Exodus chapter 7
English Standard Version
1And the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3But I will harden Pharaoh 's heart, and though I 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 bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." 6Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9"When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’" 10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron 's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13Still Pharaoh 's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
14Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh 's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness." But so far, you have not obeyed. 17Thus says the Lord, "By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile."’" 19And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’"
20Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh 's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
What does Exodus chapter 7 mean?
Pharaoh has rejected the Lord's command to release the people of Israel (Exodus 5:1–4). He spitefully made their harsh slavery (Exodus 1:11–14; 2:23) even worse (Exodus 5:15–19). After giving reassurances (Exodus 6), the Lord will begin tying Pharaoh's resistance to catastrophic consequences: the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 3:19–20).Continuing from the prior chapter, the Lord explains that the relationship between Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh will reflect the one between God, a prophet, and the people. Moses speaks, Aaron transmits the message, and Pharaoh is expected to listen. In this case, the listener is stubborn and resistant. The Lord will prove His own power with a series of catastrophic miracles. This will end with Israel's liberation (Exodus 7:1–5).
Popular culture often depicts Moses as a potent middle-aged speaker, using his charisma and spiritual strength to overcome Pharaoh's grip on Israel. However, Scripture says Moses was intimidated to speak in public (Exodus 4:10; 6:12), so his brother Aaron did most of the talking (Exodus 4:15–16). In addition, Moses may have been middle-aged when he fled Egypt (Exodus 2:15; Acts 7:23), but he was no longer young when he confronted Pharaoh (Acts 7:30). Aaron and Moses were both in their early eighties when they confronted Pharaoh. The brothers are obedient to God and serve as conduits of His power (Exodus 7:6–7).
The first sign given to convince Pharaoh to listen is harmless. Moses and Aaron follow the Lord's instructions (Exodus 4:2–4), turning a staff into a snake. Either by supernatural power or stage magic, Egyptian occultists convince Pharaoh that they can do the same thing. This leads him to ignore the sign—despite the fact that his magicians' serpents are swallowed by the one representing God. This reflects his obstinate, unwilling attitude (Exodus 7:8–13).
This triggers the first of ten plagues brought on the nation of Egypt. Moses and Aaron are told to confront Pharaoh when he goes out to the Nile river in the morning—probably for daily bathing. He is told that God will prove His own power by turning the Nile into blood. This will also affect the pools and stored waters, leaving no surface water untouched. Egyptians will exhaust themselves (Exodus 7:24) trying to find usable water (Exodus 7:14–19).
When the plague strikes, everything happens as one would expect. When water becomes decomposing body fluid, it rots along with the fish who suffocate in it. The Egyptians cannot drink, cook, or bathe in blood. Some suggest the Lord used a natural cause to pollute the river; this is possible, but the effects on stored water make a direct, supernatural cause seem more likely. This miracle demonstrates that the God of Israel has power. It also strikes against belief in Egyptian gods, such as Khnum and Hapi, who supposedly controlled the Nile (Exodus 7:19–21).
As before (Exodus 7:11), Pharaoh's magicians seem to duplicate this feat. Whether supernatural, or an illusion, their work gives Pharaoh an excuse to ignore what has happened. His response is described with a phrase suggesting that he simply does not care—even though his people will suffer. The Egyptian king locks down his obstinate heart and goes home (Exodus 7:22–23).
The people of Egypt are now suffering the same evils they have inflicted on others (Proverbs 5:22; Psalm 7:14–16). Generations ago, Israelite infants were slaughtered in the Nile (Exodus 1:22). Now the river—symbolically—returns that blood to the murderers. Pharaoh cruelly forced Israel to scavenge for a resource that used to be common (Exodus 5:6–9). Now the Egyptians must work hard, foraging for water so they don't die of thirst during an entire week of this terrible situation (Exodus 7:24–25).
Upcoming plagues may overlap with the first; Scripture does not give explicit timelines for most of them. While it's difficult to explain God using a natural means to corrupt the water, it's possible that God uses this first plague as the immediate cause of the next few catastrophes. Dead waters can drive small animals (Exodus 8:2) and insects (Exodus 8:17) ashore. Piles of dead frogs, fish, and rotting pools of blood breed flies (Exodus 8:21). Neglected, under-watered, and dirty animals are subject to disease (Exodus 9:3), as are people trying to survive in such conditions (Exodus 9:8–9). Regardless of what timing or mechanisms He uses, God is the cause of all such events. The people will see that Egypt's so-called gods have no power or influence.
The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.
God commissioned Moses (Exodus 3:10) and commanded him to confront Egypt's ruler, the pharaoh (Exodus 4:19–23). When Moses obeyed (Exodus 5:1–3), the immediate result was even worse oppression for Israel (Exodus 5:19–21). This inspired Moses to doubt (Exodus 5:22–23). The Lord responded with reassurances (Exodus 6:1–8). Chapter 7 completes this declaration and begins the cycle of plagues (Exodus 3:19–20), starting with turning the Nile river into blood. These catastrophes will continue (Exodus 8—11) until Pharaoh finally releases the Israelites (Exodus 12:41).
