THE EGYPTIANS WILL KNOW I AM THE LORD
Key verse: 5
NIV
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God(A) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.(B) 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(C) and though I multiply my signs and wonders(D) in Egypt, 4 he will not listen(E) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment(F) I will bring out my divisions,(G) my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(H) when I stretch out my hand(I) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”
6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded(J) them. 7 Moses was eighty years old(K) and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,(L)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”(M)
10 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. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,(N) and the Egyptian magicians(O) also did the same things by their secret arts:(P) 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart(Q) became hard and he would not listen(R) to them, just as the Lord had said.
Cross references
- Exodus 7:1 : S Ex 4:16
- Exodus 7:1 : Ex 4:15; Ac 14:12
- Exodus 7:3 : S Ex 4:21; Ro 9:18
- Exodus 7:3 : S Ex 3:20; S 10:1; Ac 7:36
- Exodus 7:4 : ver 13, 16, 22; Ex 8:15, 19; 9:12; 11:9
- Exodus 7:4 : S Ex 3:20; Ac 7:36
- Exodus 7:4 : S Ex 6:26
- Exodus 7:5 : S Ex 6:2
- Exodus 7:5 : Ex 3:20; Ps 138:7; Eze 6:14; 25:13
- Exodus 7:6 : ver 2, 10, 20; Ge 6:22
- Exodus 7:7 : Dt 31:2; 34:7; Ac 7:23, 30
- Exodus 7:9 : Dt 6:22; 2Ki 19:29; Ps 78:43; 86:17; 105:27; 135:9; Isa 7:11; 37:30; 38:7-8; 55:13; S Jn 2:11
- Exodus 7:9 : Ex 4:2-5
- Exodus 7:11 : Ex 22:18; Dt 18:10; 1Sa 6:2; 2Ki 21:6; Isa 2:6; 47:12; Jer 27:9; Mal 3:5
- Exodus 7:11 : S Ge 41:8; 2Ti 3:8
- Exodus 7:11 : ver 22; Ex 8:7, 18; S Mt 24:24
- Exodus 7:13 : S Ex 4:21
- Exodus 7:13 : S ver 4
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
7 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like (A)God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your (B)prophet. 2 (C)You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But (D)I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I (E)multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians (F)shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was (G)eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, (H)‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 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. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the (I)magicians of Egypt, also (J)did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still (K)Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, (L)as the Lord had said.
Read full chapterCross references
- Exodus 7:1 : ch. 4:16
- Exodus 7:1 : Gen. 20:7; [1 Sam. 9:9]
- Exodus 7:2 : [ch. 4:15; 6:29]
- Exodus 7:3 : See ch. 4:21
- Exodus 7:3 : ch. 11:9; Ps. 135:9; See Ps. 78:43-51; 105:26-36
- Exodus 7:5 : ver. 17; ch. 8:10, 22; 14:4, 18
- Exodus 7:7 : [Deut. 29:5; 31:2; 34:7; Acts 7:23, 30]
- Exodus 7:9 : [Isa. 7:11; John 2:18; 4:48; 6:30]
- Exodus 7:11 : Gen. 41:8
- Exodus 7:11 : ver. 12, 22; ch. 8:7, 18; 9:11; 2 Tim. 3:8
- Exodus 7:13 : [See ver. 3 above]; See ch. 4:21
- Exodus 7:13 : [See ver. 3 above]; See ch. 4:21
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. 'I will lay my hand on Egypt' (1-7)
God reminded Moses of his plan: God would speak to Moses, and Aaron would speak to Pharaoh to let God's people go! Pharaoh's hard heart rejected the LORD (5:2). So God would reveal himself as the LORD: the self-Existent and Eternal One, through his judgments on Pharaoh and Egypt's false gods. Then all Egypt will know that God is the LORD. The LORD brings his people out of Egypt. God's hand is mighty! Yet he chose to work through Moses and Aaron. Their obedience to God, even in old age, was God's tool through which his hand would act.
2. Aaron's staff becomes a snake (8-13)
In obedience to God's word, Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh this second time, throwing down the staff before him. It became a snake, the sign of God's mighty hand! But Pharaoh was not impressed, as his magicians did the same. As a powerful foreshadowing, Aaron's staff swallowed the others. As God had said, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen. The stage is set for God to multiply his wonders among the Egyptians.
Prayer: Father, your hand is indeed mighty. Thank you for including me in your plan. Help me to obey, that your identity as LORD may be revealed today.
One Word: God is the LORD
