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Exodus 7

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Moses Given Divine Authority Over Pharaoh 1–7

1
And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. ​
2
Thou 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.
3
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. ​
4
But 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. ​
5
And 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. ​
6
And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah commanded them, so did they.
7
And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. ​

The Sign of the Rod 8–13

8
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9
When 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.
10
And 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.
11
Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. ​
12
For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. ​
13
And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken. ​

The First Plague: Water Turns to Blood 14–25

14
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. ​
15
Get 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. ​
16
And 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.
17
Thus 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. ​
18
And 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.
19
And 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. ​
20
And 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.
21
And 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.
22
And 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. ​
23
And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart.
24
And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25
And seven days were fulfilled, after that Jehovah had smitten the river. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 7

Verse 1

I have made thee a god to Pharaoh — Elohim here marks Moses as the one who speaks and acts with the LORD's authority before the king. Aaron 'shall be thy prophet' (navi), the spokesman. The arrangement was given at the burning bush: 'he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God' (Ex 4:16).

Verse 3

I will harden Pharaoh's heart — Qashah, to make hard. The LORD had said at the beginning, 'I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go' (Ex 4:21). With it he promises to 'multiply my signs and my wonders' (otot, mopheth) in Egypt. Paul cites the purpose: 'that I might shew my power in thee' (Rom 9:17).

Verse 4

mine armies — Tsiv'ot, hosts. Israel is the LORD's host, and the verse closes in Ex 12:41: 'all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt'. The LORD says he will 'lay my hand upon Egypt' and bring his people out 'by great judgments' (shephatim), the word for sentences of a judge.

Verse 5

the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD — The refrain recurs at the Red Sea: 'that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD' (Ex 14:4; compare 14:18). To Israel the same knowledge is promised in Ex 6:7. At the last plague the LORD says, 'against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD' (Ex 12:12).

Verse 7

fourscore years old… fourscore and three — Moses was forty when 'it came into his heart to visit his brethren' (Acts 7:23) and eighty after 'forty years were expired' in the wilderness (Acts 7:30). He died at 120 with his 'natural force' unabated (Deut 34:7), Aaron at 123 (Num 33:39).

Verse 11

the wise men and the sorcerers — Pharaoh calls 'wise men' (chakamim), 'sorcerers' (mekashshefim) and 'magicians' (chartummim), the last being the class he had called in Joseph's day, when 'there was none that could interpret' his dream (Gen 41:8). 'Enchantments' is lahat, a blaze or covert magic. Paul names two, 'Jannes and Jambres', who 'withstood Moses' (2 Tim 3:8).

Verse 12

Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods — The rods become tanninim, serpents, the word of the sign promised in v.9. The first sign given to Moses used nachash (Ex 4:3), and v.15 recalls it with that word. 'Swallowed up' is bala: Aaron's rod takes in every one of theirs.

Verse 13

he hardened Pharaoh's heart — The verb is chazaq, to be strong, in the plain stem, the same as in v.22 ('was hardened'). In v.3 the LORD says 'I will harden' (qashah), and v.14 uses a third word, kaved, heavy. The verse ends 'as the LORD had said', pointing back to Ex 4:21 and v.3.

Verse 14

Pharaoh's heart is hardened — Kaved, literally heavy, the third of the words used in this chapter for the king's heart (vv.3, 13, 14). 'He refuseth' is me'en, he declines. The demand to 'let the people go' (shalach) is the one given at Ex 5:1. The LORD announces the refusal to Moses before the first plague begins.

Verse 15

by the river's brink — The Nile (ye'or) and its 'brink' (saphah) are the same words as in Ex 2:3, where the child Moses is laid 'in the flags by the river's brink'. Ezekiel quotes Pharaoh: 'My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself' (Ezek 29:3). Moses is to meet him in the morning, rod in hand.

Verse 17

In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD — Pharaoh had said, 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD' (Ex 5:2). The LORD answers with the word 'know'. He says he will 'smite with the rod that is in mine hand', though it is Aaron's hand that stretches it out (v.19). Ps 105:29 recounts it.

Verse 19

upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds — Four terms for water are named: neharot (streams), ye'orim (rivers, the Nile's channels), agam (ponds) and miqveh (pools). The 'vessels of wood' and 'vessels of stone' are the containers in which water was held. Ps 78:44 says of the plague that their 'floods' could not be drunk; Rev 16:4 turns rivers and fountains to blood.

Verse 22

the magicians of Egypt did so — 'Enchantments' here is lat, covered or secret arts, a different word from lahat in v.11; lat returns in 8:7 and 8:18. Pharaoh's heart 'was hardened' (chazaq, as in v.13), and he 'turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also' (v.23).

Verse 25

seven days were fulfilled — The verse counts seven full days 'after that the LORD had smitten the river' (nakah, the verb of v.17). The next word to Moses begins the following plague: 'Go unto Pharaoh' (Ex 8:1). Ps 78:44 sets the turning of the rivers to blood first among the signs it recounts.