Topical Bible: Seven: Days: The Plague of Bloody Waters in Egypt Lasted For

◄ Seven: Days: The Plague of Bloody Waters in Egypt Lasted For ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The Plague of Bloody Waters is the first of the ten plagues that God inflicted upon Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus. This event is a significant demonstration of God's power and His judgment against the Egyptians, particularly Pharaoh, for refusing to release the Israelites from bondage.

Biblical Account:

The narrative of the plague is found in Exodus 7:14-25. God instructs Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. When Pharaoh refuses, God commands Moses to strike the waters of the Nile with his staff, turning them into blood. This act is not only a miraculous sign but also a direct affront to the Egyptian deities associated with the Nile, such as Hapi, the god of the annual flooding of the Nile, which was crucial for agriculture and sustenance.

Exodus 7:20-21 states: "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 reeked so badly that the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt."

Duration:

The plague lasted for seven days, as indicated in Exodus 7:25 : "And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile." This period of seven days is significant, as it represents a complete cycle, often associated with divine completeness or perfection in biblical numerology. The duration underscores the severity of the judgment and the completeness of God's control over creation.

Theological Significance:

From a theological perspective, the Plague of Bloody Waters serves multiple purposes. It is a direct challenge to the Egyptian pantheon, demonstrating the impotence of their gods in the face of Yahweh's sovereignty. It also serves as a sign to both the Egyptians and the Israelites of God's power and His commitment to His covenant people. The seven-day duration emphasizes the thoroughness of God's judgment and the seriousness of Pharaoh's obstinacy.

Historical and Cultural Context:

In the ancient Egyptian context, the Nile was the lifeblood of the nation, essential for agriculture, transportation, and daily life. The transformation of its waters into blood would have been a catastrophic event, disrupting daily life and challenging the very foundation of Egyptian society. This plague, therefore, not only had immediate physical consequences but also profound spiritual and psychological impacts on the Egyptian people.

Moral and Spiritual Lessons:

For believers, the Plague of Bloody Waters is a reminder of God's justice and the futility of resisting His will. It illustrates the consequences of hard-heartedness and the importance of obedience to God's commands. The event also foreshadows the ultimate deliverance of the Israelites, highlighting God's faithfulness to His promises and His power to save His people from oppression.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 7:25
And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Seven Trumpets.
... That the seven thunders gave utterance to such an expectation, is ... that it may not
rain in the days of their ... and to smite the earth with every plague, as often ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

the Legendary History of Egypt
... liquor, and thereof was made in all seven thousand jars ... his hair, which, being cast
into the waters of a ... reascended into heaven in a nine days' tempest, before ...
/.../chapter iii -the legendary history of.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... than Babylon ever contained in the days of her ... ceaselessly at war with petty neighbours:
bloody struggles, with ... comprise, in fact, six or seven parallel ranges ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... is the plague wherewith the Lord shall plague or smite ... be within the compass of God's
days, hours, or ... for in the earthquake were slain seven thousand (names of ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... as the Kinipa.* He there reduced to ruins seven towns whose ... carried the passes of
Matni after a bloody combat, spread ... had been there merely a few days when the ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

The Sibylline Oracles.
... this destruction shall be aided by Nature: plague, fire, famine ... for the elect's sake,
the last days shall be ... any postponement of this event for seven ages is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the sibylline oracles.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... ear-rings alone amounted to one thousand seven hundred shekels ... as in the origin of
the four days'feast in ... mode of worship, with its mingled bloody and obscene ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Christian Churches.
... and the Romans were warned days or weeks beforehand of ... Severano wrote his book on
the Seven Churches, only ... calamities, such as the famous plague (contagio-moria ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter iii christian churches.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... standing like a sentinel to guard the approach to Egypt. ... which the peasants of our
own days have thinned ... the shady woods, spreading out their waters here and ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

A Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity: Or, an Exhortation to ...
... ravaged London with temporal death"the plague of hypocrisy ... forsaken me, the fountain
of living waters, and hewed ... great for reading and hearing all his days. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a holy life the beauty.htm