Psalms 78:44

44 For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the 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.

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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 and how he rescued them from their enemies.

43 They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders on the plain of Zoan.

44 For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams.

45 He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them and hordes of frogs to ruin them.

46 He gave their crops to caterpillars; their harvest was consumed by locusts.