Exodus 7:10

_AND MOSES AND AARON WENT IN UNTO PHARAOH, AND THEY DID SO AS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED: AND AARON CAST DOWN HIS ROD BEFORE PHARAOH, AND BEFORE HIS SERVANTS, AND IT BECAME A SERPENT._ Aaron cast down his rod .... It is to be presumed that Pharaoh had demanded a proof of their divine mission....

10._And Moses and Aaron went in. _Although they were now fully conscious of their vocation; and knew that they were endued with divine power for working miracles, yet would they never have dared to approach the fierce and cruel tyrant, unless the inward inspiration of the Spirit had armed them to persevere. Hence, then, arose their magnanimity to overcome all terrors; because God raised them by faith above everything that is lofty on earth, and sustained them by this support. Therefore do they come to the conflict with invincible strength, and confirm by a miracle their most hateful mission. But as to the question which is ordinarily raised here, whether the change of the rods was true and substantial, as they call it; with respect to that of Moses, I am confidently persuaded that it was so; for there is no more difficulty with God to change the forms of things, than there was to create...

8-13 What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, trying to copy the real miracles of Moses by secret sleights or jugglings, which to a small extent they succeeded in doing, so as to deceive the bystanders, but they were at length obliged to confess they could not any longer imitate the effects of Divine power. None assist more in the destruction of sinners, than such as resist the truth by amusing men with a counterfeit resemblance of it. Satan is most to be dreaded when transformed into an angel of light....

Verse Exodus 7:10. _IT BECAME A SERPENT._] תנין _tannin_. What kind of a serpent is here intended, learned men are not agreed. From the manner in which the original word is used in Psalms 74:13; Isaiah 27:1; Isaiah 51:9; Job 7:12; some very large creature, either aquatic or amphibious, is probably meant; some have thought that the _crocodile_, a well-known Egyptian animal, is here intended. In Exodus 4:3 it is said that this rod was changed into a _serpent_, but the origina...

EXPOSITION THE FIRST SIGN, AND ITS FAILURE TO CONVINCE. Obeying the command given them (Exodus 7:2, Exodus 7:9), Moses and Aaron went to the court a second time, and entering into the royal presence, probably repeated their demand—as from God—that the king would let the Children of Israel go (Exodus 6:11), when Pharaoh objected that they had no authority to speak to him in God's name, and required an evidence of their authority, either in the actual words of Exodus 7:9 ("Shew a miracle for you"), or in some equiva

AND MOSES AND AARON WENT IN UNTO PHARAOH,.... Into the palace of Pharaoh boldly, and with intrepidity, clothed with such power and authority, and assured of success; AND THEY DID AS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED; they demanded in his name the dismission of the children of Israel, and upon his requiring a miracle to confirm their mission, wrought one as follows: AND AARON CAST DOWN HIS ROD BEFORE PHARAOH, AND IT BECAME A SERPENT: or a "dragon", as the Septuagint version; this word is sometimes used of great whales, Genesis 1:21 and of the crocodile, Ezekiel 29:3 and it is very likely the crocodile is meant here, as Dr. Lightfoot q thinks; since this was frequent in the Nile, the river of Egypt, where the Hebrew infants had been cast, and into whose devouring jaws they fell, and

CHAPTER S 6:28-7:13 THE RENEWED COMMISSION AND BEFORE PHARAOH AGAIN _ 1. Renewed commission and renewed hesitation (Exodus 6:28)_ 2. Jehovah's instructions (Exodus 7:1) 3. Before Pharaoh and the sign of the rod (Exodus 7:10) Once more Moses received his commission, and again he hesitated on account of his poor speech. After all the gracious words Jehovah had spoken he pleads again his weakness. It shows what the unbelieving heart is. Twice Jehovah said that Moses should be a god. A god to Aaron (4:16) and a god to Pharaoh (7:1). He received divine authority and power over Pharaoh, while he was to his spokesman Aaron a god, because the word he uttered to him to communicate to Pharaoh was the word of

EXODUS 7:8 P. AARON AND THE MAGICIANS: HARDENING OF PHARAOH'S HEART. Magic and religion are, in the last analysis, fundamentally diverse; for, while magic claims to put a compelling constraint upon occult powers, religion implies a relation and dependence upon a personal Being of which prayer is the characteristic expression (p. 187). But the two have been, and are still, almost inextricably intermingled. It is not surprising, therefore, to find magical powers, in all good faith, claimed for the servants of Yahweh, and allowed, in inferior degree, to exist among His enemies. Magic has been called the science of primitive times, and its obvious success is due to a mixture of bluff, shrewd prognostication, cunning contrivance (_cf._ secret arts, Exodus 7:11 _mg._), and sleight-of-hand. Serpent-charmi

AS. according as. PHARAOH. Hebrew "the face of Pharaoh". Figure of speech _Pleonasm._ App-6....

THE TEXT OF EXODUS TRANSLATION 7 AND JE-HO-VAH SAID UNTO MO-SES. SEE, I HAVE MADE THEE AS GOD TO PHA-RAOH; AND AAR-ON THY BROTHER SHALL BE THY PROPHET. (2) THOU SHALT SPEAK ALL THAT I COMMAND THEE; AND AAR-ON THY BROTHER SHALL SPEAK UNTO PHA-RAOH, THAT HE LET THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL GO OUT OF HIS LAND. (3) AND I WILL HARDEN PHA-RAOH'S HEART, AND MULTIPLY MY SIGNS AND MY WONDERS IN THE LAND OF E-GYPT. (4) BUT PHA-RAOH WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO YOU, AND I WILL LAY MY HAND UPON E-GYPT, AND BRING FORTH MY HOSTS, MY PEOPLE THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL, OUT OF THE LAND OF E-GYPT BY GREAT JUDGMENTS. (5) AND THE E-GYP-TIANS SHALL KNOW THAT I AM JE-HO-VAH, WHEN I STRETCH FORTH MY HAND UPON E-GYPT, AND BRING OUT THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL FROM AMONG THEM. (6) AND MO-SES AND AAR-ON DID SO; AS JE-HO-VAH COMMANDED THEM, SO DID THEY. (7) AND MO-SES WAS FOURSCORE YEARS OLD, AND AAR-ON FOURSCORE AND THREE YEARS...