Exodus 7:4-17 “But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.”
YHVH is going to show his power over the Egyptian gods through the plagues. This has a two-fold purpose; to show the Israelites their entire existence is because of His love and to show Egypt their foolishness in believing in gods made by human hands. In the end it will also expose the humanity of Pharaoh.
Next, there were only 9 “strokes” or “plagues”, with the tenth actually being “Judgment”. The Hebrew word typically translated as “plague”, is nega. Nega is a generic word indicating being stricken, as in some type of blow upon something or someone, usually with the idea that it is a punishment for an offense.These “strokes” inflicted upon Egypt were 3 sets of 3, all progressive in nature.
The first set of three involved the whole land of Egypt and everybody in it: Egyptians, Hebrews, visitors, all were affected. And, they were generally mild in nature, causing little more than discomfort. The next 2 sets of 3 “strokes” were visited only upon the Egyptians; God in this way divided and separated His people from the others in the land of Egypt; He made a distinction between Israel and all others. The 3rd stroke of each group of 3 always came unannounced to Pharaoh.
5 “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
What separated these 9 devastations from the same types of occurrences which appeared naturally, occasionally, was that they occurred at Moses’ commands, they came at an abnormal time of year, they were greatly more severe than had ever occurred before, and they happened one right after the other. It left no doubt to the Hebrews or the Egyptians that the God of Israel controlled every natural process known to them.
6-9 “And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.”
The word serpent here is H8577 תַּנִּין tanniyn (tan-neen’) n-m. a marine or land monster. Crocodile.
Ezekiel 29:3,9 “Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon {tanniyn} that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.”
The representation of Pharaoh as a ‘god’ is the crocodile headed man image. This strike was pointed specifically and purposefully at Pharaoh because of his abuse of the children born to the Hebrews.
10-16 “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. {tanniyn} Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents {tanniyn}: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said. And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.”
17 “Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.”
Every year at the time of the rise of the Nile, silt would color the water a characteristic red, and the rich nutrients contained in the silt spurred the growth of micro-organisms to create an effect that most of us who live near the ocean are familiar with: a Red Tide.
This eats up necessary oxygen, thereby killing millions of fish, and causing a terrible stench.
The miracle was this, that Moses caused it to happen upon his command, it happened when the Nile was NOT in the rising season, and it even contaminated already drawn water in the vessels in which the water was being stored.
This could also be taken as a hint to the 10th plague or the final judgment:
When Moses was born and the command to throw the male children into the Nile would have been a gruesome sight. The crocodiles would have had a feeding frenzy and would have turned that specific area of the Nile to bloody waters.
The combination of death, blood and crocodiles would be repaid upon all of Egypt not just Pharaoh.
Matthew 10:26 “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.”
Berean Breadcrumbs 