Arcana Coelestia (Elliott): AC 7263

7263. The reason why these same names occur in the Word is that those whose worship was external would exercise charity towards the kind of people meant literally by such names, while those whose worship was internal would exercise it towards people meant spiritually by them. Thus it was that the simple would understand and carry out the Word in a simple manner, and the wise in a wise manner; and also that the simple would be introduced by means of external forms of charity to internal forms of it.

EXODUS 7

And Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.

You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, to send the children of Israel out of his land.

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

And Pharaoh will not hear ^a you; and I will lay My hand on the Egyptians, and will lead My armies, My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt with great judgements.

And the Egyptians will know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch out My hand over the Egyptians; and I will lead the children of Israel out of the midst of them.

And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah had commanded them, so they did.

And Moses was a son of eighty years, and Aaron a son of eighty-three years, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron - He said,

When Pharaoh says to you - when he says, Perform a wonder;^b you shall say to Aaron, Take your rod and throw it down in front of Pharaoh. It will then be a water-serpent.

And Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh, and in front of his servants, and it was made into a water-serpent.

And Pharaoh also called the wise men and sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments.

And they threw down each one his rod, and they were made into water-serpents; and Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

And Pharaoh's heart was unyielding, and he did not hear ^a them, as Jehovah had spoken.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is inflexible; he refuses to send the people away.

Go to Pharaoh in the morning; behold, he goes out to the water. And you are to stand so as to meet him beside the bank of the river; and the rod which was turned into a serpent, take in your hand.

And you shall say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, Send My people away, and let them serve Me in the wilderness; and behold, you have not heard up to now.

Thus said Jehovah, In this you will know that I am Jehovah - behold, I strike with the rod which is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they will be turned into blood.

And the fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink; and the Egyptians will find it difficult ^c to drink water from the river.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over every gathering of their waters, and they will be blood; and there will be blood in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.

And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and he lifted up the rod and struck the waters which were in the river, before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants. And all the waters which were in the river were converted into blood.

And the fish which were in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the river; and there was blood in the entire land of Egypt.

And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart was unyielding, and he did not hear ^a them, as Jehovah had spoken.

And Pharaoh looked back and went to his house, and he did not take even this to heart.^d

And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink from the waters of the river.

And seven days were fulfilled after Jehovah struck the river.^e

And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and you shall say to him, Thus says Jehovah, Send My people away, and let them serve Me.

And if you refuse to send them away, behold, I will plague all your borders with frogs.

And the river will cause the frogs to crawl forth, and they will rise up and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and onto your bed, and into the house of your servants, and onto your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.

And onto you, and onto your people, and onto all your servants the frogs will rise up.

Notes

^a lit. hear towards
^b lit. Give for yourselves a wonder
^c lit. will labour
^d i.e. his heart was not moved by that wonder
^e In English versions of the Scriptures the division of chapters is made here.

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