Exodus 7:22

Translation
King James Version
And 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.
Ask
KJV (with Strong's)
And the magicians H2748 of Egypt H4714 did H6213 so with their enchantments H3909: and Pharaoh's H6547 heart H3820 was hardened H2388, neither did he hearken H8085 unto them; as the LORD H3068 had said H1696.
Ask
Complete Jewish Bible
But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts, so that Pharaoh was made hardhearted and didn't listen to them, as ADONAI had said would happen.
Ask
Berean Standard Bible
But 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.
Ask
American Standard Version
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.
Ask
World English Bible Messianic
The magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as the LORD had spoken.
Ask
Geneva Bible (1599)
And the enchanters of Egypt did likewise with their sorceries: and the heart of Phraoh was hardened: so that he did not hearken vnto them, as the Lord had sayde.
Ask
Young's Literal Translation
And 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,
Ask
See also
Exodus 7:112 Timothy 3:8Jeremiah 27:18Exodus 8:7Exodus 8:8
See on the biblical-era map
The Kingdom of Egypt in the Time of Moses
The Kingdom of Egypt in the Time of Moses View full PDF
Exodus 4:1-17, Exodus 7:14-25, Exodus 8:20-31
Exodus 4:1-17, Exodus 7:14-25, Exodus 8:20-31 View full PDF

Map © Biblica Open Bible Maps · CC BY-SA 4.0

In the KJVVerse 1,708 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Exodus 7:22 vividly illustrates the limited, imitative power of the Egyptian magicians in the face of divine judgment, as they replicate the turning of water into blood. This partial success, however, only served to reinforce Pharaoh's stubborn resistance, confirming God's earlier pronouncements regarding his unyielding heart and demonstrating the certain fulfillment of divine prophecy amidst human defiance.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is situated immediately after the first plague, where Aaron, at God's command, strikes the Nile River, turning all the water in Egypt into blood (Exodus 7:19-21). The plague was a direct assault on the economic and religious life of Egypt, particularly targeting the Nile, revered as a deity (Hapi) and source of life. Pharaoh's response in Exodus 7:23 indicates his dismissive attitude, retreating to his palace without giving the plague serious consideration. The magicians' imitation in Exodus 7:11-12 and here in Exodus 7:22 serves to provide Pharaoh with a false justification for his continued defiance, allowing him to rationalize away the true divine origin of the plagues.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Egypt was a polytheistic society deeply entrenched in magic, divination, and the worship of numerous gods, often associated with natural phenomena. Pharaoh was considered a divine king, a living god, and his authority was absolute. The "magicians" (Hebrew: charṭummim) were part of the educated elite, likely scribes, priests, or wise men who practiced various forms of occult arts, including interpreting dreams, performing rituals, and producing illusions. Their ability to "do so with their enchantments" speaks to the widespread belief in and practice of such arts in Egyptian culture. This confrontation between Yahweh and the Egyptian gods, mediated through Moses and Aaron against Pharaoh and his magicians, was understood as a cosmic battle for supremacy, where the God of Israel systematically dismantled the perceived power of Egypt's deities and its ruler.
  • Key Themes: The verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Exodus. First, it highlights the Sovereignty of God over all human and demonic powers; even the limited success of the magicians ultimately serves God's plan by hardening Pharaoh's heart further, leading to a greater display of divine power. Second, it underscores the Futility of Human Resistance against divine will, as Pharaoh's stubbornness, despite overwhelming evidence, only brings about more severe judgment. Third, the phrase "as the LORD had said" emphasizes the Reliability of God's Word and the certainty of prophetic fulfillment, a theme introduced early in the narrative, such as in Exodus 4:21 and Exodus 7:3. Finally, it touches upon the Nature of a Hardened Heart, illustrating how persistent rebellion against truth can lead to an intensified state of spiritual insensitivity, making one impervious to divine revelation.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • magicians (Hebrew, charṭôm', H2748): From the same as cheret, meaning a horoscopist (as drawing magical lines or circles); a magician. These were the learned men of Egypt, often associated with the priestly class, who practiced secret arts, divination, and interpretations of omens. Their role was to advise Pharaoh and validate the power of Egyptian deities.
  • enchantments (Hebrew, lâṭ', H3909): A form meaning properly, covered, i.e., secret; by implication, incantation; also secrecy or (adverb) covertly. This term suggests hidden, secret, or whispered spells, often implying illusion, trickery, or subtle, deceptive means rather than genuine creative power. It differentiates their actions from the open, public, and undeniable miracles performed by God through Moses and Aaron.
  • hardened (Hebrew, châzaq', H2388): A primitive root meaning to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer. In this context, it describes Pharaoh's heart becoming firm, resolute, and unyielding in its resistance to God's command. It conveys a sense of becoming rigid and unmovable in defiance.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments:" This clause describes the Egyptian sorcerers' attempt to replicate the first plague. While the text states they "did so," implying a successful imitation, it's critical to note the limitation: they produced blood from water, but they could not reverse the existing plague or provide clean water. Their method, using "enchantments," suggests a reliance on occult practices, trickery, or perhaps drawing upon existing blood, rather than genuine creative power. This partial success, however, was enough to give Pharaoh a pretext to dismiss the divine origin of the plague.
  • "and Pharaoh's heart was hardened," This phrase indicates Pharaoh's continued obstinacy and resistance to God's demands. The hardening of his heart is presented as both a consequence of his own willful defiance and a part of God's sovereign plan. It signifies a state of spiritual insensitivity and an unyielding resolve against the divine will, even when confronted with supernatural evidence.
  • "neither did he hearken unto them;" This specifies the outcome of Pharaoh's hardened heart: his refusal to listen to or obey Moses and Aaron, who were speaking on behalf of the LORD. Despite the clear demonstration of God's power through the plague, Pharaoh remained defiant, unwilling to release the Israelites. This highlights his deep-seated rebellion against Yahweh.
  • "as the LORD had said." This concluding phrase is a crucial theological statement. It serves as a powerful affirmation of God's foreknowledge and the absolute certainty of His word. From the very beginning of the narrative, God had declared that Pharaoh would be obstinate (Exodus 4:21, Exodus 7:3). This statement underscores God's complete control over events, demonstrating that even human resistance ultimately serves to fulfill His divine purposes and magnify His glory.

Literary Devices

Exodus 7:22 employs several literary devices to convey its profound theological message. Irony is prominent, as the magicians' limited success in imitating the plague, rather than impressing Pharaoh with God's power, ironically reinforces his stubbornness, providing him with a false justification for his defiance. This also highlights the contrast between the overwhelming, pervasive nature of God's plague and the magicians' small-scale, likely deceptive "enchantments." The phrase "as the LORD had said" functions as a powerful instance of prophetic fulfillment and divine sovereignty, emphasizing that God's word is immutable and His plan will unfold exactly as declared, regardless of human opposition. This repetition of God's foreknowledge concerning Pharaoh's hardened heart (first mentioned in earlier chapters and reiterated here) serves to underscore the theme of God's absolute control over the narrative and His use of even human rebellion to achieve His purposes.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Exodus 7:22 profoundly illustrates the clash between divine omnipotence and human hubris, demonstrating that even the most formidable earthly power, bolstered by occult practices, is utterly subordinate to God's sovereign will. Pharaoh's continued hardening of heart, enabled by the magicians' limited imitations, paradoxically serves God's greater purpose of displaying His glory and power to Egypt and Israel. This verse underscores the reliability of God's prophetic word, as His declared intention for Pharaoh's stubbornness comes to pass precisely as foretold. It also highlights the deceptive nature and ultimate futility of occult power when arrayed against the Creator, whose authority is absolute and whose plans cannot be thwarted.

  • Romans 9:17-18: "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: 'I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.' Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."
  • 2 Timothy 3:8-9: "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because their folly will be clear to everyone, just as theirs was."
  • Isaiah 55:11: "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Exodus 7:22 serves as a timeless reminder of God's unyielding sovereignty and the ultimate futility of human resistance to His divine will. In a world often characterized by defiance, deception, and a hardening of hearts against truth, this verse encourages believers to place their unwavering trust in God's ultimate control. It teaches us that no human stubbornness, no worldly power, and no deceptive imitation can ever thwart God's eternal purposes. Furthermore, it calls us to spiritual discernment, urging us to distinguish between genuine divine power and mere imitations or occult practices, which, though seemingly impressive, are ultimately powerless against the Creator. Just as Pharaoh's heart became increasingly hardened through his persistent rejection of God's truth, so too can individuals become resistant to the Holy Spirit's promptings, leading to profound spiritual consequences. This verse compels us to cultivate a soft and receptive heart, quick to hear and obey God's voice, recognizing that His word is always true and His promises, whether of judgment or deliverance, will inevitably come to pass.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does Pharaoh's response to the plague, even after the magicians' imitation, reveal the nature of a truly hardened heart?
  • In what ways might we, in our own lives, be tempted to rationalize away clear evidence of God's work or truth, similar to Pharaoh's reaction?
  • How does the phrase "as the LORD had said" strengthen your faith in God's ultimate control and the certainty of His promises, even amidst opposition?

FAQ

Did the Egyptian magicians genuinely replicate the plague of blood?

Answer: The text states they "did so with their enchantments," implying a successful imitation, but with significant limitations. Their power was not creative like God's; they could not reverse the plague, nor could they provide clean water for the suffering Egyptians. Their "success" likely involved occult practices, trickery, or perhaps drawing on existing pools of blood or using pre-prepared substances. It was a demonstration of limited, imitative power, designed to deceive and provide Pharaoh with a pretext to dismiss the true divine origin of the plague, rather than a genuine challenge to God's sovereign might.

How can God harden Pharaoh's heart and still hold him accountable?

Answer: The Bible presents the hardening of Pharaoh's heart as a complex interplay of divine sovereignty and human volition. Initially, Pharaoh hardened his own heart by repeatedly refusing to obey God's commands to let Israel go (Exodus 8:15, Exodus 8:32). God then confirmed or intensified this hardening, using Pharaoh's self-chosen stubbornness to display His power and glory to both Egypt and Israel, as stated in Romans 9:17-18. Pharaoh remained accountable because his initial and ongoing resistance was a volitional act of rebellion against known truth. God's hardening was not an imposition of evil but a confirmation of Pharaoh's self-chosen rebellion, allowing God's righteous judgment and redemptive plan to unfold.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Exodus 7:22, with its stark portrayal of Pharaoh's hardened heart and the magicians' impotent imitations, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate spiritual battle and Christ's decisive victory over sin, death, and all opposing powers. Pharaoh's stubborn resistance to God's call for liberation finds its ultimate expression in humanity's universal rebellion against God's saving grace offered in Christ (John 3:19). Just as the magicians' enchantments were a futile shadow compared to divine power, so too are all human efforts, worldly philosophies, or demonic deceptions utterly powerless against the transformative and redemptive work of Christ. Jesus, through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, did not merely imitate life or offer temporary relief; He conquered death itself, providing true and lasting liberation from the bondage of sin and Satan (Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14-15). His work softens hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), offering genuine spiritual transformation where Pharaoh experienced only increasing hardness. The "as the LORD had said" finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in the prophecies concerning Christ, whose coming, life, death, and resurrection perfectly align with God's eternal plan for salvation, ensuring that no human or demonic resistance can thwart His redemptive purposes (Luke 24:44, Matthew 5:17).

Copy as

Commentary on Exodus 7 verses 14–25

Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood, which was, 1. A dreadful plague, and very grievous. The very sight of such vast rolling streams of blood, pure blood no doubt, florid and high-colored, could not but strike a horror upon people: much more afflictive were the consequences of it. Nothing more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that that which 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. Fish was much of their food (Num 11:5), but the changing of the waters was the death of the fish; it was a pestilence in that element (Exo 7:21): The fish died. In the general deluge they escaped, because perhaps they had not then contributed so much to the luxury of man as they have since; but in this particular judgment they perished (Psa 105:29): He slew their fish; and when another destruction of Egypt, long afterwards, is threatened, the disappointment of those that make sluices and ponds for fish is particularly noticed, Isa 19:10. Egypt was a pleasant land, but the noisome stench of dead fish and blood, which by degrees would grow putrid, now rendered it very unpleasant. 2. It was a righteous plague, and justly inflicted upon the Egyptians. For, (1.) Nilus, the river of Egypt, was their idol; they and their land derived so much benefit from it that they served and worshipped it more than the Creator. The true fountain of the Nile being unknown to them, they paid all their devotions to its streams: here therefore God punished them, and turned that into blood which they had turned into a god. Note, That creature which we idolize God justly removes from us, or embitters to us. He makes that a scourge to us which we make a competitor with him. (2.) They had stained the river with the blood of the Hebrews' children, and now God made that river all bloody. Thus he gave them blood to drink, for they were worthy, Rev 16:6. Note, Never any thirsted after blood, but, sooner or later, they had enough of it. 3. It was a significant plague. Egypt had a great dependence upon their river (Zac 14:18), so that in smiting the river they were warned of the destruction of all the productions of their country, till it came at last to their firstborn; and this red river proved a direful omen of the ruin of Pharaoh and all his forces in the Red Sea. This plague of Egypt is alluded to in the prediction of the ruin of the enemies of the New Testament church, Rev 16:3, Rev 16:4. But there the sea, as well as the rivers and fountains of water, is turned into blood; for spiritual judgments reach further, and strike deeper, than temporal judgments do. And, lastly, let me observe in general concerning this plague that one of the first miracles Moses wrought was turning water into blood, but one of the first miracles our Lord Jesus wrought was turning water into wine; for the law was given by Moses, and it was a dispensation of death and terror; but grace and truth, which, like wine, make glad the heart, came by Jesus Christ. Observe,

I. Moses is directed to give Pharaoh warning of this plague. "Pharaoh's heart is hardened (Exo 7:14), therefore go and try what this will do to soften it," Exo 7:15. Moses perhaps may not be admitted into Pharaoh's presence-chamber, or the room of state where he used to give audience to ambassadors; and therefore he is directed to meet him by the river's brink, whither God foresaw he would come in the morning, either for the pleasure of a morning's walk or to pay his morning devotions to the river: for thus all people will walk, every one in the name of his god; they will not fail to worship their god every morning. There Moses must be ready to give him a new summons to surrender, and, in case of a refusal, to tell him of the judgment that was coming upon that very river on the banks of which they were now standing. Notice is thus given him of it beforehand, that they might have no colour to say it was a chance, or to attribute it to any other cause, but that it might appear to be done by the power of the God of the Hebrews, and as a punishment upon him for his obstinacy. Moses is expressly ordered to take the rod with him, that Pharaoh might be alarmed at the sight of that rod which had so lately triumphed over the rods of the magicians. Now learn hence, 1. That the judgments of God are all known to himself beforehand. He knows what he will do in wrath as well as in mercy. Every consumption is a consumption determined, Isa 10:23. 2. That men cannot escape the alarms of God's wrath, because they cannot go out of the hearing of their own consciences: he that made their hearts can make his sword to approach them. 3. That God warns before he wounds; for he is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

II. Aaron (who carried the mace) is directed to summon the plague by smiting the river with his rod, Exo 7:19, Exo 7:20. It was done in the sight of Pharaoh and his attendants; for God's true miracles were not performed, as Satan's lying wonders were, by those that peeped and muttered: truth seeks no corners. An amazing change was immediately wrought; all the waters, not only in the rivers but in all their ponds, were turned into blood. 1. See here the almighty power of God. Every creature is that to us which he makes it to be, water or blood. 2. See the mutability of all things under the sun, and what changes we may meet with in them. That which is water today may be blood tomorrow; what is always vain may soon become vexatious. A river, at the best, is transient; but divine justice can quickly make it malignant. 3. 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.

III. Pharaoh endeavours to confront the miracle, because he resolves not to humble himself under the plague. He sends for the magicians, and, by God's permission, they ape the miracle with their enchantments (Exo 7:22), and this serves Pharaoh for an excuse not to set his heart to this also (Exo 7:23), and a pitiful excuse it was. Could they have turned the river of blood into water again, this would have been something to the purpose; then they would have proved their power, and Pharaoh would have been obliged to them as his benefactors. But for them, when there was such scarcity of water, to turn more of it into blood, only to show their art, plainly intimates that the design of the devil is only to delude his devotees and amuse them, not to do them any real kindness, but to keep them from doing a real kindness to themselves by repenting and returning to their God.

IV. The Egyptians, in the mean time, are seeking for relief against the plague, digging round about the river for water to drink, Exo 7:24. Probably they found some, with much ado, God remembering mercy in the midst of wrath; for he is full of compassion, and would not let the subjects smart too much for the obstinacy of their prince.

V. The plague continued seven days (Exo 7:25), and, in all that time, Pharaoh's proud heart would not let him so much as desire Moses to intercede for the removal of it. Thus the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath; they cry not when he binds them (Job 36:13); and then no wonder that his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 14–25. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as

Continue studying Exodus 7:22 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.

Read & Compare

Commentaries

Original Language & Research

Sermons, Hymns & Audio

TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.