The Meaning of Exodus 7:17 Explained

Exodus 7:17

KJV: 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.

YLT: Thus said Jehovah: By this thou knowest that I am Jehovah; lo, I am smiting with the rod which is in my hand, on the waters which are in the River, and they have been turned to blood,

Darby: Thus saith Jehovah: In this shalt thou know that I am Jehovah behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water which is in the river, and it shall be turned into blood.

ASV: Thus saith Jehovah, In this thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Exodus 7:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 7:14-25 - Sign Of The Waters Turned To Blood
Satan will mimic God's work up to a point. We are told that Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses; but even then Moses' rod swallowed their rods. They were defeated in their own realm, that Pharaoh's faith in them might be shaken. But it was in their predictions of what was coming that the Hebrew brethren specially attested their superiority. The sky was roseate with the blush of dawn, as Pharaoh, accompanied by his court, came to perform his customary ablutions or to worship at the brink of the Nile. Moses met him with the peremptory summons, "Let my people go"¦" and in accordance with his prediction the Nile became as blood. But since by their clever legerdemain the magicians appeared able to do as much, his heart was hardened-i.e., "he did not set his heart to it." In other words, he would not consider the message sent to him by the hand of God's accredited messengers. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 7

1  Moses and Aaron are encouraged to go again to Pharaoh
8  Aaron's rod is turned into a serpent
11  The sorcerers do the like; but their rods are swallowed up by Aaron's
13  Pharaoh's heart is hardened
14  God's message to Pharaoh
19  The river is turned into blood; and the consequent distress of the Egyptians

What do the individual words in Exodus 7:17 mean?

Thus says Yahweh: by this you shall know that I [am] Yahweh behold I will strike with the rod that [is] in my hand - the waters which [are] in the Nile and they shall be turned to blood
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בְּזֹ֣את תֵּדַ֔ע כִּ֖י אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֑ה הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י מַכֶּ֣ה ׀ בַּמַּטֶּ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־ בְּיָדִ֗י עַל־ הַמַּ֛יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּיְאֹ֖ר וְנֶהֶפְכ֥וּ לְדָֽם

כֹּ֚ה  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh: 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּזֹ֣את  by  this 
Parse: Preposition-b, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
תֵּדַ֔ע  you  shall  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּ֖י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יְהוָ֑ה  [am]  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הִנֵּ֨ה  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
מַכֶּ֣ה ׀  will  strike 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בַּמַּטֶּ֣ה  with  the  rod 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַטֶּה  
Sense: staff, branch, tribe.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּיָדִ֗י  [is]  in  my  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
עַל־  - 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַמַּ֛יִם  the  waters 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
בַּיְאֹ֖ר  [are]  in  the  Nile 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְאֹר  
Sense: river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal.
וְנֶהֶפְכ֥וּ  and  they  shall  be  turned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
לְדָֽם  to  blood 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.