Exodus 7:19-21 vs Exodus 7:22

Does Exodus 7:19-21 & Exodus 7:22 Contradict?

In Exodus 7:19-21, it states: "Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt," (Exodus 7:19-21 NASB1995).

In Exodus 7:22, it states: "But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said," (Exodus 7:22 NASB1995).

Some argue that this is a contradiction for verses 19-21 say that Moses and Aaron made all the water blood, but verse 22 states that the magicians did the same, but how can they make water blood if it all was already blood?

There are a few possible answers to this question. The most likely interpretation is that there was time between the miracle of Moses and Aaron, and the act of the magicians. In verse 24 we read: "So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile," (Exodus 7:24 NASB1995). The Egyptians, so as to not die of thirst, made wells around the Nile for a time. It is possible the magicians used one of such wells to change into blood.

As Ellicott writes: "The act of the magicians must have been a very poor imitation of the action of Moses and Aaron. The two brothers had turned into blood all the waters of the river, the canals, the pools or lakes, and the reservoirs. The magicians could not act on this large scale. They could only operate, or seem to operate, on some small quantity of water, obtained probably in the way noticed in Exodus 7:24. On this they succeeded, so far as to satisfy Pharaoh, who was probably easy to satisfy, and perhaps so far as to satisfy the courtiers. They turned the liquid of a red colour, or by sleight-of-hand substituted blood for it. The result was subjected to no test, and was perhaps not even done in the presence of any hostile witness. But it enabled the king to harden himself, and refuse the request of the brothers," (Ellicott).

Poole also provides some possible explanations: "1. By rain, which at that time God was pleased to send down either for this purpose, or to mitigate the extremity of the plague, or for other reasons known to him, though not to us. For that rain sometimes falls in Egypt, though not much nor often, is affirmed by ancient writers and late travellers. Or, 2. From Goshen, which was not far from the court, or from some houses of the Israelites, who dwelt amongst the Egyptians, as appears from many places of this history, and who were free from these plagues. See Exodus 8:22 9:26 10:23 12:13 &c. Or, 3. From the pits which they digged, Exodus 7:24. Or, 4. From some branch of Nilus, or some vessels in their houses, whose waters were not yet changed; for this change might be wrought not suddenly, (which is not affirmed in this relation,) but by degrees, which God might so order for this very end, that the magicians might have matter for the trial of their experiment," (Poole).

References:

Ellicott's Bible Commentary, Volume 1. N.p., Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2015.

Image by Fr. Barry Braum on Unsplash

Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1920). Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament. Library of the Union Theological Seminary.

Poole, Matthew. Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible. United States, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 1990.