The Plague of Blood Explained: Why the Nile Was Struck First

For more than two thousand years, the Nile River flowed through Egypt, serving as the main artery of its economy. Rain rarely fell in that land, and the Nile supplied water for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, and irrigating the fields. Goods were transported upon it for trade, and through it an important economic branch developed: fishing. The fish of the Nile were a central component of Egyptian cuisine. Their entire lives depended on the river, and therefore, according to their mistaken belief, the Nile was the supreme god. For many years they lived in this illusion, until the plague of blood struck them in the face.

A Repeated Warning

One day, Moshe and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh. They entered the palace without permission and stood before the king. Moshe declared: “Send out the people of Israel, and if you do not, the waters of Egypt will turn to blood.” Pharaoh was not impressed and replied, “Your threats do not concern me, for I created the Nile and it belongs to me.” Moshe repeated his warning: “If you do not send them, you will soon see who the true master of the Nile is.”

The next day Moshe warned Pharaoh again, and Pharaoh stubbornly refused. This continued day after day for more than three weeks.

Moshe’s voice was quiet, yet by a miracle all of Egypt heard his warnings. What did the Egyptian citizen think at that moment? Surely he could not understand such a strange threat. How could all the waters of the Nile turn into blood? The Nile was a powerful god, and Pharaoh was strong. There was no reason to worry. Egypt was the most advanced and clever nation, masters of magic and sorcery. Nothing could stop them from continuing to enslave Israel.

The Waters Turned to Blood

They continued their lives in peace until that morning. God commanded Moshe to go to the Nile early and speak with Pharaoh. Each morning Pharaoh would secretly go to the river to relieve himself, because he boasted that he was a god who had no bodily needs. He went at dawn so that no one would see his shame.

Moshe and Aaron were sent precisely at that moment to expose him. Moshe seized Pharaoh and said, “Is there a god who needs to relieve himself? Know that everything is revealed before the Holy One. You may deceive yourself and Egypt, but you cannot deceive God.”

Moshe proclaimed: “Thus says the Lord: By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I strike the waters of the Nile with the staff in my hand, and they shall turn to blood.” When Pharaoh refused, Aaron struck the Nile. Moshe did not strike it himself because he owed gratitude to the water that had saved him as an infant.

Immediately all the waters of Egypt turned into real blood, not merely red water or an illusion like the magicians later performed. It was blood in appearance, taste, smell, and touch. Their god, the source of their life, died and began to stink like a corpse. All the fish and creatures in the river died.

Pharaoh was challenged: if the Nile belonged to you, turn it back into water! Through this God demonstrated that He created the world from nothing and controls the waters according to His will.

Not only the river but all water throughout Egypt turned into blood, even water stored inside vessels. Moreover, the wood and stones of Egypt began to drip blood.

The Egyptian Magicians Try to Show Their Power

Pharaoh remained stubborn. He summoned his magicians to imitate the miracle. But there was a small problem: there was no water left to transform. They assumed only the visible waters had turned to blood, so they dug new wells, yet blood emerged from them too.

Still the magicians tried to show their power. They went to Goshen, bought water from the Israelites, and turned it into blood. That was the extent of their greatness: turning water into blood when blood was already everywhere. If they truly controlled nature, they would have turned blood back into water, but they could not, for their acts were merely illusions.

Aaron’s act differed greatly from theirs. He transformed all the waters of Egypt, even flowing waters and waters not before him. The plague lasted seven days. The magicians, however, transformed only small amounts of stationary water for a brief time.

Pharaoh himself did not lack water, as a reward for raising Moshe and so that he would later be struck more severely. Yet he too suffered. When he returned to his palace, he saw blood dripping and staining the royal walls. The blood reminded Egypt of the blood of Israelite slaves injured during forced labor, mixed into the bricks of their buildings.

Egypt in Confusion

Imagine an Egyptian eating breakfast before going out to force Israel into labor. He hears Moshe’s warning once again. Suddenly he tastes blood in his drink. He spits, only to spit more blood. His cup is filled with blood. He runs to a water barrel, but it too is blood. He rushes to a neighbor, but there as well the water is blood.

One neighbor describes how he had been bathing when suddenly the bath filled with blood. Another woman screams that the clothes she had soaked for washing turned red. Even the soup cooking on the fire and the dough in a bowl turned red.

Only then do they remember Moshe’s warnings and realize that his words have come true.

The Idols Fail

The children cry for water, and the Egyptian turns to his many idols, expecting salvation. But the idols of wood and stone also begin to drip blood. Even the idols of silver and gold offer no help. The Nile itself, their greatest god, is now blood filled with dead fish and a stench of decay.

Strangely, fresh water continued to flow into the river, yet the moment it reached the borders of Egypt it turned into blood. When it left Egypt’s borders, it became water again. Only Egypt suffered.

A Desperate Search for Water

The Egyptians dug new wells, yet blood came out. Some drank salty water that did not turn into blood, but it only made them thirstier. Even fruit juice turned into blood when squeezed.

Then an Egyptian noticed his Hebrew slave holding a cup of water. The slave calmly said it came from a basin filled from a well. When the Egyptian drew water, his bucket filled with blood while the Hebrew’s filled with water. If he took the Hebrew’s cup, it turned to blood in his hands. Even when the Hebrew poured water into his mouth, it turned to blood.

Only when he paid the Hebrew for water did it remain water. “You spilled Israel’s blood like water; now you will drink blood like water.”

The Egyptian was forced to buy water from his Hebrew slave at high prices. Day by day the cost rose, and the wealth of Israel increased while Egypt grew poorer. Even their animals required water, and many died of thirst or later plagues.

Preparing food became nearly impossible. Water had to be purchased even to wash vegetables. Worse still, they could not light fires because the wood dripped blood. Without fire they could not bake bread, the most basic food. Many Egyptians died of hunger.

Everywhere was blood. It dripped from walls, stones, beds, and clothing. There was no way to clean themselves because water was too costly. The filth accumulated daily. Just as they had prevented Israel from bathing, now they themselves could not wash.

The Aftermath of the Plague

Seven days this nightmare lasted. Seven days of thirst, fear, disappointment in their idols, and anger toward the Israelites who grew wealthy from selling water.

At last the plague ended and the Nile returned to water. Egypt breathed a sigh of relief. But nothing returned to normal. Homes and tools were ruined, clothes destroyed, the air foul, the economy shattered, and the ecological balance broken. The fishing industry collapsed, and no one knew when it would recover, if ever.