Exodus 7:10

ESV So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.

NIV So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.

NASB So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a serpent.

CSB So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.

NLT So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent!

KJV 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.

NKJV So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

What does Exodus 7:10 mean?

Moses and Aaron are obeying the Lord's command (Exodus 7:8–9) to once again (Exodus 5:1–3) confront the Egyptian king, known by the title "Pharaoh." They are using one of the signs which God provided to prove the truth of their message (Exodus 4:2–4). Aaron's staff becomes a snake. Besides being a supernatural act, it also carries symbolism. Snakes are associated with evil and judgment (Genesis 3:1; 49:17; Numbers 21:6–9), so this implies that God's servants are prepared to deliver catastrophe to Egypt.

Further symbolism comes after the Egyptian sorcerers seem to duplicate the feat (Exodus 7:11). But the serpent associated with God consumes the snakes of the Egyptian magicians. Whatever strength Pharaoh may think he has, it is helpless against the power of the Lord.

Nothing in Scripture suggests that Moses and Aaron are engaged in trickery or puppet work when changing the staff into a serpent. The purpose is to prove that the Lord is behind their message. This is also among the motives behind the upcoming plagues (Exodus 3:20; 6:6). This is a supernatural transformation of an actual staff into an actual snake. There is some debate as to whether the Egyptian version is also real, or an illusion, but there is no question that Israel's side of the contest is legitimate.

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