Bible Commentaries
Exodus 7

Verses 8-13

Exodus 7:8-13 P. Aaron and the Magicians: Hardening of Pharaoh’ s Heart.— Magic and religion are, in the last analysis, fundamentally diverse; for, while magic claims to put a compelling constraint upon occult powers, religion implies a relation and dependence upon a personal Being of which prayer is the characteristic expression (p. 187). But the two have been, and are still, almost inextricably intermingled. It is not surprising, therefore, to find magical powers, in all good faith, claimed for the servants of Yahweh, and allowed, in inferior degree, to exist among His enemies. Magic has been called the science of primitive times, and its obvious success is due to a mixture of bluff, shrewd prognostication, cunning contrivance ( cf. “ secret arts,” Exodus 7:11 mg.), and sleight-of-hand. Serpent-charming still persists in Egypt, and experts can stiffen serpents by hypnotic devices into rods. What is peculiar in the present story is that the rods become serpents, and Aaron’ s rod swallows up the rest. The mg. on “ serpent” distinguishes the term, meaning a reptile, perhaps a young crocodile, from the ordinary word used in Exodus 4:3 J, where the sign was to convince Israel, not Pharaoh. The word for “ magicians” is used only of Egyptian wizards. Jewish tradition ( 2 Timothy 3:8) knew the names of the two leaders, Jannes and Jambres. Though their success was marred by the swallowing up of their rods, “ Pharaoh’ s heart was hardened” ( Exodus 7:13). Here is one of the leading ideas of this part of the Bible. Three words are used— one only in Exodus 7:3 P, another ( mg. “ strong” ) by P and E, and the third ( mg. “ heavy” ) by J. The various forms of expression, hard (in fact), self-hardened, and God-hardened, together with Paul’ s treatment in Romans 9:15-18, raise difficult questions. A little reflection lightens the difficulty. In all human conduct there is a mysterious combination of man’ s choice and God’ s enabling. And God uses events to produce opposite effects upon different characters, as fire melts wax but hardens clay. Assertions of God’ s sovereignty must not be isolated, but interpreted in harmony with His moral rule. Thus read, the cumulative assaults upon Pharaoh’ s resolution call forth one of the most dramatic exhibitions in literature of the merely politic vacillations of a man whose conscience has been weakened, or silenced, by self-will.

Verses 14-25

Exodus 7:14-25 . 1° . Water turned into Blood ( Exodus 7:14-15 a J; Exodus 7:15 b E r; Exodus 7:16-17 a J; Exodus 7:17 b, “ with the rod . . . hand,” E; Exodus 7:17 c – Exodus 7:18 J; Exodus 7:19-20 a, “ commanded,” P; Exodus 7:20 b, to “ servants,” E; Exodus 7:20 c – Exodus 7:21 ab, J; Exodus 7:21 c – Exodus 7:22, P; Exodus 7:23-25 J).— In Egypt not only prosperity, but life itself, was bound up with the Nile. Moses meets Pharaoh on his morning visit to the Nile ( cf. Exodus 8:20), either for bathing (as Exodus 2:5) or worship, repeats the Divine demand, and announces the smiting of the Nile, by turning its waters into blood. “ Each year the water of the river becomes like blood at the time of the inundation” (Sayce). The peculiarity in Ex. is that the water was rendered unwholesome, as it sometimes is just before the redness begins. In P all the water in the land takes the poisonous tinge: the irrigation “ canals” ( Exodus 7:9 mg.) and “ ponds” or reservoirs being specially mentioned. The artificial character of P’ s representation is shown when, after the water has been reddened, the magicians can yet find water to prove their powers upon. The death of the fish would be a grave calamity, fish being a staple article of diet.

Exodus 7:15 . the rod (E): is noted by the editor as that which was turned to a serpent ( Exodus 4:3 J).

Exodus 7:17 b. The sentence about Yahweh’ s smiting is dislocated by the insertion of a scrap from the command to Moses in E ( Exodus 7:15 b), “ with the rod that is in mine” (altered from “ thine,” yet spoiling the sense all the same) “ hand.”

Exodus 7:20 b. and he lifted up: not Aaron ( Exodus 7:20 a P) but Moses (E), for only “ the waters that were in the river” were smitten.

Exodus 7:23 . heart: in Heb. covers, and indeed often denotes, mental not emotional activity: render “ give his mind even to this.”