Psalms 78:44

44 He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams.

Psalms 78:44 in Other Translations

KJV
44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
ESV
44 He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
NLT
44 For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams.
MSG
44 He turned the River and its streams to blood - not a drop of water fit to drink.
CSB
44 He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

Psalms 78:44 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 78:44

And had turned their rivers into blood
The river Nile and its seven streams; this was the first of the plagues of Egypt, ( Exodus 7:20 Exodus 7:21 ) , and was a just retaliation for drowning the infants of the Israelites in their river, ( Exodus 1:22 ) , a like plague will be inflicted on spiritual Egypt, and with equal justice; see ( Revelation 11:8 ) ( 16:3-7 ) ,

and their floods, that they could not drink;
the rivulets that flowed from the Nile, and every spring or confluence of water; or rather by these rivers and floods are meant the canals and ditches, which, as Jarchi F5 observes, were made by the hands of men, from the banks of the river Nile, to water their fields with.


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Comment. on Exod. vii. 19. so Kimchi in Sepher Shorash. rad. (ra) .

Psalms 78:44 In-Context

42 They did not remember his power— the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.

Cross References 1

  • 1. Exodus 7:20-21; Psalms 105:29
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