Psalm 78:44
New International Version
He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams.

New Living Translation
For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams.

English Standard Version
He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.

Berean Standard Bible
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.

King James Bible
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

New King James Version
Turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, that they could not drink.

New American Standard Bible
And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

NASB 1995
And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.

NASB 1977
And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.

Legacy Standard Bible
And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.

Amplified Bible
And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

Christian Standard Bible
He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

American Standard Version
And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

Contemporary English Version
He turned the rivers of Egypt into blood, and no one could drink from the streams.

English Revised Version
And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He turned their rivers into blood so that they could not drink from their streams.

Good News Translation
He turned the rivers into blood, and the Egyptians had no water to drink.

International Standard Version
He turned their rivers into blood and made their streams undrinkable.

Majority Standard Bible
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.

NET Bible
He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

New Heart English Bible
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.

Webster's Bible Translation
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

World English Bible
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He turns their streams to blood, "" And they do not drink their floods.

Young's Literal Translation
And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he turned to blood their rivers, and their flowings they shall not drink.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he turned their rivers into blood, along with their rain showers, so that they could not drink.

New American Bible
God turned their rivers to blood; their streams they could not drink.

New Revised Standard Version
He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Nor how he had turned their rivers into blood and their brooks, that they could not drink.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he turned their rivers to blood, and their streams, that they would not drink the waters.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink their streams.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
43when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan. 44He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink. 45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.…

Cross References
Exodus 7:17-21
This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood. / The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’” / 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 all the reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.” ...

Revelation 16:4
And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to blood.

Exodus 4:9
But if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

Exodus 7:19
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 all the reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”

Exodus 8:5-6
And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.’” / So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:22-25
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” / So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. / The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation. ...

Exodus 10:21-23
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.” / So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. / No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

Exodus 12:29-30
Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock. / During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.

John 2:7-9
Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. / “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, / and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

Revelation 8:8
Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,

Revelation 11:6
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

2 Kings 2:21-22
and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’” / And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.

2 Kings 4:41
Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

2 Kings 5:14
So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.

2 Kings 6:6
“Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.


Treasury of Scripture

And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

Psalm 105:29
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.

Exodus 7:17-21
Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood…

Revelation 16:3-6
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea…

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Psalm 78
1. An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God
9. The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient
67. The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David.














He turned their rivers to blood
This phrase recalls the first of the ten plagues that God sent upon Egypt as recorded in Exodus 7:17-21. The Hebrew word for "turned" is "הָפַךְ" (haphak), which conveys a sense of transformation or overturning. This transformation of water into blood was a direct challenge to the Egyptian gods, particularly the Nile, which was considered a deity and a source of life and sustenance. The act of turning the rivers to blood symbolizes God's supreme power over creation and His ability to disrupt the natural order to fulfill His divine purposes. It serves as a reminder of God's judgment against those who oppose His will and His protection over His chosen people, Israel.

and from their streams they could not drink
The phrase highlights the severity of the plague. The Hebrew word for "streams" is "נְחָלִים" (nachalim), which refers to flowing bodies of water, often smaller than rivers. This detail emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the plague, affecting not just the major rivers but also the smaller water sources. The inability to drink from these streams underscores the desperation and helplessness of the Egyptians in the face of God's judgment. It serves as a powerful reminder of the futility of relying on earthly resources and the necessity of turning to God for sustenance and salvation. This act of divine intervention illustrates the theme of God's sovereignty and His ability to provide for His people while simultaneously executing judgment on their oppressors.

Verse 44. - And had turned their rivers into blood (see Exodus 7:19, 20). "Their rivers" are the many branches of the Nile, some natural, some artificial (Herod., 2:17), by which Lower Egypt is traversed. And their floods; or, their streams; i.e. the smaller canals, which diffused the Nile water over the entire land. That they could not drink (see Exodus 7:21).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He turned
וַיַּהֲפֹ֣ךְ (way·ya·hă·p̄ōḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

their rivers
יְאֹרֵיהֶ֑ם (yə·’ō·rê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2975: Nile -- a channel, a fosse, canal, shaft, the Nile, the Tigris

to blood,
לְ֭דָם (lə·ḏām)
Preposition | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

and from their streams
וְ֝נֹזְלֵיהֶ֗ם (wə·nō·zə·lê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5140: To flow, trickle, drop, distill

they could not
בַּל־ (bal-)
Adverb
Strong's 1077: A failure, nothing, not at all, lest

drink.
יִשְׁתָּיֽוּן׃ (yiš·tā·yūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 8354: To imbibe


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OT Poetry: Psalm 78:44 He turned their rivers into blood (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 78:43
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