The First Plague: Water to Blood
Exodus 7:14-24
Exo.7.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כבד: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מאן: PRON,interrog
- לשלח: VERB,qal,infc,_,_,_
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exod.4:21 (verbal): God tells Moses He will harden Pharaoh's heart when Moses returns to Egypt—anticipates and explains Pharaoh's refusal to let the people go.
- Exod.7:3 (verbal): God declares He will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply signs and wonders in Egypt—same hardening motif at the start of the plague narrative.
- Exod.9:12 (verbal): After several plagues the narrator states, “And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart,” repeating the language of divine hardening that explains Pharaoh’s persistent refusal.
- Exod.10:1 (verbal): God again tells Moses that He has hardened Pharaoh's heart as Moses is sent back to confront him—parallel divine speech framing Pharaoh’s obstinacy.
- Rom.9:17-18 (allusion): Paul cites the Exodus episode (including God’s hardening of Pharaoh) to illustrate divine sovereignty—an interpretive/theological reuse of the hardening motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Pharaoh’s heart is heavy; he refuses to send the people.'
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Pharaoh’s heart is heavy; he refuses to send the people.'
Exo.7.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בבקר: PREP
- הנה: PART
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המימה: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ונצבת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לקראתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- על: PREP
- שפת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והמטה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נהפך: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- לנחש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- בידך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod 4:2-4 (verbal): Early sign given to Moses: God tells Moses to throw down his rod and it becomes a serpent — the same verbal motif of 'the rod which was turned to a serpent.'
- Exod 7:10-12 (structural): Same episode at Pharaoh's presence: Aaron's rod becomes a serpent before Pharaoh and the Egyptian magicians, paralleling the instruction to meet Pharaoh by the river with the serpent‑rod.
- Exod 7:19-21 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same commission: Moses/Aaron are told to take the rod and strike/stretch it over the waters so they become blood — connects the river setting and the rod as instrument of the sign.
- Num 21:6-9 (thematic): Different context but related serpent imagery: a serpent is used as divine instrument (a sign of judgment and later healing when lifted on a pole), thematically linking serpent symbolism as a means of God's action.
- Ps 78:44-45 (thematic): Psalmic retelling of the Egyptian signs: recounts God turning rivers to blood and performing wonders in Egypt — thematically ties the river setting and miraculous signs performed before Pharaoh.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Go to Pharaoh in the morning; look, he is going out to the water. And you shall station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and the staff that was turned into a serpent you shall take in your hand.'
- 'Go to Pharaoh in the morning: behold, he is going out to the water; you shall station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and the staff that was turned into a serpent you shall take in your hand.'
Exo.7.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- העברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- שלחני: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ויעבדני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,obj1
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- שמעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- כה: ADV
Parallels
- Exod.3.18 (verbal): Same formula telling Moses to present himself and say to Pharaoh that 'the LORD God of the Hebrews' has met with Israel and to request their departure — an earlier instance of the speech-act invoked in 7:16.
- Exod.5.1 (quotation): Moses and Aaron's initial direct address to Pharaoh: 'Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go…' — the same demand repeated throughout the plague narrative.
- Exod.7.13 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel within the same scene: earlier indications that Pharaoh’s magicians also could not stand before Moses’ signs and that Pharaoh’s heart remained unyielding, explaining why Pharaoh 'has not yet listened.'
- Exod.8.1 (thematic): Repetition of the central demand 'Let my people go' at the next plague; shows the recurring motif of God sending Moses with this command and Pharaoh’s repeated refusal.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And you shall say to him, “YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, ‘Send my people, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But look, you have not listened until now.”'
- 'And you shall say to him, "YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, 'Send my people, that they may serve me in the wilderness.' And, behold, you have not listened until now."'
Exo.7.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בזאת: PREP
- תדע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- מכה: VERB,qal,part,m,sg
- במטה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בידי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff1s
- על: PREP
- המים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ביאר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונהפכו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- לדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.4.9 (verbal): An earlier sign given to Moses: taking the water of the river and it becoming blood — very similar wording and miracle promise.
- Exod.7.20 (structural): The immediate narrative fulfillment: Moses and Aaron strike the river and the waters are turned to blood, completing the action announced in 7:17.
- Psalm 78:44 (thematic): The psalm recounts God’s acts in Egypt, including turning waters into blood as one of the plagues — a theological retelling of the same event.
- Psalm 105:29 (thematic): A historical summary of Israel’s traditions that specifically lists God turning the waters into blood during the Egyptian plagues.
- Revelation 8:8–9 (allusion): An eschatological/typological echo: a large body of water is struck and becomes like blood as part of divine judgments, alluding to the Exodus plague motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Thus says YHWH: By this you shall know that I am YHWH: look, I am striking with the staff that is in my hand upon the waters that are in the Nile, and they shall turn to blood.'
- 'Thus says YHWH: "By this you shall know that I am YHWH: behold, I am striking with the staff that is in my hand upon the waters that are in the Nile, and they shall be turned to blood."'
Exo.7.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והדגה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ביאר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תמות: VERB,qal,yiqtol,2,m,sg
- ובאש: CONJ+PREP
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ונלאו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לשתות: INF,qal
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מן: PREP
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exod 7:20-21 (verbal): Same plague narrative: the Nile and its waters become blood, the fish die, and the Egyptians cannot drink — immediate literary parallel within the same episode.
- Ps 78:44-45 (verbal): The psalm retells the Exodus plagues using similar language — rivers turned to blood and consequent inability to drink, recalling the death of aquatic life.
- Ps 105:29 (verbal): A liturgical retelling of the Exodus miracles: God turns waters to blood and strikes the fish — explicit reuse of the Exodus imagery.
- Ps 106:9 (thematic): Another psalmic summary of the plagues that echoes the consequences of the river’s pollution (waters made undrinkable) as judgement on Egypt.
- Rev 16:3 (allusion): The second trumpet/bowl turns the sea/ waters to blood so that every living thing in the sea dies — an apocalyptic echo of the Exodus motif of waters becoming blood and fish dying.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will reek, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.'
- 'And the fish that are in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will weary themselves to drink water from the Nile.'
Exo.7.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קח: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- מטך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ונטה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- על: PREP
- מימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- נהרתם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- יאריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- אגמיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- מקוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מימיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- ויהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ובעצים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl
- ובאבנים: PREP+NOUN,f,pl
Parallels
- Exod 7:20 (verbal): Immediate narrative continuation: Aaron stretches out the staff and the waters of Egypt/streams/pools become blood (the direct fulfillment of 7:19's command).
- Exod 7:17 (structural): Earlier divine declaration introducing this plague: God announces he will smite the waters of Egypt with the rod in his hand to show his power—sets the theological purpose for turning water to blood.
- Ps 105:29 (allusion): Poetic retelling of the Exodus plagues: 'He turned their waters into blood,' echoing the same event and noting effects on fish and waterways.
- Ps 78:44 (thematic): Psalmic recounting of Israel’s exodus: 'He turned their rivers into blood,' thematically recalling God’s judgment on Egypt’s waters as in Exodus 7.
- Rev 16:3 (thematic): New Testament echo: the third bowl judgment turns the sea into blood—an eschatological image that thematically recalls Egypt’s water-turned-to-blood as divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers, over their canals, over their pools, and over every gathering of their waters—and they shall become blood. And there shall be blood in all the land of Egypt, in wooden and in stone vessels.”'
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers, over their canals, and over their ponds, and over all their reservoirs of water—and they shall become blood; and there shall be blood in all the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone vessels."'
Exo.7.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואהרן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- צוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וירם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- במטה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויך: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- המים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ביאר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולעיני: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- ויהפכו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- המים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ביאר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- לדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.7.21 (verbal): Immediate narrative continuation: the river turned to blood, fish died and the river stank—same event described with additional effects.
- Exod.14.21 (structural): Both scenes depict divine control of waters through Moses (staff/hand) — miracles that alter waterways to accomplish God's purposes.
- Ps.78:44 (verbal): Poetic retelling of the Exodus plagues: 'He turned their rivers to blood' directly echoes the Exodus account.
- Ps.105:29 (verbal): Another liturgical/chronological retelling that explicitly cites God turning waters into blood during the Egyptian plagues.
- Rev.16:3 (allusion): Eschatological parallel: the second bowl makes the sea like blood, echoing Exodus' motif of waters turned to blood as divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses and Aaron did so, as YHWH commanded. He raised the staff and struck the waters that were in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the waters that were in the Nile were turned to blood.
- And Moses and Aaron did so, as YHWH had commanded; and he raised the staff and struck the waters that were in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the Nile were turned to blood.
Exo.7.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והדגה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ביאר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מתה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,f,sg
- ויבאש: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- יכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לשתות: INF,qal
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מן: PREP
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- הדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exod.7:17 (structural): God announces he will strike the Nile and its waters will become blood — the announced purpose and context for the event described in 7:21.
- Exod.7:20 (verbal): Narrative report of Moses and Aaron turning the Nile into blood, causing the fish to die and the river to stink — closely parallels the language and details of 7:21.
- Exod.7:22 (verbal): Egyptian magicians replicate the sign and the plague effects are noted; links to the same phenomenon and its theological effect (hardening of hearts).
- Ps.78:44-45 (quotation): The psalm recounts God turning rivers to blood so they could not drink — a later liturgical/poetic retelling of the Exodus plague imagery.
- Rev.16:3 (allusion): The third bowl judgment turns the sea to blood and kills sea life — an eschatological echo of the Exodus plague’s imagery and deadly effects on aquatic life.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile reeked, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and the blood was in all the land of Egypt.
- And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and there was blood in all the land of Egypt.
Exo.7.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
- חרטמי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בלטיהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויחזק: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 7:11 (verbal): Same scene: Egyptian magicians replicate a sign (their staffs become serpents), highlighting the parallel activity of the magicians before Pharaoh in 7:22.
- Exodus 4:21 (thematic): God announces he will harden Pharaoh’s heart—this verse provides the divine intent that explains the recurring statement in 7:22 that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.
- Exodus 8:19 (allusion): After failing to replicate the plague of gnats, the Egyptian magicians admit 'This is the finger of God,' contrasting their earlier success and underscoring limits to their power mentioned in 7:22.
- Exodus 9:12 (verbal): Repeats the exact theme and wording that the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so he would not listen, a near-verbatim recurrence of the formulation found in 7:22.
- Romans 9:17-18 (thematic): Paul cites God’s hardening of Pharaoh to demonstrate divine sovereignty in raising Pharaoh to display God's power and to harden hearts—an interpretive New Testament reflection on the same event.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had spoken.
- And the magicians of Egypt did likewise by their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had spoken.
Exo.7.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויפן: VERB,qal,wayq,3,m,sg
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- שת: VERB,qal,wayq,3,m,sg
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- לזאת: PREP+DEM,f,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 4:21 (thematic): God announces that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart so he will not let Israel go — background theological explanation for Pharaoh’s refusal in 7:23.
- Exodus 7:13 (verbal): An immediate parallel in the same chapter: after the first signs, Pharaoh’s heart is described as hardened and he does not listen, using similar language.
- Exodus 7:22 (verbal): A near-synonymous report of Pharaoh’s unchanged attitude after the first plague; repeats the formula that he did not set his heart to respond.
- Exodus 8:15 (verbal): After a temporary relief from a plague Pharaoh ‘hardened his heart and did not listen,’ repeating the same pattern of refusal described in 7:23.
- Romans 9:17-18 (allusion): Paul cites the story of Pharaoh to discuss divine sovereignty in hardening hearts, echoing the Exodus theme that Pharaoh would not set his heart toward release.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not set his heart even to this.
- And Pharaoh turned and went to his house, and he did not set his heart even to this.
Exo.7.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחפרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- סביבת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לשתות: INF,qal
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- יכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לשתת: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- ממימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- היאר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 7:20 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel: Moses/ Aaron strike the Nile and the water is turned to blood, the direct cause of the Egyptians' inability to drink the river water (background to 7:24).
- Exodus 7:21 (verbal): Describes the effects of the plague—fish died and the river stank—explaining why the Egyptians had to dig around the river for fresh water (causal detail to 7:24).
- Exodus 7:22 (verbal): Notes that Egypt’s magicians replicated the sign but could not remove the condition; underscores the permanence of the contamination that forced Egyptians to seek other water (corroborating detail).
- Exodus 8:22–23 (thematic): Later plague material highlights God's distinction between Egypt and Israel (Goshen spared), reinforcing the theme that Egyptians suffer loss of access to life-sustaining water while Israel is preserved.
- Psalm 78:44–45 (allusion): Liturgical retelling of the Exodus plagues: the psalm recounts God turning rivers into blood and afflicting Egypt’s waters, echoing the image of undrinkable Nile water and Egypt’s distress found in Exod 7:24.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink from the waters of the Nile.
- And all Egypt dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink from the waters of the Nile.
And YHWH said to Moses, 'Pharaoh’s heart is heavy; he refuses to send the people.'
'Go to Pharaoh in the morning—look, he is going out to the water—and you shall stand to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and the staff that was turned into a serpent you shall take in your hand.'
'And you shall say to him, "YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, 'Send out my people, that they may serve me in the wilderness'; and look—you have not listened until now.'"
'Thus says YHWH: "By this you shall know that I am YHWH: look, I am about to strike with the staff that is in my hand the waters that are in the Nile, and they shall be turned to blood."'
'And the fish that are in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile.' And YHWH said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers, over their canals, and over their pools, and over every reservoir of their waters—and they shall become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone vessels."' And Moses and Aaron did so, as YHWH had commanded; and he raised the staff and struck the waters that were in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the waters that were in the Nile were turned to blood. And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile reeked, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did likewise by their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had spoken. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink from the waters of the Nile.