characters
and figures; or, as Saadiah GaonF25Comment. in Dan. i. 20. , from
two words, the one signifying a "hole", and the other
"stopped"; because they bored a hole in a tree to put witchcrafts
into it, and stopped it up, and then declared what should be, or they had to
say.
Exodus 7:12 12 For
every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed
up their rods.
YLT 12and they cast down each his rod, and they
become monsters, and the rod of Aaron swalloweth their rods;
For they cast
down every man his rod, and they became serpents,.... That is, they seemed
to be so, as JosephusF26Antiqu. ut supra. (l. 2. c. 13 sect. 3.)
expresses it, but not really, in which he is followed by many; though some
think that the devil assisted in this affair, and in an instant, as soon as the
rods were cast down, removed them and put real serpents in their room:
but Aaron's rod
swallowed up their rods; that is, the serpent that Aaron's rod was turned into, swallowed
up the rods of the magicians, which never were otherwise than rods only in
appearance; or if real serpents were put in the room of them, these were
devoured by his serpent called his rod, because it was before turned into a
serpent, as Aben Ezra observes; though the Targums of Jonathan, Jarchi, and R.
Jeshua, suppose this was done after the serpent became a rod again; which makes
the miracle the greater and more wonderful, that a rod should devour other
rods; and supposing them real serpents, this was what the magicians could not
make their rods do, and in which they were outdone by Aaron.
Exodus 7:13 13 And
Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.
YLT 13and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he
hath not hearkened unto them, as Jehovah hath spoken.
And he hardened
Pharaoh's heart,.... Or, "notwithstanding the heart of Pharaoh was
hardened"F1ויחזק "attamen
obfirmatum est", Junius & Tremellius. ; though he saw the rods of his
magicians devoured by rod; or "therefore"F2"Itaque",
Piscator. his heart was hardened, because he saw that the rods of his magicians
became serpents as well as Aaron's; in which there was a deception of sight,
and which was suffered for the hardening of his heart, there being other
wonders and miracles to be wrought, for showing forth the divine power, before
Israel must be let go:
that he
hearkened not unto them; to Moses and Aaron, and comply with their demand, to dismiss the
people of Israel:
as the Lord had
said; or foretold he would not.
Exodus 7:14 14 So
the Lord
said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people
go.
YLT 14And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `The heart of
Pharaoh hath been hard, he hath refused to send the people away;
And the Lord
said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened,.... Or "heavy"F3כבד "grave", Montanus, Drusius. So Ainsworth. ,
dull and stupid, stiff and inflexible, cannot lift up his heart, or find in his
heart to obey the will of God:
he refuseth to
let the people go; which was an instance and proof of the hardness and heaviness of
his heart, on which the above miracle had made no impression, to regard what
God by his ambassadors had required of him.
Exodus 7:15 15 Go
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.
YLT 15go unto Pharaoh in the morning, lo, he is
going out to the water, and thou hast stood to meet him by the edge of the
River, and the rod which was turned to a serpent thou dost take in thy hand,
Get thee unto
Pharaoh in the morning,.... The next morning, a time in which the mind is most composed
and sedate, and fit to attend to what may be suggested:
lo, he goeth
out unto the water; the river Nile, either to take his morning's walk, and to
refresh himself at the waterside, as the Jerusalem Targum; or to observe
divinations upon the water, as a magician, as the Targum of Jonathan. So in the
TalmudF4T. Bab. Moed. Katon, fol. 18. 1. it is said, that the
Pharaoh in the days of Moses was a magician. Or rather, as Aben Ezra thinks,
which he says is a custom of the kings of Egypt to this day, to go out in the
months of Tammuz and Ab, i.e. June, and July, when the river increases, to
observe how many degrees it has ascended, by which the fruitfulness of the
ensuing season was judged of. See Gill on Or else he went to worship the rising
sun, or the Nile, to pay his morning devotions to it: for not only Jarchi, and
other Jewish writers, say it was their chief god, but PlutarchF5De
lside & Osir. Vide Philo de Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 617. also affirms, that
nothing was so much honoured with the Egyptians as the Nile; and both Theodoret
on this place, and AthanasiusF6Contr. Gentil p. 20. & de
Incarnatione, p. 73. elsewhere says, that they reckoned it a god, and
worshipped it as such; and it has been usual with other nations to worship
rivers, as AelianusF7Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 33. reports:
and thou shall
stand by the river's brink against he come; over against the brink
of the river Nile, in order to meet him:
and the rod
which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand; as a terror
to Pharaoh, on sight of which he might be put in mind of what had been done,
and by means of which he might fear other wonders would be wrought; by this it
appears, that after the rod had been turned into a serpent, it became a rod
again, as it did at Horeb, Exodus 4:4. Moses
having previous notice of all this, shows the prescience of God, and his
certain knowledge of future contingent events.
Exodus 7:16 16 And
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!
YLT 16and thou hast said unto him: Jehovah, God of
the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Send My people away, and they
serve Me in the wilderness; and lo, thou hast not hearkened hitherto.
And thou shalt
say unto him,.... Upon meeting him:
the Lord God of
the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee; still appearing in the
character of the ambassador of Jehovah, the God of the children of Israel:
saying, let my
people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; the demand is
once more renewed, before any punishment is inflicted for refusal, that the
patience and forbearance of God might be the more visible, and his judgments
appear the more righteous when inflicted, as well as Pharaoh be left more
inexcusable. The reason of the demand is observed:
that they may
serve me; keep a feast, and sacrifice to him, as is before expressed, and
the place where is pointed at:
in the
wilderness; at Sinai, in Arabia, where were the mountains of Sinai and
Horeb; but the time of their service is not here expressed, as elsewhere,
namely, three days:
and, behold, hitherto
thou wouldest not hear; and obey the voice of the Lord, upbraiding him with his
disobedience, and the hardness of his heart; but signifying it was not now too
late, though it was advisable to be quick, or the blow would be given, and the
plagues inflicted.
Exodus 7:17 17 Thus
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.
YLT 17`Thus said Jehovah: By this thou knowest that
I [am] Jehovah; lo, I am smiting with the rod which [is] in my hand, on the
waters which [are] in the River, and they have been turned to blood,
Thus saith the
Lord, in this thou shalt know that I am the Lord,.... By the following
instance of his power and vengeance:
behold, I will
smite with the rod that is in my hand; which though in the hand
of Moses, Exodus 7:18 yet he
being his ambassador, and representing him, is said to be in the hand of the
Lord; and with this he threatens to smite
upon the waters
which are in the river; the river Nile, and the canals thereof:
and they shall
be turned to blood; and if this river was their god, it would abundantly appear that
the God of the Hebrews was Jehovah, and above all gods, and particularly above
theirs.
Exodus 7:18 18 And
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.”’”
YLT 18and the fish that [are] in the River die, and
the River hath stank, and the Egyptians have been wearied of drinking waters
from the River.'
And the fish
that is in the river shall die,.... Their element being changed, and they
not able to live in any other but water:
and the river
shall stink; with the blood, into which it should be congealed, and with the
putrefied bodies of fishes floating in it:
and the
Egyptians shall loath to drink of the water of the river; the very
colour of it, looking like blood, would set them against it, and create a
nausea in them; or "shall be weary"F8נלאו
"delassabuntur", Tigurine version, Vatablus.
"Defatigabuntur", Cartwright. , tired of drinking it in a little
time, through the loathsomeness of it; or be weary in digging about it, Exodus 7:24 to get
some clear water to drink of; or in seeking to find out ways and methods to
cure the waters, that so they might be fit to drink of, as Jarchi interprets
it.
Exodus 7:19 19 Then
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.’”
YLT 19And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Say unto
Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand against the waters of Egypt,
against their streams, against their rivers, and against their ponds, and
against all their collections of waters; and they are blood -- and there hath
been blood in all the land of Egypt, both in [vessels of] wood, and in [those
of] stone.'
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... Pharaoh still being obstinate, and refusing to let the
people go:
say unto Aaron,
take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt; upon all of
them in general, what were in the river Nile, or derived from it, as follows:
upon their
streams; the seven streams of the river Nile; see Gill on Isaiah 11:15.
upon their
rivers; the canals that were cut out of the river Nile, for the watering
of their fields and gardens, for they had no other river:
and upon their
ponds, and upon all their pools of waters; which were dug near the
river, or to which pipes were laid to convey the water thither:
that they may
become blood; and so not fit to drink:
and that there
may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt,
both in vessels
of wood, and in vessels of stone; in which water were kept
in private houses, fetched from the river for the use of families; all which
were to be turned into blood everywhere, in all parts of the land, and in all
places mentioned, immediately upon Aaron's taking his rod, and smiting the
waters with it in that part of the river that was before him.
Exodus 7:20 20 And
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.
YLT 20And Moses and Aaron do so, as Jehovah hath
commanded, and he lifteth up [his hand] with the rod, and smiteth the waters
which [are] in the River, before the eyes of Pharaoh, and before the eyes of
his servants, and all the waters which [are] in the River are turned to blood,
And Moses and
Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded,.... Moses delivered the
rod to Aaron, who took it and went to the water side:
and he lift up
the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river; or "in
that river"F9ביאר εν τω ποταμω Sept. "in eo rivo", Junius and
Tremellius, Piscator. , the river Nile, on the brink of which Pharaoh then
stood:
in the sight of
Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; his nobles and courtiers
who tended him in his walk to the water; for this was done before he returned
to his palace:
and all the
waters that were in the river were turned into blood; not only the
face of the waters looked like blood, but they were really turned into it; and
not only the surface of the water, but all the water that was in the river,
wherever it flowed, and as far as it flowed in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 7:21 21 The 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.
YLT 21and the fish which [is] in the River hath
died, and the River stinketh, and the Egyptians have not been able to drink
water from the River; and the blood is in all the land of Egypt.
And the fish
that was in the river died,.... Which was a full proof that the
conversion of it into blood was real; for had it been only in appearance, or
the water of the river had only the colour of blood, and looked like it, but
was not really so, it would not have affected the fishes, they would have lived
as well as before; and this plague was the greater affliction to the Egyptians,
not as it affected their drink but their food, fish Numbers 11:5 being
what the common people chiefly lived upon; see Gill on Isaiah 19:8 and the
river stunk; the blood into which it was turned being corrupted through the
heat of the sun, and the dead fishes swimming upon it being putrefied:
and the
Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and they had
no other water to drink ofF11Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29. ;
for rain seldom fell in Egypt, though sometimes it did in some places; see Gill
on Zechariah 14:18.
The water of the river Nile was not only their common drink, but it was
exceeding pleasant, and therefore the loss of it was the greater; it was so
remarkable for the sweetness and delicacy of its taste, that in the time of
Pescennius Niger, when his soldiers murmured for want of wine, he is reported
to have answered them,"what! crave you wine, and have the water of the
Nile to drink?'which Mr. Maillett, who lived sixteen years consul for the
French nation at Grand Cairo, confirms, and says, that it is grown to be a
common proverb, that whoever has once tasted it will ever after pine for itF12See
the Bishop of Clogher's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible, p. 287. ; with this
compare Jeremiah 2:18,
and there was
blood throughout all the land of Egypt; in the river, wherever
it flowed, in all its streams and channels, and wherever any water was
collected out of it, or fetched from it, let it be in what reservoir it would.
This is the first plague executed on the Egyptians, and a very righteous one by
the law of retaliation for shedding the blood of innocent babes, through
casting them into this river; and this will be the second and third vials of
God's wrath, which will be poured on antichrist, or mystical Egypt, who will
have blood given to drink because worthy, see Revelation 16:3.
ArtapanusF13Apud Euseb Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 435. , an
Heathen writer, bears testimony to this miracle, though he does not so fully
and clearly express it as it was; he says,"a little after, that is, after
the former miracle of the rod turned into a serpent, the Nile, that river whose
swelling waves overflow all Egypt, was smitten with the rod; and the water
being gathered and stagnated, boiled up, and not only the fishes were
destroyed, but the people perished through thirst.'
Exodus 7:22 22 Then
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.
YLT 22And the scribes of Egypt do so with their
flashings, and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he hath not hearkened unto
them, as Jehovah hath spoken,
And the
magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments,.... Who were
either in company with Pharaoh and his nobles, or were immediately sent for to
try their art, and confront Moses and Aaron with it; and who very probably got
a little water in a vessel, and by some juggling trick imposing upon, and
deceiving the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, made it look like blood; and
the devil might help them to a sufficient quantity of blood, and discolour the
water with it, and make it appear as if it was blood, and which was a poor
business; had they turned the bloody river into water again, they would have
equalled the miracle of Moses and Aaron, and done some service to their
country; but to deceive the sight of people, or to spoil a small quantity of
water that was good, by mixing it with blood, was but a mean and unworthy
action. Should it be asked from whence they had this water, when all was turned
into blood? it may be answered, either from Goshen, as the Targum of Jonathan,
the waters of the Hebrews not being affected with this plague: though Aben Ezra
thinks they were; or from the sea, as Theodoret; but both these places were too
far distant to fetch water from, in the time that Pharaoh stayed here before
his return home: rather therefore this water was had from some habitation of
the Israelites in the city near at hand, where Pharaoh lived, or was dug for
immediately by the magicians, as in Exodus 7:24 or it
may be that all the waters were not immediately turned into blood, but
successively and gradually, first the river, and then its streams, &c. so
that there might be near at hand a pool of water, not yet turned into blood,
and a vessel of water might be fetched from it, on which they exercised their
juggling art:
and Pharaoh's
heart was hardened: by seeing his magicians do what was similar to what Moses and
Aaron had done; and therefore concluded that it was not by the hand of God, but
owing to a magic art they were masters of, as his magicians were:
neither did he
hearken unto them; to Moses and Aaron, and what they said to him, to let the people
go:
as the Lord had
said; had before told he would not hearken to them, Exodus 7:4.
Exodus 7:23 23 And
Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.
YLT 23and Pharaoh turneth and goeth in unto his
house, and hath not set his heart even to this;
And Pharaoh
turned, and went into his house,.... Turned away from Moses and Aaron, and
turned back from the river to which he came, and went to his palace in the
city; it being perhaps now about dinner time, when all before related had
passed:
neither did he
set his heart to this also: had no regard to this miracle of turning
the waters into blood, as well as he had none to the rod being turned into a
serpent, and devouring the rods of the magicians; he neither considered the one
nor the other, or seriously and closely thought of this, any more than of the
other.
Exodus 7:24 24 So
all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they
could not drink the water of the river.
YLT 24and all the Egyptians seek water round about
the river to drink, for they have not been able to drink of the waters of the
River.
And all the
Egyptians digged round about the river,.... On each side of it,
in order to get clear water; and Aben Ezra thinks the Hebrews also, who were
affected with this, and the two following plagues, the frogs and lice: but it
is much more reasonable to conclude that they were free from them all. This
they did
for water to
drink: for there was none in the river, streams, ponds and pools, or in
vessels, in which they used to reserve it, and therefore could come at none but
by digging; and whether they obtained any in that way is not said:
for they could
not drink of the waters of the river; it being turned into
blood, and stunk so exceedingly; and though they might strain it, and make it
in some measure, drinkable, and might make use of the juice of herbs, and other
things, to extinguish their thirst, and the better sort might have a stock of
wine, yet multitudes must be greatly distressed, and many perish, as PhiloF14De
Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 617. the Jew says they did.
Exodus 7:25 25 And
seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.
YLT 25And seven days are completed after Jehovah's
smiting the River,
And seven days
were fulfilled,.... Or there were full seven days, a whole week:
after that the
Lord had smitten the river, and turned it into blood; here the miracle
is ascribed to him; Moses and Aaron, and the rod they used, were only
instruments, nothing short of almighty power could do such a miracle; it seems
this lasted seven days at least. It began, as Bishop UsherF15Annal.
Vet. Test. p. 20. computes it, on the eighteen day of the sixth month, or Adar,
part of February and part of March, and ended the twenty fifth of the same. It
is not said that Pharaoh requested to have it removed, though PhiloF16Ut
supra. (De Vita. Mosis, l. 1. p. 617.) says he did; his stubborn heart not
being humbled enough as yet to ask such a favour, and therefore perhaps it was
taken off without asking for it, to make way for another.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》