Exodus 7:21

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.

Exodus 7:21 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 7:21

And the fish that was in the river died
Which was a full proof that the conversion of it into blood was real; for had it been only in appearance, or the water of the river had only the colour of blood, and looked like it, but was not really so, it would not have affected the fishes, they would have lived as well as before; and this plague was the greater affliction to the Egyptians, not as it affected their drink but their food, fish ( Numbers 11:5 ) being what the common people chiefly lived upon, (See Gill on Isaiah 19:8) and the river stunk; the blood into which it was turned being corrupted through the heat of the sun, and the dead fishes swimming upon it being putrefied;

and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river;
and they had no other water to drink of ^F11; for rain seldom fell in Egypt, though sometimes it did in some places, (See Gill on Zechariah 14:18). The water of the river Nile was not only their common drink, but it was exceeding pleasant, and therefore the loss of it was the greater; it was so remarkable for the sweetness and delicacy of its taste, that in the time of Pescennius Niger, when his soldiers murmured for want of wine, he is reported to have answered them,

``what! crave you wine, and have the water of the Nile to drink?''

which Mr. Maillett, who lived sixteen years consul for the French nation at Grand Cairo, confirms, and says, that it is grown to be a common proverb, that whoever has once tasted it will ever after pine for it ^F12; with this compare ( Jeremiah 2:18 ) :

and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt;
in the river, wherever it flowed, in all its streams and channels, and wherever any water was collected out of it, or fetched from it, let it be in what reservoir it would. This is the first plague executed on the Egyptians, and a very righteous one by the law of retaliation for shedding the blood of innocent babes, through casting them into this river; and this will be the second and third vials of God's wrath, which will be poured on antichrist, or mystical Egypt, who will have blood given to drink because worthy, see ( Revelation 16:3-6 ) . Artapanus ^F13, an Heathen writer, bears testimony to this miracle, though he does not so fully and clearly express it as it was; he says,

``a little after, that is, after the former miracle of the rod turned into a serpent, the Nile, that river whose swelling waves overflow all Egypt, was smitten with the rod; and the water being gathered and stagnated, boiled up, and not only the fishes were destroyed, but the people perished through thirst.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29.
F12 See the Bishop of Clogher's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible, p. 287.
F13 Apud Euseb Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 435.

Exodus 7:21 In-Context

19 And the Lord said to Moses, Say to thy brother Aaron, Take thy rod in thy hand, and stretch forth thy hand over the waters of Egypt, and over their rivers, and over their canals, and over their ponds, and over all their standing water, and it shall become blood: and there was blood in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and of stone.

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.