Old Testament Commentary - Exodus 7

by Don R. Hender

Most ancient old world societies did not just worship one god. They would have a multiplicity of higher and lower gods which effected various different asspects of the elements of life and existence. They would have such as a Sun God, a Moon God, a weather God, an earth God, a war God, a fretility God and so on and so forth. The anicient Greeks as well as the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians are prime examples. The Israelite concept of there being just 'one' god was unique in such surrounding societies. Usually these Gods would be ordered according to their importance. In the Egyptian world of Gods, these Gods ran from such various Gods of importance until the reached the current living God, the Son of God who was considerd to be Pharaoh himself.
From one aspect of Egyptian worship, it had first began as a simulation and copy of the true God worship and its associated priesthood. From this mono-theoist perspective it was soon corrupted into the prevailing Egyptian concept of gods prevailent in the days of Moses.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

            CHAPTER 7
Moses appointed to give word of the Lord to Pharaoh—The Lord to multiply and wonders in Egypt—
Aaron's rod becomes a serpant—
River is turned into blood—
Magicians imitate miracles of Moses and Aaron.

1 AND the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee ^aa ^bgod to Pharaoh^a: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy ^cprophet^b.
2 Thou shalt speak all that I ^acommand thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.

God and His Prophet 'Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.' (D&C 1:38) God's Prophets, as they speak by and through the power of the Holy Ghost, do speak the Word of God. And that Word, spoken as it were by the the same means and power of the voice of angels, is also the same as though God Himself has spoken it. That same divine investiture of priesthood position as bestowed by the Father upon the Son to act in his stead in all things, is also further divested and deligated to and upon the Servants of God as he commands them and as they art by, through and under the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Priesthood by definition is the power and authority given to men to act in God's name. And when such priesthood servants of God do so act under the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost, that power of the priesthood is so enacted as though the very act and voice of God himself did perform it and speak it.
That this does so apply to the prophets of God is sure. That it may also apply to any priesthood holder when acting in the name of God under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is echoed in the sentiments of Moses when he stated relative to the prophecies of Eldad and Medad, ' ... would God that all LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would plut his spirit upon them!' (Numbers 11:29) Within our individual stewardships, we may all act as such inspired servants and 'prophets' of God in that realm in which we are called to serve. And the Lord expects as much from us. 1^a I have made thee a god to Pharaoh The symbolistic irony of this in not fully understood by Traditional Bible Christians. Yes, he who was Pharaoh would be considered a 'god' and thus the irony of Moses being placed as a parallel 'god' beside him is one central aspect of this circumstance. But it goes further than this. Moses was also a 'prince' in Egypt and a rival to the throne of Egypt, being the son of the King's daughter. But the irony goes even further.
As the JST Genesis 50:29 points out, as the Lord speaks directly to Joseph of Egypt, that Moses would be considered to be of the house of Joseph. It does seem that due to the high position which Joseph held as Ruler of Egypt by the command of Pharaoh in his day, that Joseph's seed, living in and occupying the palaces with Pharaoh, that one of Joseph's descendants, likely by marriage, did become heir and Pharaoh of Egypt himself. Yet this heir of Joseph chose not to know the ways of his ancestor Joseph, but rather adopted the ways of the Egyptians to the extent that he turned against the Hebrews in the name of being an Egyptian. This may well have been the latter-end of the Hykos Kings and Pharaohs of Egypt. It also explains how it was that Moses, defined by that Hebrew name by his adoptive mother, a Hebrew herself, fit well in with the household of Pharaoh as such an adopted son. He was of the same Shemite race as was the House of Pharaoh, the Hykos Kings of Egypt. It also goes back to explaining why Joseph when he married Asenath, a Priest's daughter, he was not marrying a black Cannanite but a Shemite Priest's daughter of the Hykos Kingdom.
1^b Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet Moses, like Joseph of Egypt, Moses' ancestor by the adoption of being raised in the house of Pharaoh, was as Joseph had been before him, a 'type' and 'likeness' of the Messiah to come, after that holy order of God. Jesus Christ is our brother, being the first born in the spirit of the same Father from which we are also spirit children. Thus every prohet called by Jehovah, who is the same as Jesus Christ, is but the similar situation of one brother being made 'God' and the other being 'God's Prophet'. 1^a OR consecrate or set apart.
   ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15)
   ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12,
      14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9
2^a Lev. 2:4
   ^b HEB mingled
      OR smeared

3 ^aAnd I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my ^bwonders in the land of Egypt.
4 ^aBut Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine ^barmies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5 And the Egyptians shall ^aknow that ^bI am the ^cLORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

1^a OR consecrate or set apart.
   ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15)
   ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12,
      14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9
2^a Lev. 2:4
   ^b HEB mingled
      OR smeared

Best Laid Plans of God Often when considering the fate of Jerusalem and the Jews when they were under the yoke of Babylon, it is set out that Daniel had been placed as the King's high coucilor or ruler in his stead much like Joseph of Egypt had ben raised up to be in Egypt. If the Jews had obeyed the commands of God as given them by Jeremiah to cheerfully wear the yoke of Babylon, they would have been under the direction of Daniel and all would have been well for Israel under the Babylonian Empire. Thus the Lord does provide for his people in all circumstances if they will be but righteous followers of Him.
The 'marriage' of the Hebrews with the Kingdom of Egypt was also one such grand plan of God. Joseph stated as much to his brothers. And if that descendant of Joseph who had become Pharaoh of Egypt after him would have not turned from God and adopted the Egyptian ways, the Hebrews would have been destined to be one of if not the greatest of peoples of the world as heads and leaders of the greatest Kingdom on Earth, the Egyptian Empire at that particular time. But Pharaoh turned from and rejected his Hebrew heritage and rejected the ways of Joseph. Yet the Lord, who knows all, knew that this would be the eventual outcome and he had promised Joseph that when that time would come, that one considered to be of his house, being the son of the daughter of the King, Moses would set Israel free and deliver them from under their bondage to the corrupted 'Egyptian' kingdom.

6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
7 And Moses was ^afourscore years old, and ^bAaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

1^a OR consecrate or set apart.
   ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15)
   ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12,
      14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9
2^a Lev. 2:4
   ^b HEB mingled
      OR smeared

8 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, ^aShew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.

10 ¶ 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.
11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the ^asorcerers: now the ^bmagicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
13 ^aAnd he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

14 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink ^aagainst he come; and the ^brod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD ^aGod of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may ^bserve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

1   ~   B L O O D

Each of the 10 plagues was an attack on one of the Egyptian God in what some suggest as a hierarchal order of lesser to greater. There also seems to be further greater symbolic inferences and meanings. The God of the Nile was 'Hapi' who brings water to all Egyptians for life. It seems that the disposal of the Israelite male children was not just killing of the babies and disposing of them but the excuse was also to offer a sacrifice to the God of the Nile, Hapi who provides water for life or 'living water' depicted here at the right.
The Nile was also considered the link from this life to the next and the blood of Osiris. The Egyptians worshippd the river. Symbolically the turning of the river into blood would have been seen as a coming of the blood of the children of Israel who had been cast therein upon the very beings of the Egyptians who would wash and drink of the water. It also defamed Hapi as blood itself was held in abhorrence by the Egyptians. Other related deities connected with the Nile are Amon, and Khnum who was the guardian of the Nile.
A last symbolic connection would have been from a Christian point of view, those who believed in the coming of the Christ, the Messiah, that it was the shedding of the blood of Christ which brings everlasting life in the spiritual eternal sense as opposed to just physical life sustained by the water of a river. Moses' record of Exodus is but an abridged account and likely some what edited by the compiling Jews. We know that Moses both knew of Christ and taught of Him. Whether Moses made alusion to Him during the setting forth of the plagues is currently lost to us.

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 ^ariver, and they shall be ^bturned to ^cblood.
18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.

19 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become ^ablood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the ^arod, and smote 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 ^bblood.
21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, ^aneither did he set his heart to this also.
24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 7 Moses appointed to give word of the Lord to Pharaoh—The Lord to multiply and wonders in Egypt— Aaron's rod becomes a serpant— River is turned into blood— Magicians imitate miracles of Moses and Aaron.
1 AND the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee ^aa ^bgod to Pharaoh^a: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy ^cprophet^b. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I ^acommand thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. God and His Prophet 'Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.' (D&C 1:38) God's Prophets, as they speak by and through the power of the Holy Ghost, do speak the Word of God. And that Word, spoken as it were by the the same means and power of the voice of angels, is also the same as though God Himself has spoken it. That same divine investiture of priesthood position as bestowed by the Father upon the Son to act in his stead in all things, is also further divested and deligated to and upon the Servants of God as he commands them and as they art by, through and under the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Priesthood by definition is the power and authority given to men to act in God's name. And when such priesthood servants of God do so act under the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost, that power of the priesthood is so enacted as though the very act and voice of God himself did perform it and speak it. That this does so apply to the prophets of God is sure. That it may also apply to any priesthood holder when acting in the name of God under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is echoed in the sentiments of Moses when he stated relative to the prophecies of Eldad and Medad, ' ... would God that all LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would plut his spirit upon them!' (Numbers 11:29) Within our individual stewardships, we may all act as such inspired servants and 'prophets' of God in that realm in which we are called to serve. And the Lord expects as much from us.	1^a I have made thee a god to Pharaoh The symbolistic irony of this in not fully understood by Traditional Bible Christians. Yes, he who was Pharaoh would be considered a 'god' and thus the irony of Moses being placed as a parallel 'god' beside him is one central aspect of this circumstance. But it goes further than this. Moses was also a 'prince' in Egypt and a rival to the throne of Egypt, being the son of the King's daughter. But the irony goes even further. As the JST Genesis 50:29 points out, as the Lord speaks directly to Joseph of Egypt, that Moses would be considered to be of the house of Joseph. It does seem that due to the high position which Joseph held as Ruler of Egypt by the command of Pharaoh in his day, that Joseph's seed, living in and occupying the palaces with Pharaoh, that one of Joseph's descendants, likely by marriage, did become heir and Pharaoh of Egypt himself. Yet this heir of Joseph chose not to know the ways of his ancestor Joseph, but rather adopted the ways of the Egyptians to the extent that he turned against the Hebrews in the name of being an Egyptian. This may well have been the latter-end of the Hykos Kings and Pharaohs of Egypt. It also explains how it was that Moses, defined by that Hebrew name by his adoptive mother, a Hebrew herself, fit well in with the household of Pharaoh as such an adopted son. He was of the same Shemite race as was the House of Pharaoh, the Hykos Kings of Egypt. It also goes back to explaining why Joseph when he married Asenath, a Priest's daughter, he was not marrying a black Cannanite but a Shemite Priest's daughter of the Hykos Kingdom. 1^b Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet Moses, like Joseph of Egypt, Moses' ancestor by the adoption of being raised in the house of Pharaoh, was as Joseph had been before him, a 'type' and 'likeness' of the Messiah to come, after that holy order of God. Jesus Christ is our brother, being the first born in the spirit of the same Father from which we are also spirit children. Thus every prohet called by Jehovah, who is the same as Jesus Christ, is but the similar situation of one brother being made 'God' and the other being 'God's Prophet'.	1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
3 ^aAnd I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my ^bwonders in the land of Egypt. 4 ^aBut Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine ^barmies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall ^aknow that ^bI am the ^cLORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.		1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared Best Laid Plans of God Often when considering the fate of Jerusalem and the Jews when they were under the yoke of Babylon, it is set out that Daniel had been placed as the King's high coucilor or ruler in his stead much like Joseph of Egypt had ben raised up to be in Egypt. If the Jews had obeyed the commands of God as given them by Jeremiah to cheerfully wear the yoke of Babylon, they would have been under the direction of Daniel and all would have been well for Israel under the Babylonian Empire. Thus the Lord does provide for his people in all circumstances if they will be but righteous followers of Him. The 'marriage' of the Hebrews with the Kingdom of Egypt was also one such grand plan of God. Joseph stated as much to his brothers. And if that descendant of Joseph who had become Pharaoh of Egypt after him would have not turned from God and adopted the Egyptian ways, the Hebrews would have been destined to be one of if not the greatest of peoples of the world as heads and leaders of the greatest Kingdom on Earth, the Egyptian Empire at that particular time. But Pharaoh turned from and rejected his Hebrew heritage and rejected the ways of Joseph. Yet the Lord, who knows all, knew that this would be the eventual outcome and he had promised Joseph that when that time would come, that one considered to be of his house, being the son of the daughter of the King, Moses would set Israel free and deliver them from under their bondage to the corrupted 'Egyptian' kingdom.
6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was ^afourscore years old, and ^bAaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.		1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
8 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, ^aShew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10 ¶ 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. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the ^asorcerers: now the ^bmagicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 ^aAnd he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
14 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink ^aagainst he come; and the ^brod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. 16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD ^aGod of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may ^bserve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
1 ~ B L O O D Each of the 10 plagues was an attack on one of the Egyptian God in what some suggest as a hierarchal order of lesser to greater. There also seems to be further greater symbolic inferences and meanings. The God of the Nile was 'Hapi' who brings water to all Egyptians for life. It seems that the disposal of the Israelite male children was not just killing of the babies and disposing of them but the excuse was also to offer a sacrifice to the God of the Nile, Hapi who provides water for life or 'living water' depicted here at the right. The Nile was also considered the link from this life to the next and the blood of Osiris. The Egyptians worshippd the river. Symbolically the turning of the river into blood would have been seen as a coming of the blood of the children of Israel who had been cast therein upon the very beings of the Egyptians who would wash and drink of the water. It also defamed Hapi as blood itself was held in abhorrence by the Egyptians. Other related deities connected with the Nile are Amon, and Khnum who was the guardian of the Nile. A last symbolic connection would have been from a Christian point of view, those who believed in the coming of the Christ, the Messiah, that it was the shedding of the blood of Christ which brings everlasting life in the spiritual eternal sense as opposed to just physical life sustained by the water of a river. Moses' record of Exodus is but an abridged account and likely some what edited by the compiling Jews. We know that Moses both knew of Christ and taught of Him. Whether Moses made alusion to Him during the setting forth of the plagues is currently lost to us.
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 ^ariver, and they shall be ^bturned to ^cblood. 18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
19 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become ^ablood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the ^arod, and smote 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 ^bblood. 21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, ^aneither did he set his heart to this also. 24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.