Exodus — Chapter 7
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1The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
2You are to speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.
3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
4Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
5And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
6So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them.
7Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
9“When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.”
10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
11But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts.
12Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.
13Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.
15Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.
16Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.
17This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.
18The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’”
19And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and all the reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”
20Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood.
21The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
23Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and did not take any of this to heart.
24So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water from the river.
25And seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.
1And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he 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 shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine 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 forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
7And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
8And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
14And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
15Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
16And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
17Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
19And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
20And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote 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.
21And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
24And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.
1And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go 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 hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah commanded them, so did they.
7And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
8And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.
10And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as Jehovah had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments.
12For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron`s rod swallowed up their rods.
13And Pharaoh`s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.
14And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh`s heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go.
15Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river`s brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.
16And thou shalt say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened.
17Thus saith Jehovah, In this thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.
19And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.
20And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote 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.
21And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
22And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments: and Pharaoh`s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.
23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart.
24And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25And seven days were fulfilled, after that Jehovah had smitten the river.
1So the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
2You are to speak everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh that he must release the Israelites from his land.
3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and although I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt,
4Pharaoh will not listen to you. I will reach into Egypt and bring out my regiments, my people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment.
5Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I extend my hand over Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
6And Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.
7Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Do a miracle,’ and you say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ it will become a snake.”
10When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, they did so, just as the Lord had commanded them—Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake.
11Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt by their secret arts did the same thing.
12Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
13Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.
14The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to release the people.
15Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Position yourself to meet him by the edge of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake.
16Tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say, “Release my people, that they may serve me in the wilderness!” But until now you have not listened.
17This is what the Lord has said: “By this you will know that I am the Lord: I am going to strike the water of the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood.
18Fish in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile.”’”
19Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over Egypt’s waters—over their rivers, over their canals, over their ponds, and over all their reservoirs—so that it becomes blood.’ There will be blood everywhere in the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone containers.”
20Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord had commanded. He raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile right before the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.
21When the fish that were in the Nile died, the Nile began to stink, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood everywhere in the land of Egypt!
22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts, and so Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron—just as the Lord had predicted.
23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not pay any attention to this.
24All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the Nile.
25Seven full days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.
1Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, 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 speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
3I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt, and bring out my armies, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
6Moses and Aaron did so. As Yahweh commanded them, so they did.
7Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle!’ then you shall tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.’”
10Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments.
12For they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.
14Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.
15Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, 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.
16You shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness:” and behold, until now you haven’t listened.
17Yahweh says, “In this you shall know that I am Yahweh. Behold, I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18The fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.”’”
19Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
20Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded; and 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; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
22The magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.
23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart.
24All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water.
25Seven days were fulfilled, after Yahweh had struck the river.
Summary
God tells Moses that he will function as God to Pharaoh, with Aaron as his prophet, and warns that He will harden Pharaoh's heart so His judgments may multiply against Egypt; Moses is eighty and Aaron eighty-three when they begin (vv. 1-7). Aaron's staff becomes a serpent before Pharaoh, and though Egypt's magicians duplicate the feat, Aaron's serpent swallows theirs, yet Pharaoh's heart remains hard (vv. 8-13). The LORD then strikes the Nile through Aaron's staff, turning all its water to blood, killing the fish and fouling the river, but the magicians reproduce this too and Pharaoh is unmoved for seven days (vv. 14-25).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Egypt — Pharaoh's court: The confrontation between Moses/Aaron and Pharaoh continues.
- The Nile River (v.17): Site of the first plague — water turned to blood. The Nile was worshipped as a god (Hapi); God strikes at the heart of Egypt's religion and economy.
Places on this map
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
- NileEgyptEgypt's only real water source, flooding every summer and leaving the silt that made the valley farmable. Because the whole country depended on it, turning it to blood was an attack on Egypt's economy and its gods at once. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the plague as judgment on Hapi (the Nile god), the significance of Aaron's rod swallowing the magicians' rods, and the progressive hardening of Pharaoh's heart.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the shape of the rescue from Egypt and where the story is going.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Exodus -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- A Purpose Behind the Hardening (v.3) — God tells Moses in advance that Pharaoh's heart will harden so that His signs and wonders can multiply before Egypt's eyes. Can you trust that God has a purpose even in the resistance and delays you're facing right now?
- Called at Eighty (v.7) — Moses is eighty years old when his life's defining work actually begins. Do you believe it's too late for God to use you, or can you trust His timing over your own sense of a deadline?
- Real Power Swallows the Counterfeit (v.12) — Aaron's rod doesn't just match the magicians' power, it consumes it completely. What false source of security or comfort are you trusting that God's truth is ready to overtake?
- Imitating the Problem but Unable to Fix It (v.22) — Pharaoh's magicians can reproduce the plague but cannot reverse it; only God can undo what's broken. Where are you looking to counterfeit solutions instead of the only One who can actually restore what's been lost?
- Unmoved by the Miracle (v.23) — Pharaoh witnesses undeniable power and simply turns and walks away, unaffected. Have you ever seen clear evidence of God at work and still resisted letting it change you?