Kelli Trujillo Supporter Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Teacher, Musician

The Bible doesn't specifically tell us where the water came from in order for the magicians to perform their magic, imitating the works of God via Moses and Aaron. However, the Bible dies tell us the Egyptians "dug along the Nile" to find water (Exodus 7:24).

Matthew Henry's Commentary offers this information:

"And the magicians...did so with their enchantments, &c.--Little or no pure water could be procured, and therefore their imitation must have been on a small scale--the only drinkable water available being dug among the sands. It must have been on a sample or specimen of water dyed red with some coloring matter. But it was sufficient to serve as a pretext or command for the king to turn unmoved and go to his house."

If this is indeed what took place, it may have been a pretty simple trick and not very believable to Pharaoh, nor very impressive to anyone else who witnessed whatever it was the magicians did. But here's what we need to remember: Pharaoh was hard-hearted and not predisposed to believe Moses and Aaron. Therefore, he would have accepted even a small bit of "evidence" to support his stance against letting the Israelites go.

One last thought--here is the account of this event in Exodus 7:

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile."

This passage doesn't specifically state that absolutely no water would be left once Moses and Aaron performed this miracle, so it's possible that the magicians found a bit residing in a place or from a source not named in this passage and did their "magic."

May 10 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report