Exodus 7:14-24

14 Forsooth the Lord said to Moses, The heart of Pharaoh is made grievous, he will not deliver the people; (And the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and he will not let the people go;)
15 go thou to him early; lo! he shall go out to the waters, and thou shalt stand in the coming of him on the brink of the flood; and thou shalt take in thine hand the rod, that was turned into a dragon, (and so go thou early to him; lo! he shall go out to the waters, and thou shalt meet him on the river bank; and thou shalt take in thy hand the staff, that was turned into a serpent,)
16 and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of Hebrews sent me to thee, and said, Deliver thou my people, that it make sacrifice to me in desert; and till to this present time thou wouldest not hear. (and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to thee, and said, Let my people go, so that they can worship me in the wilderness; and until this time thou hast not listened to him.)
17 Therefore the Lord saith these things, In this thou shalt know, that I am the Lord; lo! I shall smite with the rod, that is in mine hand, the water of the flood, and it shall be turned into blood (lo! I shall strike the water of this River with the staff, that is in my hand, and that water shall be turned into blood);
18 and the fishes that be in the flood shall die; and the waters shall wax rotten, and the Egyptians drinking the water of the flood shall be tormented. (and the fish that be in the River shall die; and the waters shall grow rotten, and the Egyptians shall not be able to drink any water from this River.)
19 Also the Lord said to Moses, Say thou to Aaron, Take thy rod, and hold forth thine hand on the waters of Egypt, and on the floods of them, and on the streams of them, and on the marshes, and on all the lakes of waters, that those be turned into blood; and blood be in all the land of Egypt, as well in vessels of wood, as of stone. (And the Lord said to Moses, Say thou to Aaron, Take thy staff, and stretch forth thy hand over the waters of Egypt, yea, over the rivers, and the streams, and the marshes, and all the lakes, so that they all be turned into blood; and then blood shall be in all the land of Egypt, and even in wooden vessels, and in stone vessels.)
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and Aaron raised the rod, and smote the water of the flood before Pharaoh and his servants, which water was turned into blood; (And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded; and Aaron raised up his staff, and struck the water of the River before Pharaoh and his servants, and the water was turned into blood;)
21 and [the] fishes, that were in the flood, died; and the flood was rotten, and [the] Egyptians might not drink the water of the flood; and blood was in all the land of Egypt. (and the fish, that were in the River, died; and the River was rotten, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the River; and blood was in all the land of Egypt.)
22 And the witches of [the] Egyptians did in like manner by their enchantments; and the heart of Pharaoh was made hard, and he heard not them, as the Lord commanded. (And the Egyptian witches did likewise with their enchantments; but Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.)
23 And he turned away himself (And he turned himself away), and entered into his house, neither he took it to heart, yea, in this time.
24 Forsooth all [the] Egyptians digged water about the flood, to drink; for they might not drink of [the] water of the flood. (And then all the Egyptians dug about the River for water to drink, for they could not drink the water out of the River, that is, out of the Nile.)

Exodus 7:14-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 7

Moses and Aaron are ordered to go to Pharaoh, and require the dismission of the people of Israel, but they are told before hand that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened, and would refuse to let them go, until the hand of the Lord was stretched out, and great judgments were brought down upon, Egypt, and then they should come forth, Ex 7:1-5, which orders Moses and Aaron obeyed, and their age is observed, when this was done, Ex 7:6,7 and they are bid to work a miracle, when Pharaoh should demand one, by turning a rod into a serpent, which they did; but Pharaoh's magicians doing the same in appearance, his heart was hardened, Ex 7:8-14 and then they are directed to meet him at the river, and require the same as before; and if he refused, to smite the waters of the river with the rod, and turn them into blood, which they did, Ex 7:15-21, but Pharaoh's magicians doing the same by enchantments, he did not regard it, though the plague lasted seven days, Ex 7:22-25.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.