Exodus 7

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will lay my hand on Egypt, and bring out my armies, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out from among them.”

Moses and Aaron did so. As the LORD commanded them, so they did.

Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle!’ then you shall tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’”

Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments.

For they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.

The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.

Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he is going out to the water. You shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him. You shall take the rod which was turned to a serpent in your hand.

You shall tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. Behold, until now you haven’t listened.”

The LORD says, “In this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold: I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

The fish that are in the river will die and the river will become foul. The Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the river.”’”

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.

The magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.

Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart.

All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water.

Seven days were fulfilled, after the LORD had struck the river.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter recounts the beginning of Moses and Aaron’s confrontation with Pharaoh, as God sends them to demand the release of Israel. It introduces the divine strategy of signs and hardening, demonstrating God’s sovereignty over Egypt’s ruler and its false religious powers. Situated early in the conflict, the chapter sets the stage for the unfolding plagues and deepens the revelation of God as the one who will act decisively to redeem His people.

Flow.

God commissions Moses and Aaron, establishing Moses as His representative and Aaron as his spokesperson, while预告ing Pharaoh’s resistance and the multiplication of signs.
The first sign is performed before Pharaoh: Aaron’s rod becomes a serpent, surpassing the counterfeit works of Egypt’s magicians, whose imitation confirms the spiritual battle at hand.
When Pharaoh remains unmoved, God announces the first plague—the turning of the Nile to blood—and Moses executes it publicly, striking the river with the rod.
Despite the devastating effect on Egypt, the magicians imitate the sign, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, and he disregards the crisis, setting a pattern that will continue.

Connections.
Following chapter 6, where God reaffirms His covenant promises to Moses despite Israel’s despair and Pharaoh’s defiance, chapter 7 launches the active phase of redemption through confrontation. The divine instructions here—empowering Moses, anticipating Pharaoh’s stubbornness, and initiating judgment—flow directly from the reaffirmation of the covenant name “I AM” (Ex. 6:2–8). The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, mentioned repeatedly, prepares the theological ground for the series of plagues that chapter 8 will continue to unfold. The escalating conflict between the living God and Egypt’s spiritual and natural order begins in earnest here, leading toward the climactic deliverance foreshadowed in the promise of “great judgments” (Ex. 7:4), which chapter 8 takes up with the plague of frogs.

What it teaches.
God is sovereign over all earthly rulers and spiritual pretensions, revealing His identity through His word and works (WCF 5.7). The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is both an act of divine sovereignty and a consequence of human resistance (WCF 3.7; CD 1.6), ensuring that God’s power and name are displayed (Ex. 7:5; cf. Rom. 9:17). The signs authenticate Moses and Aaron as God’s messengers, demonstrating His authority over creation and false religion (HC LD 9). Though the magicians imitate the first sign, their power is limited and ultimately consumed, showing that the Lord alone is God (Belgic Confession Art. 24). The turning of the Nile—the life-source of Egypt—into blood signifies judgment on the idolatrous nation and declares that the Lord is the true sustainer of life (Ex. 7:17; cf. WCF 5.5).

Apply.
God uses imperfect instruments and resists false powers to fulfill His purpose of deliverance.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.