Psalms 105:29
in Psalms 105He turned their waters to blood and caused their fish to die.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He turned their waters into blood, And slew their fish.
KJV
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
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This verse in Psalms 105
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe turned their waters into blood,.... With which Egypt abounded; their streams, rivers, ponds, and pools, so that they had no water to drink; a just judgment upon them for shedding the innocent blood of infants, by drowning them in their rivers; this was the first of the ten plagues, Exo 7:19, with this compare the second and third vials poured out on spiritual Egypt, whereby blood will be given to antichrist, and to the antichristian states, for they are worthy, having shed so much of the blood of the saints, Rev 16:
This site's exposition
He sent Moses His servant
on Psalms 105:26-31
Darkness comes first in the psalm and ninth in Exodus, where it falls at Exodus 10:21. The frogs are the plague that reaches the king's own rooms. Blood in the water, dead fish, frogs, and swarms of gnats follow the darkness here.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish" [Psalm 105:29].
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. So that the plague was not a mere colouring of the water with red earth, as some suppose, but the river was offensive and fatal to the fish. The beloved Nile and other streams were all equally tainted and ensanguined. Their commonest mercy became their greatest curse. Water is one of the greatest blessings, and the more plentiful it is the better, but blood is a hideous sight to look upon, and to see rivers and pools of it is frightful indeed.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Or, rather, the "darkness" here is figurative (Jer 13:16), the literal plague of darkness (Ex 10:22, 23) being only alluded to as the symbol of God's wrath which overhung Egypt as a dark cloud during all the plagues. Hence, it is placed first, out of the historical order. Thus, "They rebelled not (that is, no longer) against His word," refers to the Egyptians.
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. So that the plague was not a mere colouring of the water with red earth, as some suppose, but the river was offensive and fatal to the fish. The beloved Nile and other streams were all equally tainted and ensanguined. Their commonest mercy became their greatest curse. Water is one of the greatest blessings, and the more plentiful it is the better, but blood is a hideous sight to look upon, and to see rivers and pools of it is frightful indeed. Fish in Egypt furnished a large part of the food supply, and it was no small affliction to see them floating dead and white upon a stream of crimson. The hand of the Lord thus smote them where all classes of the people would become aware of it and suffer from it.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
See an account of these plagues in Exo. 6–11. Compare Psa 78:43-51. This is mostly a mere enumeration of the plagues in the order in which they occurred, but without, of course, the details of the circumstances attending them. There are no circumstances mentioned here which require particular explanation.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָפַ֣ךְ | hafakh | he turned | H2015 → | 94 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֵימֵיהֶ֣ם | meimeihem | water their | H4325 → | 581 times |
| לְדָ֑ם | ledam | into blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| וַ֝יָּ֗מֶת | vaiyamet | and he caused to die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דְּגָתָֽם׃ | degatam | fish their | H1710 → |
הָפַ֣ךְhe turned
hafakhH2015 →94 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מֵימֵיהֶ֣םwater their
meimeihemH4325 →581 times
לְדָ֑םinto blood
ledamH1818 →360 times
וַ֝יָּ֗מֶתand he caused to die
vaiyametH4191 →839 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דְּגָתָֽם׃fish their
degatamH1710 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 50:2Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold,…
it leads to
- Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
- Numbers 11:23
The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.”
- Isaiah 66:4
So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and…
- Joshua 3:16
the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was…
- Genesis 18:14
Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”
- Isaiah 59:1
Through
Revelation 16:3And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood like that of the dead, and every living thing in the sea died.
it leads to
- Exodus 7:17–21
This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 8:8–9
Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,
- Revelation 11:6
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with…
- Exodus 7:17–21
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 105; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.