Exodus 7

Moseh and Aaron are encouraged of God to go to Pharao, v.1, &c. whose heart is hardened, 3. Moseh and Aaron their age, when they were sent to Pharao,7. Aaron ‘s staff is turned into dragon, 10. The Margicians do the like, 11. Pharao remains obdurate, 14. Moseh is sent again to him, 15. The water of Egypt are turned into blood, 19. whereof the fishes die, 21. The Magicians do the like, 22.

1. Then the LORD said to Moseh , Behold, I have set thee a god [see ab. chapter 4.16.] over Pharao, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. [that is, (here) thy interpreter, or spokes – men. Exod.4.16. it is said, He shall be a mouth unto thee.]

2. Thou shalt speak [viz. to Aaron] all that I shall command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak to Pharao, that he dismiss the children of Israel out of his land.

3. Yet I shall harden pharao’s heart, [see Exod. 4. on v.21.] and I shall multiply in the land of Egypt.

4. Pharao now shall not hearken to you; and shall lay [Heb. Give] my hand [i.e. my plagues and punishments: see the like phrase, Exod.9.3. Judg.2.15. and 1 Sam 12. 15. Lam3.3.] on Egypt, [or upon the Egyptians] and carry my hosts, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, through great judgments. [I.e. punishments. See ab. Ch.6.5.]

5. Then the Egyptians shall know, that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth my hand over Egypt, and lead forth the children of Israel out of the midst of them.

6. Then Mozes and Aaron did: as the Lord had commanded them, thus did they.

7. And Moseh was eighty years old. And Aaron was eighty and three years old, [heb. A son of eighty, a son of eighty three, &c.] when they spake to Pharao.

8. And the LORD spake to Moseh and to Aaron, saying,

9. When Pharao shall speak to you, saying Do wondertoken for you, [Heb. Give a wonder for you; viz. for to shew that ye are sent to me of God] then shalt thou say to Aaron, take thy staff, [Exod.4.20. it is called, the staff of God; and Exodus 4:2. Moseh his staff: but here, and v.12. Aaron’s staff; the same being now in Aaron’s hand] and throw (it) down before Pharao’s face, it shall become a dragon.

10. Then Moseh and Aaron went in to Pharaoah, and did thus, as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharoh’s face, and before the face of his servants; and it become a dragon.

11. Pharao now called likewise –(men) and the juggler, [i.e. them who by the devils arts and flights used to bewitch men’s eyes, that they thought they saw that, which indeed was not; and were counted wise – men , and highly esteemed by the Egyptians] and the Egyptian Magicians [see Gen; 41.8. the chiefesr of these, Paul calls by their names, 2 Tim. 3.8. Jannes and Jambres] did likewise so [viz. in outwards semblance, but not in true reality] with their enchantments.

12. For every one threw his staff down, and they become dragons: but Aaron’s staff [i.e. the dragon, into which his staff was turned] swallowed up their state.

13. Yet Pharaoh’s heart wa stupefied, [see Exodus 4:21.] so that was turned not unto them, according as the LORD had spoken.

14. Then the LORD said unto Moseh, and Pharaoh’s hearts is heavy: [so that it cannot rouse or raise it self up to obedience] he refuseth to let the people g.

15. Got to Pharaoh in the morning; behold, he will go forth towards the water; put thy self over against him, at the bank of the river: and the staff, that was turned into a serpent, thou shalt take in thy hand,

16. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD, the Hebrews God, hath sent me to there, saying, [i.e. for to denounce unto thee] Let my people go, that they (may) serve me in the wilderness: yet behold, thou hast not hearkened unto me hitherto.

17. Thus saith the LORD, Thereby thou shalt know, that I am the LORD: behold, I shall smite with this staff, that is in my hand [it was Aaron that smote with the staff, as is plainly experts bel. V.19 but God commanded the doing of it Moseh, See the like, Mat .20.32. compared with Mark 10:49. and Mark 15:45. with Matthew 27:58.] upon the water that is in this river, and it shall be changed into blood.

18. And the fish in the river shall die, so the river shall stink: and the Egyptians shall be wearing (or, turmoil’s, cumbered) to drink the water of the river. [Hereby it appears, that not the Israelites; but the Egyptians onely were in want of good water; who would take very wearisome pains, with digging and running for good water all about the river, as verse.24.]

19. Moreover, the LORD said to Moseh, say unto Aaron, take thy staff, and put forth thy hand over the waters of the Egyptians, over their streams, over their rivers, and over every gathering of their waters, that they may become blood: and let there be blood in all the land of Egypt, both in wood – and in fore – (vessels) [Heb. In words and in stones]

20. Moseh now and Aaron did thus, according as the LORD had commanded: and the [viz. Aaron] lifted up the staff, and smote the water that was in the rivers, before the eys of Pharaoh, and before the eyes of his servants; and all the water in the river was changed into blood.

21. And the fish that was in the river, died; [This plague was so much the greater, be cause the Egyptians and people dwelling in those parts, fed much on fish, and traded and maintained themselves with them: see Numbers 11:5. for they abstained from the flesh of divers beasts, out of the superstition, Exod, 8.26.] and the river stunk Egyptians, whose daily was water, and had had not other, but what they fetched out of the great river Nile, and the outlets thereof, falling no ran in that country, as is to be gather by Deuteronomy 11:10,11] so that the Egyptians could not drink the water of e.g the rivers; and there was blood in all the land of Egypt. [viz. not onely in the grate river, but likewise in all other waters throughout the land.]

22. Yet the Egyptian magicians did (likewise) thus by their enchanting; [see ab. V. 11. the water which they turned into blood, they got by digging about the river, v.24. or, they fetched it out of the land of gosen, out of the house of the Israelites, dwelling here and there intermixed with the Egyptians] so that Pharaoh’s heart grew obdurate, and he hearkened not to them, according as the LORD had spoken.

23. And Pharaoh turned himself about, and went to his house: and he set his heart not thereon neither. [i..e. he needed it no further; he took it not to heart at all. See the like phrase, Exodus 9:21 and 1 Sam 4.20. & 2 Sam .18.3 and Prov22.17.]

24. Yet all the Egyptians digged round about the river, for to drink water: for they were not able to drink of the water of the river.

25. Thus seven days were fulfilled, [Heb. And the week of days was filled: so log this plague continued] after that the LORD had smitten the river.