Exodus

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Exodus 7 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Exodus 7 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment


1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.

3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

(7:3) "I will harden Pharaoh's heart."
God hardens Pharaoh's heart for the second time.
Who hardened the Pharaoh's heart?

4 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.


(7:4-5, 17) (7:4) "Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt."
God will make sure that Pharaoh does not listen to Moses, so that he can kill Egyptians with his armies.
The Egyptians had enslaved the Israelites, and they were killing the children of the Israelites, see chapter 1:22.

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.


(7:5, 17) "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD."
(Who else could be so cruel and unjust?)
God may not deliver his people from genocide and infanticide, because that would be cruel.

6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.

7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

9 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.

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.

(7:8-12) God tells Moses and Aaron that when Pharaoh asks for a miracle just throw your rod down and it will become a serpent. So when the time comes, Aaron throws down his rod and it becomes a serpent. But the Egyptian magicians duplicate this trick, too. Luckily, for Aaron, his snake swallows theirs. (Whew!)
The author of the SAB calls the miracle of a rod changing into a servant a trick. But this was a miracle, done by God, who is not bound by the laws of nature with which he upholds this universe. So we can be sure that when Aaron cast down his rod, there were no tricks, but a true snake.

11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.


(7:11) "Now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments."
The magicians know the rod to serpent trick too!
Score: Aaron 1, Magicians 1
We're not sure what the magicians did. They probably employed illusions or tricks, as they nor their devilish masters could bend the laws of nature.

12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.


(7:12) "For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods."

13 And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

(7:13) "And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them."
God hardens Pharaoh's heart the 3rd time.
Who hardened the Pharaoh's heart?

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 against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

16 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.

(7:17-24) The First Plague: "The river ... shall be turned to blood."
Trick #2: Rivers to blood

After the rod to serpent trick, God tells Moses and Aaron to smite the river and turn it into blood. This is the first of the famous 10 plagues of Egypt. Unfortunately, the magicians know this trick too, and they do so with their enchantments. Shucks! Just how the river could be turned to blood by the Egyptian sorcerers after it had been turned to blood by Moses and Aaron is not explained.
Clearly this was not a trick, as the fish died. Something really happened to that river.
The author of the SAB claims that the magicians knew this trick too and wonders where they got the water from. First of all, the Bible doesn't say what the magicians turned into some red colour. They might have had some water in a bowl, or else they did their trick immediately after Moses, while not all the waters had been turned into blood yet. And secondly, what the magicians did was an illusion because if they had true power over nature, they could have easily turned the blood back into water again. But they were powerless.

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 blood; 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 rod, 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 blood.

Water is Changed to Blood
James Tissot (1896-1900)

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.

(7:22) "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments."
The magicians know the rivers to blood trick too!
Score: Aaron 2, Magicians 2

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither 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.

(7:24) "They could not drink of the water of the river."
The Egyptians can't drink from river whose water God (and the magicians) turned to blood.
The Magicians didn't have true power over nature else they would have been able to turn the blood back into water. Only God could turn water into blood, the magicians employed only an optical illusion.

25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.