He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish.
Parallel translations
- KJV He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
- BSB He turned their waters to blood and caused their fish to die.
- NKJV He turned their waters into blood, And killed their fish.
- NASB He turned their waters into blood, And caused their fish to die.
- NLT He turned their water into blood, poisoning all the fish.
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
God turned Egypt's waters to blood and killed the fish. It matters because the first plague struck at the heart of Egypt's life and worship.
Overview
This recalls the first plague, the Nile and all Egypt's waters becoming blood (Exodus 7:17-21). The Nile was Egypt's lifeline and an object of worship, so the judgment exposed the impotence of its gods. The Lord alone is sovereign over creation and over the false deities of the nations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 7:20–21Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
- Rev 16:3The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man. Every living thing in the sea died.
- Ps 78:44he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
- Isa 50:2Why, when I came, was there no one? when I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stink, because there is no water, and die for thirst.
- Ezek 29:4–5I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales; and I will bring you up out of the middle of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick to your scales.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 105:29 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.