Exodus chapter 7
Moses and Aaron are sent. Aaron’s staff becomes a serpent. The first plague: water is turned into blood.
MOSES AND AARON ARE SENT
VERSE 1. The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
VERSE 2. You 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.
VERSE 3. I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
The LORD God said he would harden Pharaoh’s heart. What does this mean? Read more »
VERSE 4. But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so 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.
VERSE 5. The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out from among them.”
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. The LORD God’s great works in Egypt have an evangelistic purpose: that the Egyptians know that he is the LORD.
The Old Testament foresees Gentiles coming to faith in the One God of Israel and bringing gifts to Jerusalem. Here are the key Bible verses about this »
VERSE 6. Moses and Aaron did so. As the LORD commanded them, so they did.
As the LORD commanded them, so they did. This is a great epitaph!
VERSE 7. Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
AARONS’ STAFF BECOMES A SERPENT
VERSE 8. The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
VERSE 9. “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle!’ then you shall tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’ ”
VERSE 10. Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
serpent. The Hebrew word is לְתַנִּֽין׃ (“tannin”). It means serpent, dragon, sea monster.
VERSE 11. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments.
VERSE 12. For they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
VERSE 13. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.
The LORD God said he would harden Pharaoh’s heart. What does this mean? Read more »
PLAGUE #1. BLOOD
VERSE 14. The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.
stubborn The NAB translation uses the interesting word “obdurate.”
VERSE 15. Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he is going out to the water. You shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him. You shall take the rod which was turned to a serpent in your hand.
VERSE 16. You shall tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. Behold, until now you haven’t listened.”
VERSE 17. The LORD says, “In this you shall know that I am the LORD. 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.
VERSE 18. The fish that are in the river will die and the river will become foul. The Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the river.” ’ ”
VERSE 19. The LORD 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. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”
there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt. This is a stupendous miracle. Everyone in the land would notice it.
Since almost all people have an aversion to blood, this miracle will have a very powerful effect upon them.
VERSE 20. Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD 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.
river were turned to blood:
Revelation 8:8. The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood,
VERSE 21. The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
VERSE 22. The magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.
The LORD God said he would harden Pharaoh’s heart. What does this mean? Read more »
VERSE 23. Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart.
VERSE 24. All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water.
VERSE 25. Seven days were fulfilled, after the LORD had struck the river.
EXODUS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Pharaoh’s Heart, Moses’ fast
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.