Exodus 8:7

ESV But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

NIV But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

NASB However, the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

CSB But the magicians did the same thing by their occult practices and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.

NLT But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic. They, too, caused frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.

KJV And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

NKJV And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

What does Exodus 8:7 mean?

When Moses and Aaron showed a miraculous sign (Exodus 7:10), Pharaoh ignored it (Exodus 7:13). This was partly because his own sorcerers seemed to have duplicated the feat (Exodus 7:11–12). Pharaoh had already rejected the command to free Israel (Exodus 5:1–4). He recently shrugged off a devastating plague (Exodus 7:20–23). Now, he turns to his magicians once again. He is probably looking for another excuse to dismiss the miracles which the Lord is doing. His entire nation, including his own home (Exodus 8:3–4), is now inundated with swarming frogs (Exodus 8:1–2).

Whether by supernatural means or tricks, Pharaoh's occultists convince him they can do the same as Moses and Aaron. This was enough to make Pharaoh reject earlier signs (Exodus 7:13, 22). They seem to summon frogs, but apparently cannot control them. They cannot make them go away, otherwise Pharoah would not be forced to approach Moses with a plea that the plague be lifted (Exodus 8:8).

The next plague, involving small insects, will leave the Egyptian magicians stumped. They fail to duplicate it (Exodus 8:18). In fact, the pagan sorcerers point to it as a sign of truly divine power (Exodus 8:19).

Expand

What is the Gospel?

Download the app: