Éxodo 7

1 JEHOVA dijo á Moisés: Mira, yo te he constituído dios para Faraón, y tu hermano Aarón será tu profeta.

2 Tú dirás todas las cosas que yo te mandaré, y Aarón tu hermano hablará á Faraón, para que deje ir de su tierra á los hijos de Israel.

3 Y yo endureceré el corazón de Faraón, y multiplicaré en la tierra de Egipto mis señales y mis maravillas.

4 Y Faraón no os oirá; mas yo pondré mi mano sobre Egipto, y sacaré á mis ejércitos, mi pueblo, los hijos de Israel, de la tierra de Egipto, con grandes juicios.

5 Y sabrán los Egipcios que yo soy Jehová, cuando extenderé mi mano sobre Egipto, y sacaré los hijos de Israel de en medio de ellos.

6 E hizo Moisés y Aarón como Jehová les mandó: hiciéronlo así.

7 Y era Moisés de edad de ochenta años, y Aarón de edad de ochenta y tres, cuando hablaron á Faraón.

8 Y habló Jehová á Moisés y á Aarón, diciendo:

9 Si Faraón os respondiere diciendo, Mostrad milagro; dirás á Aarón: Toma tu vara, y échala delante de Faraón, para que se torne culebra.

10 Vinieron, pues, Moisés y Aarón á Faraón, é hicieron como Jehová lo había mandado: y echó Aarón su vara delante de Faraón y de sus siervos, y tornóse culebra.

11 Entonces llamó también Faraón sabios y encantadores; é hicieron también lo mismo los encantadores de Egipto con sus encantamientos;

12 Pues echó cada uno su vara, las cuales se volvieron culebras: mas la vara de Aarón devoró las varas de ellos.

13 Y el corazón de Faraón se endureció, y no los escuchó; como Jehová lo había dicho.

14 Entonces Jehová dijo á Moisés: El corazón de Faraón está agravado, que no quiere dejar ir al pueblo.

15 Ve por la mañana á Faraón, he aquí que él sale á las aguas; y tú ponte á la orilla del río delante de él, y toma en tu mano la vara que se volvió culebra,

16 Y dile: Jehová el Dios de los Hebreos me ha enviado á ti, diciendo: Deja ir á mi pueblo, para que me sirvan en el desierto; y he aquí que hasta ahora no has querido oir.

17 Así ha dicho Jehová: En esto conocerás que yo soy Jehová: he aquí, yo heriré con la vara que tengo en mi mano el agua que está en el río, y se convertirá en sangre:

18 Y los peces que hay en el río morirán, y hederá el río, y tendrán asco los Egipcios de beber el agua del río.

19 Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: Di á Aarón: Toma tu vara, y extiende tu mano sobre las aguas de Egipto, sobre sus ríos, sobre sus arroyos y sobre sus estanques, y sobre todos sus depósitos de aguas, para que se conviertan en sangre, y haya sangre por toda la región de Egipto, así en los vasos de madera como en los de piedra.

20 Y Moisés y Aarón hicieron como Jehová lo mandó; y alzando la vara hirió las aguas que había en el río, en presencia de Faraón y de sus siervos; y todas las aguas que había en el río se convirtieron en sangre.

21 Asimismo los peces que había en el río murieron; y el río se corrompió, que los Egipcios no podían beber de él: y hubo sangre por toda la tierra de Egipto.

22 Y los encantadores de Egipto hicieron lo mismo con sus encantamientos: y el corazón de Faraón se endureció, y no los escuchó; como Jehová lo había dicho.

23 Y tornando Faraón volvióse á su casa, y no puso su corazón aun en esto.

24 Y en todo Egipto hicieron pozos alrededor del río para beber, porque no podían beber de las aguas del río.

25 Y cumpliéronse siete días después que Jehová hirió el río.

Éxodo 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

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 out of his wrath upon them. Moses, as the ambassador of Jehovah, speaking in his name, laid commands upon Pharaoh, denounced threatenings against him, and called for judgments upon him. Pharaoh, proud and great as he was, could not resist. Moses stood not in awe of Pharaoh, but made him tremble. This seems to be meant in the words, Thou shalt be a god unto Pharaoh. At length Moses is delivered from his fears. He makes no more objections, but, being strengthened in faith, goes about his work with courage, and proceeds in it with perseverance.

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, trying to copy the real miracles of Moses by secret sleights or jugglings, which to a small extent they succeeded in doing, so as to deceive the bystanders, but they were at length obliged to confess they could not any longer imitate the effects of Divine power. None assist more in the destruction of sinners, than such as resist the truth by amusing men with a counterfeit resemblance of it. Satan is most to be dreaded when transformed into an angel of light.

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 had; but now the Egyptians must either drink blood, or die for thirst. Egypt was a pleasant land, but the dead fish and blood now rendered it very unpleasant. It was a righteous plague, and justly sent upon the Egyptians; for Nile, the river of Egypt, was their idol. That creature which we idolize, God justly takes from us, or makes bitter to us. They had stained the river with the blood of the Hebrews' children, and now God made that river all blood. Never any thirsted after blood, but sooner or later they had enough of it. It was a significant plague; Egypt had great dependence upon their river, ( Zechariah 14:18 ) ; so that in smiting the river, they were warned of the destruction of all the produce of their country. The love of Christ to his disciples changes all their common mercies into spiritual blessings; the anger of God towards his enemies, renders their most valued advantages a curse and a misery to them. Aaron is to summon the plague by smiting the river with his rod. It was done in the sight of Pharaoh and his attendants, for God's true miracles were not performed as Satan's lying wonders; truth seeks no corners. See the almighty power of God. Every creature is that to us which he makes it to be water or blood. See what changes we may meet with in the things of this world; what is always vain, may soon become vexatious. See what mischievous work sin makes. If the things that have been our comforts prove our crosses, we must thank ourselves. It is sin that turns our waters into blood. The plague continued seven days; and in all that time Pharaoh's proud heart would not let him desire Moses to pray for the removal of it. Thus the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath. No wonder that God's anger is not turned away, but that his hand is stretched out still.

Chapter Summary

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.