Exodus 7:20

But that the waters of the river are turned into blood is fitted suitably enough. First indeed, so that that river, to which they had handed over the little ones of the Hebrews by cruel slaughter, might render to the authors of the crime a cup of blood, and that by drinking they might feel the gore of the polluted flood, which they had stained with parricidal killing. Then next, so that nothing might be lacking to the allegorical laws also, the waters are turned into blood and its own blood is given to Egypt to drink. The waters of Egypt are the wandering and slippery doctrines of the philosophers; because these have deceived all who are little ones in perception and children in understanding, when the cross of Christ showed the light of truth to this world, they are required to pay the penalties of their slaying and the guilt of blood. For thus also the Lord himself says that: "all the blood which has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just unto the blood of Zachariah, shall be required of this generation".

The narrative that has been read to us is indeed most renowned, and, by reason of its greatness, is known to the whole world; through it is signified how Egypt, together with king Pharaoh, was chastised by the mighty blows of signs and wonders, so that it might restore to its native liberty the Hebrew people, which, though born of free forefathers, it had "by violence" reduced to servitude. But the account of these deeds is so interwoven that, if you inspect the several details carefully, you will find more matters in which the understanding sticks fast than in which it can extricate itself. And because it is a long task to set forth each thing said by Scripture in its order, let us review the substance of the whole history in a more compendious way. So then, at the first sign "Aaron cast down his rod, and it became a dragon"; and the enchanters and sorcerers of the Egyptians were summoned, and "they did likewise" out of their rods, making dragons. But the dragon that had been made from Aaron's rod swallowed up the dragons of the Egyptians. And whereas this ought to have caused Pharaoh astonishment and to have profited toward belief, it was turned to the contrary. For Scripture says that: "the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not hearken to them". And here indeed it says that "the heart of Pharaoh was hardened"; but no less in the first plague also, where the water is turned into blood, it is written in like manner, and in the second when the frogs bubble up, and also in the third when the gnats come on; in the fourth too when the dog-fly is brought forth, and in the fifth, where "the hand of the Lord comes upon the cattle" of the Egyptians, things equal and similar are said on this point. But in the sixth, where Moses "took ashes of the furnace" "and sprinkled them, and there arose sores and burning blisters upon men and upon the four-footed beasts, and now the sorcerers could not stand in the presence of Moses", it is not said that the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, but something more terrible is added; for it is written that: "the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not hear them, even as the Lord had appointed". Again in the seventh, when hail and fire lay waste all Egypt, "the heart of Pharaoh" is indeed "hardened", but not by the Lord. But in the eighth, where the locust is brought forth, "the Lord" is said "to harden the heart of Pharaoh". And in the ninth also, when "palpable darkness comes over the whole land of Egypt", "the Lord" is written "to harden the heart of Pharaoh". And at the very last too, when, the firstborn of the Egyptians having been destroyed, the Hebrew people had departed, after many things it is thus said: "and the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and of his servants, and he pursued after the children of Israel". Moreover, when Moses is sent from the land of Midian to Egypt and is commanded "to do all the wonders which the Lord had put into his hands", it is added: "thou shalt do them", he says, "in the presence of Pharaoh. But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will not let the people go". Here first it was said by the Lord: "I will harden the heart of Pharaoh". And a second time also, where the princes of Israel have been enumerated, after a little he adds in the person of the Lord: "I", he says, "will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and I will multiply my signs".

But if we believe these letters to be divine and written by the Holy Spirit, I do not think that we should feel so unworthily of the divine Spirit as to suppose that in so great a work this variation was made by chance — that now indeed God is said to have "hardened the heart of Pharaoh", but now it is said to have been hardened not by God, but as it were of its own accord. For my part, I confess myself too little fit and too little capable to be able to search out the secrets of the divine wisdom amid variations of this kind. Yet I see Paul the Apostle, who, because of the Spirit of God dwelling in him, dared to say with confidence: "but to us God has revealed it through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God". — him, I say, I see, as one understanding what difference there is between "the heart of Pharaoh being hardened" and "the Lord having hardened the heart of Pharaoh", saying elsewhere indeed: "or dost thou despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the patience of God leads thee to repentance? But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up for thyself wrath against the day of wrath and of the revelation of the just judgment of God"; whereby without doubt he blames him who has been hardened of his own accord. But elsewhere, as though proposing a certain question upon this matter, he says: "therefore on whom he will he has mercy, and whom he will he hardens. Thou wilt then say to me: why then does he yet complain? For who shall resist his will?". He adds also to these: "O man, who art thou that repliest against God?". Whereby concerning him who is said to be hardened by the Lord he answers, I believe, not so much by the resolution of the question as by Apostolic authority, not judging it worthy, because of the incapacity of his hearers, to commit the secrets of resolutions of this kind to "paper and ink"; just as in another place also he himself says concerning certain words that he had "heard" certain things "which it is not lawful for men to speak". Whence too in what follows he deters, with the severity of a great teacher, the man who, not so much by the merit of his studies as by a craving to know, plunges himself curiously into more hidden questions, when he says: "O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Does the thing formed say to him who formed it: why hast thou made me thus?" and the rest. Whence for us too let it suffice only to have observed and inspected these things, and to have shown our hearers how great are the mysteries plunged in the depths of the divine law, on account of which we ought to say in prayer: "out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord".

But that observation too seems to me to be no less worthy of consideration, that certain blows are said to be inflicted upon Pharaoh or upon Egypt by Aaron, certain by Moses, and certain by the Lord himself. For in the first plague, when "he turned the waters into blood", Aaron is said to have lifted up the rod and to have struck the water. And in the second also, when he struck the waters "and brought forth frogs", and in the third, when "he stretched out the rod with his hand and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats". In these three blows there was the ministry of Aaron. But in the fourth the Lord is said to have done it, so that "the dog-fly should come" and fill "the houses of Pharaoh". And in the fifth also, when "the cattle of the Egyptians are destroyed", the Lord no less is said to have done "this thing". But in the sixth Moses "sprinkles ashes of the furnace, and there arise sores and blisters with burning upon men and cattle". And in the seventh too "Moses lifts up his hand to heaven", and there arise "thunders and hail, and fire runs about upon the earth". In the eighth likewise the same Moses stretches out his hand to heaven, "and the Lord brings a wind all that day and all that night", and brings the locusts. And in the ninth also the same "Moses stretches out his hand to heaven, and there arise darkness and gloom over all the land of Egypt". But in the tenth the end and completion of the whole work is administered by the Lord. For thus it is written: "and it came to pass about midnight, and the Lord struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat upon the throne, unto the firstborn of the captive woman who is in the pit, and every firstborn of the cattle".

There is also another difference in these matters, which we have observed: that in the first plague indeed, when the water flows into blood, it is not yet said to Moses that he should go in to Pharaoh, but it is said to him: "go to meet him at the bank of the river, when he comes out to the water". But in the second plague, after the first had been ministered by them constantly and faithfully, it is said to him: "go in to Pharaoh", and going in he says: "thus says the Lord", and the rest. But now in the third, where the gnats are brought on, the magicians, who had before withstood, yield, confessing that "this is the finger of God". In the fourth too Moses is bidden to "rise early in the morning and to stand before Pharaoh as he goes forth to the water", when the houses of the Egyptians are filled with the dog-fly. In the fifth no less, where the cattle of the Egyptians are destroyed, "Moses is bidden to go in to Pharaoh". In the sixth, however, Pharaoh is despised, and it is not related that Moses or Aaron went in to Pharaoh, because "there arose sores and blisters with burning even upon the sorcerers of Egypt, and they could not withstand Moses". In the seventh he is bidden to "rise very early in the morning and to stand before Pharaoh", when he brings forth hail and fire and thunders. In the eighth he is commanded to go in to him, when the locust is brought forth. In the ninth again Pharaoh is despised, and "Moses is commanded to stretch out his hand to heaven, that there may be darkness over all the land of Egypt, palpable darkness", and indeed he does not go in, but is called to Pharaoh. Likewise also in the tenth, when the firstborn are destroyed and he is compelled with haste to go out from Egypt. There are also very many other observations, in each of which the tokens of the divine wisdom are shown. For you will find that at first Pharaoh is not bent nor yields to the divine blows, when the waters have been turned into blood. But in the second he seems to be somewhat softened: for "he called", it says, "Moses and Aaron, and said to them: pray for me to the Lord, and let him take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go". In the third the magicians yield and say to Pharaoh: "this is the finger of God". In the fourth, beaten by the dog-fly, he says: "go, sacrifice to the Lord your God, but you shall not go too far on your way. Pray therefore for me to the Lord". In the fifth, where he is smitten by the slaying of the cattle, he not only does not yield, but is hardened all the more. Likewise also in the sixth he does the same over the plague of sores. But in the seventh, when he is laid waste by hail and by fires: "Pharaoh sent", it says, "and called Moses and Aaron and said to them: I have sinned even now; the Lord is just, but I and my people are ungodly. Pray therefore for me to the Lord". In the eighth, when he is pressed by locusts: "and Pharaoh hastened", it says, "and called Moses and Aaron, saying: I have sinned before the Lord your God and against you. Take away my sin even now, and pray to the Lord your God". In the ninth, when he is covered with darkness: "Pharaoh called", it says, "Moses and Aaron, saying: go, serve the Lord your God". But now in the tenth, when the firstborn of men and of the cattle are destroyed: "Pharaoh called", it says, "Moses and Aaron by night and said to them: arise and go out from my people, both you and the children of Israel; go, serve the Lord your God, as you say: and taking your sheep and your oxen, depart, as you have said. But bless me also. And the Egyptians urged the people to go out of the land of Egypt as quickly as possible. For they said: we shall all die".

Who is he whom God may fill with that Spirit with which he filled Moses and Aaron, when they were accomplishing these wonders and signs, so that, illumined by the same Spirit, he might be able to expound the things done through them? For otherwise I do not think that these varieties and differences of mighty matters can be explained, unless they are expounded by the same Spirit by which they were done, since Paul the Apostle too says that: "the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets". Not therefore to any persons whatsoever are the sayings of the prophets said to be "subject" for their explanation, but "to the prophets". But since the same blessed Apostle bids us become imitators of this grace, that is, of the prophetic gift, as being in some part and within our power, saying: "but be zealous for the better gifts, and rather that you may prophesy", let us too attempt to take up a zeal for good things and to exert whatever is in us, but to await from the Lord the fullness of the gift. For with regard to the one it is said by the Lord through the prophet: "open thy mouth, and I will fill it", but with regard to the other another Scripture says: "prick the eye, and it brings forth a tear; prick the heart, and it brings forth understanding". Let us not therefore out of despair give ourselves over to silence, which certainly does not edify the Church of God; but let us briefly go back over the things of which we are able and in so far as we are able.

But now, if the moral figure too is to be treated by us, we shall say that every soul in this world, while it lives in errors and in ignorance of the truth, is placed in Egypt. If the law of God begins to draw near to this soul, it turns its waters into blood, that is, it converts the fluid and slippery life of youth to the blood of the old or new testament. Then next it draws out of it the vain and empty talkativeness and the frog-like complaint against the providence of God. It also purges its malignant thoughts and shakes off the stings of craftiness like the biting of the gnats. It drives away too the bites of lusts like the darts of the dog-fly, and destroys in it the folly and the understanding like the cattle's; through which "man, when he was in honor, did not understand, but was compared to the senseless beasts of burden and became like unto them". It convicts also its sores of sins, and extinguishes the swelling of arrogance and the burning of fury in it. After these it applies also the voices of the "sons of thunder", that is, the evangelical and apostolic teachings. And it brings to bear also the chastisement of hail, that it may restrain luxury and pleasures. It applies at the same time also the fire of repentance, so that it too may say: "did not our heart burn within us?" Nor does it withdraw from it the examples of the locusts, by which all its restless and turbulent motions may be bitten and fed upon, so that it too may learn what the Apostle teaches: "that all its things may be done according to order". But when it has been sufficiently chastised as to its morals and constrained toward the correction of an amended life, when it has perceived the author of the blows and has now begun to confess that "it is the finger of God", and has received some little of recognition, then especially does it see the darkness of its own deeds, then does it feel the gloom of its own errors. And when it has come to this, then will it deserve that the firstborn of Egypt be extinguished in it. In which I think something of this sort can be understood: every soul, when it has come to the completion of its age and, as it were, a certain natural law in it has begun to defend its own rights, without doubt produces first the motions according to the desire of the flesh, which the incentive force stirs up from the tinder of concupiscence or of anger. Whence, as of something special and not common with the rest of men, the prophet says concerning Christ alone: "he shall eat butter and honey; before he does or brings forth evil things, he shall choose the good, since, before the child knows good or evil", he resists malice, that he may choose that which is good. But another prophet, speaking as it were of himself, said: "remember not the sins of my youth and of my ignorance". Since therefore these first motions of the soul, produced according to the flesh, rush into sin, rightly in the moral sense the firstborn of the Egyptians will be set down, which are then extinguished, if the conversion of the remaining life directs a more amended course. Thus therefore in the soul, which the divine law, having taken it up from its errors, chastises and corrects, the firstborn of the Egyptians too are understood to be destroyed — unless after all these things it persists in unbelief and refuses to be joined to the Israelite people, so as to go out from the deep and escape unharmed, but remains in iniquity and goes down "like lead in the mightiest water". For iniquity, according to the vision of the prophet Zachariah, sits upon a talent of lead, and therefore he who remains in iniquity is said to be sunk "like lead" into the deep. Indeed, as to what we observed above, that certain wonders were ministered through Aaron, certain through Moses, and certain through the Lord himself, they can be understood thus far, that we recognize that in certain things we are to be purged through the sacrifices of the priests and the intercessions of the pontiffs, which the person of Aaron designates; but in certain things we are to be amended through the knowledge of the divine law, as the office of Moses designates; but in others, without doubt those which are more difficult, we have need of the power of the Lord himself.

But neither is that to be thought to have been observed by us in vain, that at first indeed Moses does not go in to Pharaoh, but meets him as he goes out to the waters, but afterward goes in to him, and after this does not go in, but is summoned and approaches. And in this too I think it can be understood thus: that whether we have a contest against Pharaoh in the word of God and the assertion of religion, or whether we also strive to snatch souls besieged by him out of his power and there is for us a wrestling in disputation, we ought not at once at the very front to enter into the ultimate places of the questions, but we must meet the adversary, and meet him at his waters; for his waters are the authors of the Gentile philosophers. There therefore, when we first wish to dispute, he must be met, so that we may convict them and teach that they too have erred. After this we must now enter even into the inner parts of the contest. For the Lord too says: "unless one first binds the strong man, he cannot go into his house and plunder his goods". First therefore the "strong man" must be bound by us and constrained with the bonds of the questions, and thus we must go in to plunder "his goods" and to free the souls which he had possessed by the fraud of deception. And when we have done this rather often and have stood against him — and we have stood in that manner in which the Apostle says: "stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth", and again: "stand in the Lord, and act manfully" — when therefore we have stood in this manner against him, that ancient and crafty artificer will feign even to be conquered and to yield, if perchance through this he may make us more negligent for the contest. And he will feign repentance too and will beseech us indeed to depart, but not to depart far. He wishes us to be in some part near to him, he wishes us not to depart far from his borders. But unless we withdraw farther from him and pass over the sea and say: "as far as the east lies from the west, so far has he removed our iniquities from us", we cannot be saved. Wherefore let us beseech the mercy of the Lord, that he too may snatch us out of the land of Egypt, out of the power of darkness, and may sink Pharaoh with his army "like lead in the mightiest water". But let us, being freed, with joy and exultation sing a hymn "to the Lord, for he has been gloriously honored", because to him is "honor and glory unto the ages of ages. Amen".

Just as we read in the Gospel that water was turned into wine, which denoted that people were changed for the better, so here its transformation into blood announces that sinners interpret the causes of spiritual things in a bodily sense. Blood is introduced here to denote the flesh, and undoubtedly the Jewish people took this materialistic view. He further says that both their rivers and their rain showers were turned into blood, so that in their preoccupation with the thoughts of the flesh they did not understand the heavenly preaching in a spiritual sense. The literal sense of this and of what follows is clear, for the words of the divine history show that these events occurred in Egypt.

Then the plagues are visited upon Egypt. They were carried out corporally among the Egyptians; they are now carried out spiritually in us, for Egypt is the figure of this world. The first plague is the one in which the waters are turned into blood. The waters of Egypt are erratic, just as the dogmas of the philosophers are inconstant. These waters are deservedly turned into blood, because when the philosophers ponder the causes of things they think carnally. But when the cross of Christ shows the light of truth to this world, it will reproach the world with censures of this sort, so that from the kind of punishment it suffers, the world might recognize its errors.