7:1 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen : Ecce constitui te Deum Pharaonis : et Aaron frater tuus erit propheta tuus.
*H And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, I have appointed thee the god of Pharao; and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy prophet.
Ver. 1. The God of Pharao, viz. to be his Judge; and to exercise a divine power, as God's instrument, over him and people. Ch. — Artapanus says, Moses was afterwards adored by the Egyptians. — Prophet, or interpreter. Thou shalt reveal my orders to him. C. — Moses participated in the divine nature, as judge, priest, prophet, &c. W.
A.M. 2513.
7:2 Tu loqueris ei omnia quae mando tibi : et ille loquetur ad Pharaonem, ut dimittat filios Israel de terra sua.
Thou shalt speak to him all that I command thee; and he shall speak to Pharao, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
7:3 Sed ego indurabo cor ejus, et multiplicabo signa et ostenta mea in terra Aegypti,
*H But I shall harden his heart, and shall multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
Ver. 3. I shall harden, &c.; not by being the efficient cause of his hardness of heart, but by permitting it; and by withdrawing grace from him, in punishment of his malice; which alone was the proper cause of his being hardened. Ch. — He took occasion even from the miracles to become more obdurate. H. — Yet Pharao was less impious than Calvin, for he takes the sin to himself. C. ix. 27. T.
7:4 et non audiet vos : immittamque manum meam super Aegyptum, et educam exercitum et populum meum filios Israel de terra Aegypti per judicia maxima.
And he will not hear you: and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and will bring forth my army and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by very great judgments.
7:5 Et scient Aegyptii quia ego sum Dominus qui extenderim manum meam super Aegyptum, et eduxerim filios Israel de medio eorum.
And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, who have stretched forth my hand upon Egypt, and have brought forth the children of Israel out of the midst of them.
7:6 Fecit itaque Moyses et Aaron sicut praeceperat Dominus : ita egerunt.
And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded; so did they.
7:7 Erat autem Moyses octoginta annorum, et Aaron octoginta trium, quando locuti sunt ad Pharaonem.
And Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharao.
7:8 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron :
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:
7:9 Cum dixerit vobis Pharao, Ostendite signa : dices ad Aaron : Tolle virgam tuam, et projice eam coram Pharaone, ac vertetur in colubrum.
When Pharao shall say to you, Shew signs; thou shalt say to Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharao, and it shall be turned into a serpent.
7:10 Ingressi itaque Moyses et Aaron ad Pharaonem, fecerunt sicut praeceperat Dominus : tulitque Aaron virgam coram Pharaone et servis ejus, quae versa est in colubrum.
*H So Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharao, and did as the Lord had commanded. And Aaron took the rod before Pharao and his servants, and it was turned into a serpent.
Ver. 10. Took, or "threw down," as the Heb. and Sept. read.
7:11 Vocavit autem Pharao sapientes et maleficos : et fecerunt etiam ipsi per incantationes aegyptiacas et arcana quaedam similiter.
*H And Pharao called the wise men and the magicians; and they also by Egyptian enchantments and certain secrets, did in like manner.
Ver. 11. Magicians. Jannes and Mambres, or Jambres. 2 Tim. iii. 8. Ch. — The pagans represented Moses as the greatest of magicians. (Plin. xxx. 1. Justin xxxvi. — They also, &c. Heb. has three terms: "wise men, diviners, and magicians;" but the two last seem to be of the same import. "The enchanters did the like by their secret practices," either by words or by actions. Some say these operations were real; others affirm they were only apparent, and mere delusions. C. — "Whoever believes that any thing can be made, or any creature changed or transmuted into another species or appearance, except by the Creator himself, is undoubtedly an infidel, and worse than a pagan." Coun. of Orange. See S. Aug. q. 21. de Trin. iii. 7.; S. Tho. 2. 2. 9. 17. a 2. — The devil deceived the senses of the beholders; or brought real serpents, &c. thither. M.
* Footnote
* 2_Timothy
3 : 8
Now as Jannes and Mambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.
7:12 Projeceruntque singuli virgas suas, quae versae sunt in dracones : sed devoravit virga Aaron virgas eorum.
*H And they every one cast down their rods, and they were turned into serpents: but Aaron's rod devoured their rods.
Ver. 12. Devoured. Thus the superiority remained with Aaron. The rod was then restored to its pristine form, v. 15. H.
7:13 Induratumque est cor Pharaonis, et non audivit eos, sicut praeceperat Dominus.
And Pharao's heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had commanded.
7:14 Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen : Ingravatum est cor Pharaonis : non vult dimittere populum.
And the Lord said to Moses: Pharao's heart is hardened, he will not let the people go.
7:15 Vade ad eum mane, ecce egredietur ad aquas : et stabis in occursum ejus super ripam fluminis : et virgam quae conversa est in draconem, tolles in manu tua.
Go to him in the morning, behold he will go out to the waters: and thou shalt stand to meet him on the ' bank of the river: and thou shalt take in thy hand the rod that was turned into a serpent.
7:16 Dicesque ad eum : Dominus Deus Hebraeorum misit me ad te, dicens : Dimitte populum meum ut sacrificet mihi in deserto : et usque ad praesens audire noluisti.
And thou shalt say to him: The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to thee, saying: Let my people go to sacrifice to me in the desert: and hitherto thou wouldst not hear.
7:17 Haec igitur dicit Dominus : In hoc scies quod sim Dominus : ecce percutiam virga, quae in manu mea est, aquam fluminis, et vertetur in sanguinem.
*H Thus therefore saith the Lord: In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold I will strike with the rod, that is in my hand, the water of the river, and it shall be turned into blood.
Ver. 17. My hand. The rod was in the hand of Moses, but he was God's agent. M.
7:18 Pisces quoque, qui sunt in fluvio, morientur, et computrescent aquae, et affligentur Aegyptii bibentes aquam fluminis.
*H And the fishes that are in the river, shall die, and the waters shall be corrupted, and the Egyptians shall be afflicted when they drink the water of the river.
Ver. 18. River. The Samaritan copy repeats here the very words of God to Pharao, as the other speeches are also twice put at length. "Moses and Aaron went to meet Pharao, and said to him, 'The Lord," &c. as v. 16. 18. See C. xi. 7. C. — This is very agreeable to the style of Homer; and Kennicott believes that the repetitions have been omitted in the Heb. for brevity's sake, (Diss. 1 Chron. p. 383,) and that before the Greek version had been made. H.
7:19 Dixit quoque Dominus ad Moysen : Dic ad Aaron : Tolle virgam tuam, et extende manum tuam super aquas Aegypti, et super fluvios eorum, et rivos ac paludes, et omnes lacus aquarum, ut vertantur in sanguinem : et sit cruor in omni terra Aegypti, tam in ligneis vasis quam in saxeis.
The Lord also said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Take thy rod; and stretch forth thy hand upon the waters of Egypt, and upon their rivers, and streams and pools, and all the ponds of waters, that they may be turned into blood: and let blood be in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and of stone.
7:20 Feceruntque Moyses et Aaron sicut praeceperat Dominus : et elevans virgam percussit aquam fluminis coram Pharaone et servis ejus : quae versa est in sanguinem.
And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded: and lifting up the rod, he struck the water of the river before Pharao and his servants: and it was turned into blood.
* Footnote
* Psalms
77 : 41
And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.
7:21 Et pisces, qui erant in flumine, mortui sunt : computruitque fluvius, et non poterant Aegyptii bibere aquam fluminis, et fuit sanguis in tota terra Aegypti.
*H And the fishes that were in the river died; and the river corrupted, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river, and there was blood in all the land of Egypt.
Ver. 21. All the land, even in that of Gessen, which belonged to the Egyptians; while the Hebrews had good water. M.
7:22 Feceruntque similiter malefici Aegyptiorum incantationibus suis : et induratum est cor Pharaonis, nec audivit eos, sicut praeceperat Dominus.
*H And the magicians of the Egyptians with their enchantments did in like manner; and Pharao's heart was hardened, neither did he hear them, as the Lord had commanded.
Ver. 22. Like. They got a small quantity of water, either from the sea, from Gessen, (Wisd. xi. 5,) or by digging wells, v. 24. C. — This plague lasted a full week, v. 25. The water which they found in the mean time in the wells was mixed with blood, Philo. S. Aug. in Ps. lxxvii. Wisdom xi. 7, thou gavest human blood to the unjust.
* Footnote
* Wisdom
17 : 7
And the delusions of their magic art were put down, and their boasting of wisdom was reproachfully rebuked.
7:23 Avertitque se, et ingressus est domum suam, nec apposuit cor etiam hac vice.
And he turned himself away, and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to it this time also.
7:24 Foderunt autem omnes Aegyptii per circuitum fluminis aquam ut biberent : non enim poterant bibere de aqua fluminis.
And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
7:25 Impletique sunt septem dies, postquam percussit Dominus fluvium.
And seven days were fully ended, after that the Lord struck the river.