The First Major Case Of Water Pollution

Exodus 7:14-25

The illusion his magicians performed was enough like the miracle Aaron had done that Pharaoh could convince himself it was nothing more than a more complex version of what the magicians had done. He became more determined to teach them who was the boss. People who want to believe something can nearly always convince themselves.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.” (Exodus 7:14-18)

God allowed Pharaoh to think about the miracle over night, giving him a chance to change his mind before proceeding. The Nile river was the basis of Egypt’s greatness, providing water to drink and for irrigation, fish for food, rich alluvial soil and easy transportation. It was the major power in Egypt and was venerated as such. Much of Pharaoh’s power was derived from the government programs to prevent flooding and develop irrigation. That he could control such forces led to his being viewed as more than just an ordinary man.

The second miracle was to demonstrate that God had more power over the river than Pharaoh. The entire land depended on the river. By making it unusable, not only Pharaoh, but the entire population would become aware of God’s power over the biggest forces in their lives. They would lose both food and water when it turned to blood.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote 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. And 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.” (Exodus 7:19-21)

When Aaron stretched out his hand over the water it turned to blood. It was not like an overflow of blood from a meat processing plant polluting the river, where the water mixed with the blood, but a literal stream of blood, making the water as viscous as it would be at the height of flood season. The fish died for lack of oxygen and since blood begins to decay very soon, it wasn’t long before the stench of decaying blood and fish filled the air.

“And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.” (Exodus 7:22-23)

The Magicians were able to produce an illusion similar to the blood, probably by dumping some dye into a bowl of water. Because it appeared similar, Pharaoh ignored the differences in scale and impact. Like many who have no personal experience, he had no concept of the logistics of simply dyeing the entire river. What is easy in a small container may well be nearly impossible on a large scale, even if Moses had used the same mechanism.

“And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.” (Exodus 7:24-25)

Digging holes alongside the river allowed water to seep in, filtering out the blood and most of the contaminates. It was probably a technique the Egyptians had learned from the annual flooding. It took seven days for the influx of water from upstream to wash away all the polluted water. Pharaoh had other people to get his water for him and was somewhat isolated from the effects. What was a disaster for his people was only a minor inconvenience for him. Like most politicians and bureaucrats of today, he could focus on consolidating his power and ignore the effects of his decisions.