About Exodus

Exodus tells the story of Israel's deliverance from Egyptian slavery, the giving of the Law at Sinai, and the establishment of the tabernacle as the center of worship.

Author: MosesWritten: c. 1445-1405 BCReading time: ~3 minVerses: 25
DeliveranceRedemptionCovenantLawWorshipGod's Presence

King James Version

Exodus 7

25 verses with commentary

Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh

And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

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KJV Study Commentary

God declares 'I have made thee a god to Pharaoh' (אֱלֹהִים, elohim—a god, divine representative). Moses will speak with divine authority, while Aaron serves as 'thy prophet' (נְבִיאֶךָ, nebi'ekha). This establishes the divine-prophet-people chain that challenges Pharaoh's claim to divinity.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

VII. (1) **See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh . . . —**This is God’s answer to the objection of Moses that his lips were uncircumcised (Exodus 6:12), and probably followed it immediately. The force of it would seem to be: “Thou art not called on to speak, but to act. In action thou wilt be to Pharaoh as a god—powerful, wonder-working, irresistible; it is Aaron who will have to speak to him, an...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**27. Aaron met him in the mount of God, and kissed him--**After a separation of forty years, their meeting would be mutually happy. Similar are the salutations of Arab friends when they meet in the desert still; conspicuous is the kiss on each side of the head.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
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Thou 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

God commands Moses 'Thou shalt speak all that I command thee' with comprehensive fidelity. Aaron will 'speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.' This division of labor addresses Moses's speech concerns (4:10, 6:30) while maintaining prophetic accuracy.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
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And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

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KJV Study Commentary

God announces 'I will harden Pharaoh's heart' (אַקְשֶׁה, aqsheh—from קָשָׁה, qashah, to make hard/severe). This first use of 'harden' introduces the sovereignty-responsibility tension. God will 'multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt,' turning Pharaoh's resistance into opportunities for revelation.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.**—See the comment on Exodus 4:21. **My signs and my wonders.**—“Signs” (*‘othoth*) were miracles done as credentials, to prove a mission (Exodus 4:8-9; Exodus 4:30). “Wonders” (*môphôth*) were miracles generally; *niphle’oth,* also translated” wonders” (Exodus 3:20), were miracles, wrought in the way of punishment. These last are called also *shôphëtiin, “*judg...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**29-31. Moses and Aaron went--**towards Egypt, Zipporah and her sons having been sent back. (Compare Ex 18:2). **gathered ... all the elders--**Aaron was spokesman, and Moses performed the appointed miracles--through which "the people" (that is, the elders) believed (1Ki 17:24; Jos 3:2) and received the joyful tidings of the errand on which Moses had come with devout thanksgiving. Formerly they...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
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But 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But 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.</strong> God prophetically declares Pharaoh's resistance while revealing His sovereign purpose behind it. The phrase <strong>shall not hearken</strong> (לֹא־יִשְׁמַע, <em>lo-yishma</em>) uses the verb <em>...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that** **I** **may lay.**—Heb., *Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay.* No relation of effect and cause is here asserted as existing between the two clauses, which are co-ordinate. **Mine armies, and my people.** Rather, *my armies, my people.* The two expressions are in apposition—the second exegetical of the first. **Great judgments.**—See t...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**29-31. Moses and Aaron went--**towards Egypt, Zipporah and her sons having been sent back. (Compare Ex 18:2). **gathered ... all the elders--**Aaron was spokesman, and Moses performed the appointed miracles--through which "the people" (that is, the elders) believed (1Ki 17:24; Jos 3:2) and received the joyful tidings of the errand on which Moses had come with devout thanksgiving. Formerly they...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
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And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And 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.</strong> This verse declares God's ultimate purpose in the plagues: His self-revelation to Egypt. The phrase <strong>shall know that I am the LORD</strong> (וְיָדְעוּ מִצְרַיִם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה, <em>veyad'u mitzrayim ki-ani Yahweh</em>) uses <em...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.**—Heb., *that I am Jehovah: i.e.,* that I answer to my name—that I am the only really existing God, their so-called gods being “vapour, smoke, nothingness.” No doubt this was one of the main lessons intended to be taught by the whole series of miraculous events connected with the Exodus. Egypt was the greatest monarchy in the whole world. She was ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**29-31. Moses and Aaron went--**towards Egypt, Zipporah and her sons having been sent back. (Compare Ex 18:2). **gathered ... all the elders--**Aaron was spokesman, and Moses performed the appointed miracles--through which "the people" (that is, the elders) believed (1Ki 17:24; Jos 3:2) and received the joyful tidings of the errand on which Moses had come with devout thanksgiving. Formerly they...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
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And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.</strong> The emphatic doubling—"did... so did they"—stresses complete obedience. The Hebrew <em>va'ya'asu</em> (וַיַּעֲשׂוּ, "and they did") followed by <em>ken asu</em> (כֵּן עָשׂוּ, "so they did") creates a literary frame emphasizing exact compliance with divine instruction. This contrasts sharply with Pharaoh's repeated re...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them.**—The reluctance and resistance of Moses from this time ceased. He subdued his own will to God’s, and gained the praise of being “faithful as a servant in all his house” (Hebrews 3:5). Aaron’s obedience continued until Sinai was reached, but there failed before the frenzy of the people (Exodus 32:1-6).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
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And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.</strong> Moses at 80 and Aaron at 83 were past normal prime years, yet God called them to their greatest work. The precise ages establish chronological markers: Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh's court (Acts 7:23), 40 years in Midian exile (Acts 7:30), and would serve 40 years leading I...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **Moses was fourscore years old.**—Compare Deuteronomy 34:7; Acts 7:23; Acts 7:30. The air of Egypt. and, probably, still more that of the desert, was favourable to longevity; and the Egyptian monuments show many cases of officials actively employed after they were a hundred years old.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 5 Ex 5:1-23. First Interview with Pharaoh. **1. Moses and Aaron went in--**As representatives of the Hebrews, they were entitled to ask an audience of the king, and their thorough Egyptian training taught them how and when to seek it. **and told Pharaoh--**When introduced, they delivered a message in the name of the God of Israel. This is the first time He is mentioned by that national ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 7 Chapter Outline Moses and Aaron encouraged.(1-7) The rods turned into serpents, Pharaoh's heart is hardened.(8-13) The river is turned into blood, The distress of the Egyptians.(14-25) **Verses 1-7** God glorifies himself. He makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them, and the Egyptians by the pouring o...
Read full commentary →

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,</strong> This verse introduces the confrontation that begins the plague cycle. The formula <strong>the LORD spake</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, <em>vayomer Yahweh</em>) emphasizes divine initiative and authority. Moses and Aaron don't act independently but as Yahweh's appointed representatives executing His commands. The inclusion of both...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord--**rather "Jehovah." Lord was a common name applied to objects of worship; but Jehovah was a name he had never heard of. Pharaoh estimated the character and power of this God by the abject and miserable condition of the worshippers and concluded that He held as low a rank among the gods as His people did in the nation. To demonstrate the supremacy of the true...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, tryi...
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When 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew me a miracle: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.</strong> God prepares Moses and Aaron for Pharaoh's predictable demand: <strong>Shew me a miracle</strong> (תְּנוּ לָכֶם מוֹפֵת, <em>tenu lakhem mofet</em>). The word <em>mofet</em> (מוֹפֵת) means a sign, wonder, or miracle—s...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Shew a miracle for you.**—Pharaoh had perhaps heard of the miracles wrought by Aaron before the people of Israel (Exodus 4:30), and was curious to be an eye-witness of one, as was Herod Antipas (Luke 23:8). Or he may have thought that if Moses and Aaron “shewed a miracle,” his own magicians would be able to show greater ones, and he would then dismiss the brothers as charlatans and impostors...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. The God of the Hebrews hath met with us--**Instead of being provoked into reproaches or threats, they mildly assured him that it was not a proposal originating among themselves, but a duty enjoined on them by their God. They had for a long series of years been debarred from the privilege of religious worship, and as there was reason to fear that a continued neglect of divine ordinances would ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, tryi...
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And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded:</strong> Again the formula of obedience—<em>ka'asher tzivah YHWH</em> (כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה). The repetition from verse 6 brackets their ages (v. 7) with obedience, emphasizing that faithful response to God matters more than human qualifications.<br><br><strong>And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4. Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? **&amp;c.--**Without taking any notice of what they had said, he treated them as ambitious demagogues, who were appealing to the superstitious feelings of the people, to stir up sedition and diffuse a spirit of discontent, which spreading through so vast a body of slaves, might endanger the peace of the country.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, tryi...
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Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.</strong> Pharaoh responds to Aaron's serpent miracle by summoning his court magicians. The Hebrew identifies three groups: <strong>חֲכָמִים</strong> (<em>chakamim</em>, "wise men"), <strong>מְכַשְּׁפִים</strong> (<em>mekhashshephim</em>, "sorcerers"), a...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **The magicians of Egypt.**—These persons are called indifferently *khàkâmim,* “wise men,” *më-kashshëphim,* “mutterers of charms,” and *khartum-mim,* “scribes,” perhaps “writers of charms.” Magic was very widely practised in Egypt, and consisted mainly in the composition and employment of charms, which were believed to exert a powerful effect, both over man and over the brute creation. A lar...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, tryi...
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For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents:</strong> The Egyptian magicians replicate the sign, demonstrating real but limited supernatural power. The text doesn't explain their success as mere trickery—ancient Near Eastern spiritual realities included demonic power. The phrase "every man his rod" (<em>ish mattehu</em>, אִישׁ מַטֵּהוּ) emphasizes multiple participants, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. Pharaoh commanded--**It was a natural consequence of the high displeasure created by this interview that he should put additional burdens on the oppressed Israelites. **taskmasters--**Egyptian overseers, appointed to exact labor of the Israelites. **officers--**Hebrews placed over their brethren, under the taskmasters, precisely analogous to the Arab officers set over the Arab Fellahs, th...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, tryi...
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And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He hardened Pharaoh's heart</strong> (וַיֶּחֱזַק לֵב־פַּרְעֹה, vayekhezaq lev-par'oh)—the verb חָזַק (<em>khazaq</em>) means to strengthen, harden, or make obstinate. This is the first of three Hebrew verbs describing Pharaoh's hardening (also קָשָׁה <em>qashah</em> and כָּבֵד <em>kaved</em>), revealing both divine sovereignty and human responsibility.<br><br>The text oscillates between Go...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) He hardened Pharaoh’s heart.—This is a mis-translation. The verb is intransitive, and “Pharaoh’s heart” is its nominative case. Translate, “Pharaoh’s heart hardened itself.” It is essential to the idea of a final *penal* hardening that in the earlier stages Pharaoh should have been left to himself. **That he hearkened not.**—*Heb., and he hearkened* *not.* **As the Lord had said.**—See above,...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick--**The making of bricks appears to have been a government monopoly as the ancient bricks are nearly all stamped with the name of a king, and they were formed, as they are still in Lower Egypt, of clay mixed with chopped straw and dried or hardened in the sun. The Israelites were employed in this drudgery; and though they still dwelt in Gosh...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, tryi...
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The First Plague: Water to Blood

And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 14 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

THE FIRST PLAGUE. (14-21) ***The water turned to blood.***—Moses had already been empowered to turn water into blood on a small scale (Exodus 4:9), and had exhibited his power before his own people (Exodus 4:30). But the present miracle is different. (1) It is to be done on the largest possible scale; (2) in the sight of all the Egyptians; and (3) not as a sign, but as a “judgment.” All the Nile w...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. tale--**an appointed number of bricks. The materials of their labor were to be no longer supplied, and yet, as the same amount of produce was exacted daily, it is impossible to imagine more aggravated cruelty--a perfect specimen of Oriental despotism.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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Get 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 15 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **He goeth out unto the water.**—Perhaps to bathe, like the princess who saved Moses (Exodus 2:5), perhaps to inaugurate some festival in the river’s honour. Of these the Egyptian calendar contained several. **The river’s brink.**—Heb., *the lip of the river.* (Comp. Exodus 2:3.)

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 16 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **The Lord God of the Hebrews.**—Heb., *Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews.* On the first application made to him by Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh had professed not to know who Jehovah was (Exodus 5:2). To prevent his again doing so, Moses is ordered to give both name and title. **Hath sent me**—Rather, *sent me.* **Let my people go.**—Comp. Exodus 5:1. The reference is to Moses’ first appearance bef...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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Thus 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 17 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **In this thou shalt know that I am the** **Lord.**—See the comment on Exodus 7:5. **The rod that is in my hand,** *i.e.,* “in the hand of my servant.” God is here represented as about to do that which was actually done by Aaron (Exodus 7:20). *“Qui facit per alium, facit per se.”*

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 18 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **The fish that is in the river shall die.**—The natural discoloration of the Nile, whether by red earth or by *Cryptogams* and *Infusoriæ,* has no pernicious effect at all upon the fish, nor is the water rendered by these discolorations at all unfit for use. The Nile naturally abounds with fish of various kinds; and though to Europeans they have, most of them, an insipid taste, yet, both in ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. So the people were scattered--**It was an immense grievance to the laborers individually, but there would be no hindrance from the husbandmen whose fields they entered, as almost all the lands of Egypt were in the possession of the crown (Ge 47:20).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And 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. pools: Heb. gathering of their waters

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 19 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **The waters of Egypt** consist of the main stream of the Nile; its branches; canals derived from it; natural lakes, pools, or ponds, either left by the inundation or anticipative of it, being derived by percolation from the main stream; and artificial reservoirs of a larger or smaller size in gardens, courts, and houses. There is no other stream but the Nile in the whole country; and there a...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 20 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **He lifted up the rod.**—“He” is, undoubtedly, Aaron. (See Exodus 7:19.) **In the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants.**—If the occasion was one of a Nile festival, Pharaoh would have “gone out to the water” (Exodus 7:15) accompanied by all the great officers of the Court, by a large body of the priests, and vast numbers of the people. If it was a mere occasion of bodily ablut...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 21 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **The Egyptians could not drink.**—Previously they had “lotlhed to drink” (Exodus 7:18), but apparently had drunk. Now they could do so no longer—the draught was too nauseous.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 22 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **The magicians . . . did so with their enchantments.**—The act of the magicians must have been a very poor imitation of the action of Moses and Aaron. The two brothers had turned into blood all the waters of the river, the canals, the pools or lakes, and the reservoirs. The magicians could not act on this large scale. They could only operate, or seem to operate, on some small quantity of wat...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 23 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **Neither did he set his heart to this also.**—Heb., *Neither did he set his heart *(*i.e.,* pay attention) *even to this.* Pharaoh did not lay even this to heart. He passed it over as a slight matter, unworthy of much thought, and “turned, and went into his house. “Probably care was taken to keep him constantly supplied with the well water, which, however brackish, would be sufficient for hi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 24 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **All the Egyptians digged round about the river.**—Wells may be sunk in any part of the alluvium, and will always yield water, which is, however, brackish and unpalatable. This water is, no doubt, derived by percolation from the river; but the percolation is a slow process, and blood would scarcely percolate far. The water obtained was probably in the ground before the miracle took place, an...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
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And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

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KJV Study Commentary

Verse 25 in the first plague narrative describes the Nile turning to blood. This targets Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile, demonstrating YHWH's supremacy over Egypt's life source. The water that sustains Egypt becomes death, reversing the blessing.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25) **And seven days were fulfilled.**—These words seem to mark the duration of the first plague, which was the longer because Pharaoh made no submission at all in consequence of it. Obtaining sufficient water for his own purposes (see the comment on Exodus 7:23), he thought little of its continuance. **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permissi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-19. And the taskmasters hasted them ... officers ... beaten--**As the nearest fields were bared and the people had to go farther for stubble, it was impossible for them to meet the demand by the usual tale of bricks. "The beating of the officers is just what might have been expected from an Eastern tyrant, especially in the valley of the Nile, as it appears from the monuments, that ancient Eg...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-25** Here is the first of the ten plagues, the turning of the water into blood. It was a dreadful plague. The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror. Nothing is more common than water: so wisely has Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life, should be cheap and almost every where to be...
Read full commentary →

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