Exodus Chapter 7 — The Rod and the River of Blood
Moses and Aaron perform a miraculous sign with a rod before Pharaoh, followed by the first plague where the Nile River turns into blood.
1The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
2You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
3I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will lay my hand on Egypt, and bring out my armies, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out from among them.”
6Moses and Aaron did so. As the LORD commanded them, so they did.
7Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle!’ then you shall tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’ ”
10Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments.
12For they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.
14The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.
15Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he is going out to the water. You shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him. You shall take the rod which was turned to a serpent in your hand.
16You shall tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. Behold, until now you haven’t listened.”
17The LORD says, “In this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold: I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18The fish that are in the river will die and the river will become foul. The Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the river.” ’ ”
19The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”
20Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
21The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
22The magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.
23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart.
24All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water.
25Seven days were fulfilled, after the LORD had struck the river.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Exodus 7:5
“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out from among them.”
This verse establishes the primary purpose of the miracles and plagues: to reveal God's identity and power to Egypt.
Exodus 7:12
“For they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.”
This event demonstrates the superior power of God over the magic and enchantments of the Egyptian court.
Exodus 7:17
“The LORD says, “In this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold: I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.””
This marks the formal beginning of the ten plagues that will eventually lead to the Exodus.
Chapter Summary
In Exodus Chapter 7, God instructs Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh once again, establishing Aaron as Moses' spokesperson. At eighty and eighty-three years old respectively, they appear before the king of Egypt. Aaron casts down his rod, which transforms into a serpent. Although Pharaoh's magicians replicate the feat using their enchantments, Aaron's rod swallows theirs. Despite this sign, Pharaoh's heart remains hardened as God predicted. Following God's specific command, Moses and Aaron meet Pharaoh at the bank of the Nile in the morning. Aaron strikes the water with his rod, turning the river and all Egyptian water sources into blood. This miracle causes the fish to die and the water to become foul and undrinkable throughout the land. While the Egyptian magicians use secret arts to mimic the miracle, Pharaoh refuses to relen and returns to his palace, leaving the Egyptians to dig for fresh water for seven days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they went to speak to Pharaoh as representatives of God.
When Aaron's rod became a serpent, Pharaoh's magicians did the same with their enchantments, but Aaron’s rod swallowed up the magicians' rods.
The water in the Nile and throughout Egypt turned to blood, the fish died, the river became foul-smelling, and the Egyptians were unable to drink the water for seven days.
Study Note
The turning of the Nile into blood was a significant blow to Egyptian society, as the river was central to their economy, agriculture, and religious life.
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