And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
Parallel translations
- WEB The fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.”’”
- BSB The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’”
- NKJV And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
- NASB Then the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.” ’ ”
- NLT The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The plague will kill the fish, foul the river, and make the water undrinkable. Egypt's source of life becomes a source of death.
Overview
The consequences of the bloodied Nile spread to the fish and to the Egyptians' ability to drink, turning a blessing into a curse. What sustained Egypt now repels them, exposing the impotence of their river-god. This reversal shows that God can withdraw the gifts of creation in judgment, and it warns that life apart from the true God ultimately turns to death, while in Christ is found living water that never fails.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Exod 7:24And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
- Exod 7:21And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
- Num 11:20But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
- Num 21:5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 7:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.