Êxodo 7:12

12 Pois cada um deles lançou a sua vara, e elas se tornaram em serpentes; mas a vara de Arão tragou as varas deles.

Êxodo 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Êxodo 7:12 In-Context

10 Então Moisés e Arão foram ter com Faraó, e fizeram assim como o Senhor ordenara. Arão lançou a sua vara diante de Faraó e diante dos seus servos, e ela se tornou em serpente.

11 Faraó também mandou vir os sábios e encantadores; e eles, os magos do Egito, também fizeram o mesmo com os seus encantamentos.

12 Pois cada um deles lançou a sua vara, e elas se tornaram em serpentes; mas a vara de Arão tragou as varas deles.

13 Endureceu-se, porém, o coração de Faraó, e ele não os ouviu, como o Senhor tinha dito.

14 Então disse o Senhor a Moisés: Obstinou-se o coração de Faraó; ele recusa deixar ir o povo.