Exodus 4:9

9 that if they believe not to these two signs, neither hear thy voice, take thou water of the flood, and shedded out it on the dry land, and whatever thing thou shalt draw up of the flood, it shall be turned into blood. (but if they do not believe these two signs, nor will listen to thy voice, then take some water from the River, and pour it out onto the dry land; and whatever water thou shalt draw up out of the River, it shall be turned into blood, when it falleth onto the ground.)

Exodus 4:9 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 4:9

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these
two signs
Performed before their eyes; for these were done over again when Moses came into Egypt to the Israelites, and yet some of them might still remain unbelievers to his commission, and so to the voice of these signs, which loudly called for their faith: neither hearken unto thy voice;
affirming he came from God, and was sent to be the deliverer of them: that thou shalt take of the water of the river;
of the river Nile, when he should come into Egypt; wherefore Josephus ^F17 is mistaken when he intimates that this was done at the same time with the other signs; and was water he took near at hand and poured on the ground: but Philo ^F18 truly refers this to Egypt, where it was done, as it ought to be: and pour [it] upon the dry land, and the water which thou takest out of
the river shall become blood upon the dry land;
by which it would appear how easily the Lord could destroy the land of Egypt, and make it a barren land, whose fertility was owing to the overflow of the river Nile as a means; and this would be a specimen also of what he would do hereafter, in turning the waters of the river into blood, thereby avenging the blood of innocent babes drowned there by the Egyptians.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Antiqu. l. 2. c. 12. sect. 3.
F18 De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 614.

Exodus 4:9 In-Context

7 The Lord said, Again draw thine hand into thy bosom; Moses again drew (in) his hand, and brought it forth again, and it was like to the tother flesh. (And the Lord said, Put thy hand inside thy cloak again; and Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, once more it was like his other flesh.)

8 The Lord said, If they shall not believe to thee, neither shall hear the word of the former sign, either miracle, they shall believe to the word of the sign following; (And the Lord said, If they do not believe thee, nor accept the proof of the first sign, or the first miracle, then they may believe the proof of the sign that followeth;)

9 that if they believe not to these two signs, neither hear thy voice, take thou water of the flood, and shedded out it on the dry land, and whatever thing thou shalt draw up of the flood, it shall be turned into blood. (but if they do not believe these two signs, nor will listen to thy voice, then take some water from the River, and pour it out onto the dry land; and whatever water thou shalt draw up out of the River, it shall be turned into blood, when it falleth onto the ground.)

10 Moses said, Lord, I beseech (thee), I am not eloquent, that is, a fair speaker, from yesterday and the third day ago; and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I am of more hindered, and of slower tongue.

11 The Lord said to him, Who made the mouth of [a] man, or who made a dumb man, and deaf, seeing, and blind? whether not I? (And the Lord said to him, Who gave speech to people, or who made anyone dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? was it not I?)