Exodus 7:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile."’"

NIV: The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’ "

NASB: Then the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.'?’?'

CSB: The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from it."

NLT: The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”

Through Moses (Exodus 7:14–15), the Lord is declaring a judgment on Egypt and its stubborn ruler, Pharaoh (Exodus 7:16). God will turn the water of the Nile river into blood, as a way of proving his power and authority. This will result in exactly the sort of consequences one would expect. Blood decomposes. Fish cannot breathe blood. The entire Nile system will become a reeking, rotting sludge. This would also apply to all the surface waters and reservoirs of the land (Exodus 7:19).

Crops cannot survive without water—and neither can people. This explains the comment about how the Egyptians will "grow weary" of the situation. This applies a Hebrew root word implying struggle, frustration, exhaustion, and impatience. To live (Exodus 7:25), Egyptians will be forced to dig for underground springs and pools (Exodus 7:24). This is a not-so-subtle response to Pharaoh's earlier cruelty. When first refusing to release the Israelites (Exodus 5:4), Pharaoh spitefully made their work even harder (Exodus 5:6–9). He forced them to search for something which had once been provided (Exodus 5:10–12). Now, the people of Egypt will be forced into harsh, desperate labor to replace the water which was once so easy to find. Further, the river where Hebrew children were slaughtered (Exodus 1:22) now brings blood back to Egypt.

Exodus 7:14–25 records the first of the ten great plagues on Egypt (Exodus 3:19–20). Because Pharaoh has refused to free Israel (Exodus 1:11–14), the Lord turns all the water in Egypt—including the Nile, ponds, and artificial pools—into blood. This creates an unsanitary, foul situation. The Egyptians are forced to dig for water. When Egyptian magicians are able to turn water into blood, Pharaoh remains resistant. This terrible plague lasts for an entire week.

God again repeats (Exodus 3:19–20; 4:19–23; 6:6) the basic outline of how Israel will be freed from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 1:11–14). He then commands Moses and Aaron to show Pharaoh one of the miraculous signs given for that purpose (Exodus 4:2–5). Egyptian magicians seem to duplicate the feat, so Pharaoh still refuses to hear Mo-ses' message. This results in the first plague: all water in Egypt, including the Nile river, becomes blood. This lasts seven days. The Lord then tells Moses to repeat the demand for Israel's release.

God commissioned Moses (Exodus 3:10) and commanded him to confront Egypt's ruler, the pharaoh (Exodus 4:19–23). When Moses obeyed (Exodus 5:1–3), the immediate result was even worse oppression for Israel (Exodus 5:19–21). This inspired Moses to doubt (Exodus 5:22–23). The Lord responded with reassurances (Exodus 6:1–8). Chapter 7 completes this declaration and begins the cycle of plagues (Exodus 3:19–20), starting with turning the Nile river into blood. These catastrophes will continue (Exodus 8—11) until Pharaoh finally releases the Israelites (Exodus 12:41).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.