The Nile River

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The Nile River was essential to life in Egypt, serving as the main source of the country's water supply. It was also revered and worshiped by the Egyptians. Notably, this river was where the Egyptians cast Jewish infants during their oppression, and it played a significant role in the Passover story when it turned to blood.

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The Confrontation at the Nile

TANAKH

Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh at the Nile, turning its waters into blood, was a direct challenge to Egyptian deities and a powerful demonstration of God's might. The Torah recounts how Moses, following God's command, struck the Nile with his rod to turn its waters into blood, delivering a clear message to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is coming out to the water, and station yourself before him at the edge of the Nile, taking with you the rod that turned into a snake. And say to him, ‘יהוה, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, “Let My people go that they may worship Me in the wilderness.” But you have paid no heed until now. Thus says יהוה, “By this you shall know that I am יהוה.” See, I shall strike the water in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood;…

Exodus 7:15-21

The Plagues Against Egyptian Deities

COMMENTARY

The plagues in Egypt were not just natural disasters but strategic strikes against the Egyptian deities, particularly the Nile god Hapi and the frog goddess Heket. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' commentary on the Torah portion Bo in the Book of Exodus provides a profound analysis of how the plagues undermined the Egyptian gods and highlighted the power of the God of Israel.

Not all the plagues were directed, in the first instance, against the Egyptians. Some were directed against things they worshipped as gods. That is the case in the first two plagues. The Nile was personified in ancient Egypt as the god Hapi and was worshipped as the source of fertility in an otherwise desert region. Offerings were made to it at times of inundation. The inundations themselves were attributed to one of the major Egyptian deities, Osiris. The plague of frogs would have been associated by the Egyptians with Heket, the goddess who was believed to attend births as a midwife…

Covenant and Conversation; Exodus; The Book of Redemption, Bo, Heart of Darkness 14

The Pervasive Plague of Blood

SECOND TEMPLE

The plague of blood was so comprehensive that it left the Egyptians with no drinkable water, even causing blood to spout from the ground when they tried to dig for water. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher from the first century BCE, provides a detailed account of the pervasive nature of the plague of blood in Egypt.

[99] What, then, was the event which so soon came to pass? The brother of Moses, at the command of God, smote the river with his staff, and at once, from Ethiopia to the sea, it turned into blood, and so did also the lakes, canals, springs, wells and fountains and all the existing water-supply of Egypt. Consequently, having nothing to drink, they dug up the ground along the banks; but the veins thus opened spouted up squirts of blood, which shot up as in haemorrhages, and not a drop of clear liquid was anywhere to be seen.

On the Life of Moses, Book I 17:4

The Miraculous Staff of Moses

COMMENTARY

Moses' staff not only turned the Nile's water into blood but also later produced drinkable water, showcasing its divine power and countering heretical claims. Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar's 18th-century commentary, Or HaChaim, delves into the miraculous nature of Moses' staff and its role in the plagues and the Israelites' journey.

אשר הכית בו את היאור, "with which you have struck the river Nile." This in itself would be a remarkable miracle seeing that the very staff which had made the water of the Nile fetid, undrinkable, and turned it into blood, would now produce water for the Israelites to drink. This would also deflate the irreligious heretics who denied the fact that Moses' staff possessed miraculous powers.

Or HaChaim on Exodus 17:5:2

The Mystical Challenges of the Nile

KABBALAH

The Zohar delves into the complexities of how Aaron could have reached all the bodies of water in Egypt to turn them into blood, and the significance of the seven-day duration after the river was smitten. This mystical text from the Zohar, a foundational work of Kabbalah, offers an esoteric interpretation of the Torah portion Vaera, focusing on the logistical and symbolic challenges of the plague of blood.

TAKE THY ROD AND STRETCH OUT THY HAND UPON THE WATERS OF EGYPT, UPON THEIR STREAMS, UPON THEIR RIVERS… THAT THEY MAY BECOME BLOOD. Said R. Judah: ‘How was this possible? Could one rod so be stretched over all this extent? Moreover, it says later, “And seven days were fulfilled after the Lord had smitten the river” (v. 25), only mentioning the river, and leaving out the other waters of Egypt upon which Aaron had stretched out his hand.

Zohar, Vaera 16:128

Miracles at the Nile

MIDRASH

Pharaoh's daughter underwent a miraculous transformation when she rescued Moses from the Nile, showcasing divine intervention and her own righteousness. The medieval midrash, Shemot Rabbah, adds depth to this biblical story by emphasizing themes of divine intervention and personal growth. It explores how her actions not only reflect God's will but also lead to her own moral transformation.

“The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile while her maidens were walking on the bank of the Nile. She saw the basket among the reeds and she sent her maidservant [amatah] and she took it” (Exodus 2:5).
“To bathe in the Nile” (Exodus 2:5) – to wash off the idolatry of her father’s home. “While her maidens were walking [holekhot],” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The term halikha here is nothing other than an expression of death, and likewise it says: “Behold, I am going [holekh] to die” (Genesis 25:32)…

Shemot Rabbah 1:23

Striking the Nile

COMMENTARY

G-d first punishes a people’s deities and then the people themselves, as illustrated by the striking of the Nile, a major deity of the Egyptians, before the people suffered. The medieval Torah commentary Chizkuni explains the sequence of divine retribution during the plagues in Egypt, starting with the Nile River.

וכל בכור בהמה “and every firstborn of the domestic animals.” According to Rashi, G-d first punishes a people’s deities and then the people themselves. We see this from Exodus 7,17, where the river Nile, a major deity of the Egyptians was struck before the people suffered as a result of this.

Chizkuni, Exodus 11:5:5

Measure for Measure in the Plagues

COMMENTARY

The plagues in Egypt were not random but were direct retributions for the specific actions the Egyptians took against the Israelites. Rabbeinu Bachya’s commentary on the Torah portion Shemot (Exodus) 12:29 explains the principle of 'measure for measure' (midah k'neged midah) in divine retribution.

וה' הכה כל בכור בארץ מצרים, “and G’d slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, etc.” G’d carried out His retribution on the Egyptians according to the principle of מדה כנגד מדה, tit for tat, the punishment being fitted to the crime committed. This is why the 10 plagues were summed up in the abbreviated form of דצ'ך עד'ש באח'ב. The Egyptians’ principal source of faith was the dependability of the river Nile as their water supply, as the lifeline. It irrigated all their fields and they had made the Israelites slave in order to draw the water from the river…

Rabbeinu Bahya, Shemot 12:29:1

Saving Moses

COMMENTARY

Moses' mother took extraordinary measures to protect him from Pharaoh's decree, demonstrating immense faith and courage. She placed him in a waterproof basket among the reeds by the Nile River, a significant setting in the story. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and accessible account of this foundational narrative.

After some time passed, she could no longer conceal him because his voice became stronger as he grew, leading to the possibility that he would be discovered by the king’s agents or other informants. The woman refused to capitulate to the king’s decree, so she took drastic action, and she took a wicker basket for him and coated it with clay on the inside and with pitch on the outside, to make it waterproof; she placed the child in it and placed it among the reeds growing on the bank of the Nile.

Steinsaltz on Exodus 2:3

Pharaoh and the Nile

TANAKH

Pharaoh's arrogance and self-deification are vividly portrayed as he claims ownership and creation of the Nile River for himself. The prophet Ezekiel, speaking from Babylonian exile, delivers God's message to Pharaoh, depicting him as a mighty monster who arrogantly claims the Nile River.

Speak these words:
Thus said the Sovereign GOD:
I am going to deal with you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
Mighty monster, sprawling in your channels,
Who said,
My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.

Ezekiel 29:3

The Escalating Decrees of Pharaoh

TALMUD

Pharaoh's decree to cast male infants into the Nile eventually included his own nation, showing an escalation in severity. The Talmudic tractate Sotah discusses the progression of Pharaoh's decrees during the bondage in Egypt.

§ The Gemara returns to the discussion of the bondage in Egypt. “And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22). Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: The use of the phrase “every son that is born” indicates that he decreed even on his own nation that all their male babies must be killed. And Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says further: He decreed three decrees…

Sotah 12a:8

The Tragedy of the Nile

MIDRASH

The Egyptians employed tragic and detailed methods to identify and capture Jewish infants for casting into the Nile. The 7th-century midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah provides an allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs, reflecting on Jewish history and experiences, including the suffering in Egypt.

Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon: It is written: “Who makes a way in the sea” (Isaiah 43:16); that is not a difficult feat. “And a path in mighty waters” (Isaiah 43:16); this is not a difficult feat. Rather, what is a difficult feat? “Who brings out chariots and horse, an army, and a mighty force” (Isaiah 43:17). Rabbi Yudan said: A great hunt and pursuit would begin from the archers. Each would push and chase the other, and [their horsemen] would drive them into the sea…

Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2:15:2

Smiting the Nile

COMMENTARY

The Nile was the backbone of Egypt’s economy and worshipped as a deity, so smiting it first demonstrated the impotence of their gods. The medieval rabbinic commentary Daat Zkenim explains the reasoning behind the first plague in Egypt.

אחרי הכות ה' את היאור, “after the Lord had struck the river Nile;” the reason why G–d smote the river Nile first was that the Egyptians considered it as providing the backbone to their economy, its waters irrigating their fields. G–d reasoned that He would first smite the Egyptians’ deity and, if this did not help, the Egyptians themselves. This principle is described as a parable in the Tanchuma section 13 on our portion: a layman decides to destroy the idol first, which will make it easier subsequently to destroy its priests.

Da'at Zekenim on Exodus 7:25:2

The Lament of Egypt's Fishermen

TANAKH

The decline of Egypt's primary water source brought immense sorrow and economic hardship to those who depended on it. The Book of Isaiah, a prophetic text from the period of the First Temple, vividly describes the lament of the fishermen and the broader impact on Egyptian society.

The fishermen shall lament;
All who cast lines in the Nile shall mourn,
And those who spread nets on the water shall languish.

Isaiah 19:8

The Lifeblood of Ancient Egypt

COMMENTARY

The river's regular overflow was crucial to Egypt's fertility, power, and wealth. Rabbi Francis Nataf's essays provide a historical context for understanding the setting of the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt.

Even without the Torah’s descriptions, it is well-known that the Nile River would regularly overflow its banks, creating dependable fertility throughout the whole area. In turn, the agricultural plenty this created allowed Egypt to amass its famous power and wealth, attested to by the great treasures and monuments it left over for all generations to see until this very day.

Redeeming Relevance; Exodus, CHAPTER 1 The Cradle and the Crucible; The Meaning of Egypt 12

The Nile's Devastation

COMMENTARY

The Nile River was the lifeblood of Egyptian society, and its transformation during the plague of blood had devastating economic and social impacts. The Midrash elaborates on the Ten Plagues, particularly focusing on how the plague of blood disrupted the Egyptians' dependence on the Nile for fish, food, and work.

3. וְצָרָ֑ה “trouble,” (Ps. Ibid) Scripture states, “and the fish in the Nile will die.” (Ex. 7:18) Most of the Egyptians' lives depended on fish, whether as food or as a livelihood. This is stated in Scripture, “The fishermen shall lament; All who cast lines in the Nile shall mourn…shall languish….The flax workers, too, shall be dismayed, both carders and weavers chagrined” (Is. 19:8-9) This was because their work was to catch and search out fish. And concerning their food, it is written, “We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt…” (Num…

Midrash BeChiddush on Pesach Haggadah, Magid, The Ten Plagues 7:3

Pharaoh's Dream by the Nile

TANAKH

Pharaoh's dream by the Nile foreshadows the river's crucial role in the events that follow. The Torah’s book of Genesis recounts Pharaoh’s dream, which sets the stage for Joseph’s rise to power and the Israelites' eventual settlement in Egypt.

After two years’ time, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,

Genesis 41:1

Pharaoh's daughter finds Moses on the Nile, from the Haggadah for Passover (the 'Sister Haggadah', 14th century).

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