Exodus 7:22

22 And the charmers also of the Egyptians did so with their sorceries; and the heart of Pharao was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, even as the Lord said.

Exodus 7:22 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 7:22

And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments,
&c.] Who were either in company with Pharaoh and his nobles, or were immediately sent for to try their art, and confront Moses and Aaron with it; and who very probably got a little water in a vessel, and by some juggling trick imposing upon, and deceiving the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, made it look like blood; and the devil might help them to a sufficient quantity of blood, and discolour the water with it, and make it appear as if it was blood, and which was a poor business; had they turned the bloody river into water again, they would have equalled the miracle of Moses and Aaron, and done some service to their country; but to deceive the sight of people, or to spoil a small quantity of water that was good, by mixing it with blood, was but a mean and unworthy action. Should it be asked from whence they had this water, when all was turned into blood? it may be answered, either from Goshen, as the Targum of Jonathan, the waters of the Hebrews not being affected with this plague: though Aben Ezra thinks they were; or from the sea, as Theodoret; but both these places were too far distant to fetch water from, in the time that Pharaoh stayed here before his return home: rather therefore this water was had from some habitation of the Israelites in the city near at hand, where Pharaoh lived, or was dug for immediately by the magicians, as in ( Exodus 7:24 ) or it may be that all the waters were not immediately turned into blood, but successively and gradually, first the river, and then its streams so that there might be near at hand a pool of water, not yet turned into blood, and a vessel of water might be fetched from it, on which they exercised their juggling art:

and Pharaoh's heart was hardened:
by seeing his magicians do what was similar to what Moses and Aaron had done; and therefore concluded that it was not by the hand of God, but owing to a magic art they were masters of, as his magicians were:

neither did he hearken unto them;
to Moses and Aaron, and what they said to him, to let the people go:

as the Lord had said;
had before told he would not hearken to them, ( Exodus 7:4 ) .

Exodus 7:22 In-Context

20 and Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded them; and having lifted up with his rod, smote the water in the river before Pharao, and before his servants, and changed all the water in the river into blood.

21 And the fish in the river died, and the river stank thereupon; and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river, and the blood was in all the land of Egypt.

22 And the charmers also of the Egyptians did so with their sorceries; and the heart of Pharao was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, even as the Lord said.

23 And Pharao turned and entered into his house, nor did he fix his attention even on this thing.

24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the river, so as to drink water, for they could not drink water from the river.