Exode 7:12

12 Ils jetèrent donc chacun leur verge, et elles devinrent des serpents; mais la verge d'Aaron engloutit leurs verges.

Exode 7:12 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 7:12

For they cast down every man his rod, and they became
serpents
That is, they seemed to be so, as Josephus F26 expresses it, but not really, in which he is followed by many; though some think that the devil assisted in this affair, and in an instant, as soon as the rods were cast down, removed them and put real serpents in their room:

but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods;
that is, the serpent that Aaron's rod was turned into, swallowed up the rods of the magicians, which never were otherwise than rods only in appearance; or if real serpents were put in the room of them, these were devoured by his serpent called his rod, because it was before turned into a serpent, as Aben Ezra observes; though the Targums of Jonathan, Jarchi, and R. Jeshua, suppose this was done after the serpent became a rod again; which makes the miracle the greater and more wonderful, that a rod should devour other rods; and supposing them real serpents, this was what the magicians could not make their rods do, and in which they were outdone by Aaron.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Antiqu. ut supra. (l. 2. c. 13 sect. 3.)

Exode 7:12 In-Context

10 Moïse et Aaron vinrent donc vers Pharaon, et firent ainsi, comme l'Éternel l'avait commandé. Et Aaron jeta sa verge devant Pharaon et devant ses serviteurs, et elle devint un serpent.
11 Mais Pharaon appela aussi les sages et les enchanteurs; et les magiciens d'Égypte firent, eux aussi, la même chose par leurs enchantements.
12 Ils jetèrent donc chacun leur verge, et elles devinrent des serpents; mais la verge d'Aaron engloutit leurs verges.
13 Et le cœur de Pharaon s'endurcit, et il ne les écouta point, comme l'Éternel l'avait dit.
14 Et l'Éternel dit à Moïse: Le cœur de Pharaon est appesanti; il a refusé de laisser aller le peuple.
The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.