Aaron Cast Down His Rod Before Pharaoh

Exodus 7:8-13

Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh performing miraculous signs and demonstrating God’s power. However, Pharaoh has magicians replicate the sign leading to Pharaoh hardening his heart.

⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

אָמַר – “He said” – ‘amar

and the He, speaking: יְהוָה – “The LORD” – YHWH

⁹ “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’”

• This passage is referring back to Exodus 4:2-5 when God gave Moses the signs that he should show Pharaoh.
• Serpent in this verse is – תַנִּין – “Serpent, dragon” but a different translation נָחָשׁ is used in Genesis 1:21 can also refer to large sea creatures. It is always important to know the usage and meaning of words and their context.

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

• The Lord prepared Moses and Aaron ahead and they were able to go and do as commanded.

¹¹ But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

• ֲכָמִים – “Wise men – chakham – Is used here to note advisor of royalty, not necessarily truly wise. Possibly skilled in magical arts and displays of illusion.

¹² For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

• 7:12 swallowed up their staffs The magicians’ ability to mimic Moses and Aaron’s sign may demonstrate that they were performing a trick. While this is likely the case with the magicians, God’s serpent consumes the Egyptian snakes and returns to the form of Moses’ rod. The snake’s consumption of the others demonstrates the supremacy of the sign of Moses and Aaron over the deed of the magicians.

¹³ And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

• Pharaohs heart grew hard – refers to his own selfish stubbornness born of extreme arrogance.

References

 John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ex 7:12.

Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.

Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. 1890. Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/.

Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, 1982. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/.