Exodus 7:21
19 And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood.
The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
23 Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and did not take any of this to heart.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
- KJV
- And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
- WEB
- 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.
- ASV
- And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
- DARBY
- And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river; and the blood was throughout the land of Egypt.
- BLB
- And the fish that [were] in the River died, and the River stank, and Egypt was not able to drink water from the River, and the blood was in all the land of Egypt.
- ÅB
- og fiskene i elven døde, og elven luktet ille, så egypterne ikke kunne drikke vannet, og det var blod i hele Egypt.
- OTB
- Fisken i Nilen døde, og elven stinket slik at egypterne ikke kunne drikke vannet fra Nilen. Det var blod overalt i Egypt.
- B1930
- og fiskene i elven døde, og elven luktet ille, så egypterne ikke kunde drikke vannet, og det var blod i hele Egyptens land.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Exodus 7:18
The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’”
Read in contextRevelation 8:9
a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Read in context