Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Exodus 7:18 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 18. 18And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Reading 7:18 as “And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink…” keeps the verse tied to the before-and-after logic of “The Nile Turns to Blood”.
The warning is given at the river in the morning
This verse is one part of that explanation in Exodus 7:14–25. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Exodus 7:14–25
Read Exodus 7:18 with 7:14–25. Reading 7:18 as “And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink…” keeps the verse tied to the before-and-after logic of “The Nile Turns to Blood”. The whole unit shows: A morning warning, struck Nile, dead fish, foul water, Aaron's extended staff, magicians' imitation, and Pharaoh's disregard begin the plague cycle with overlapping narrative details.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Exodus 7:8–13 establishes the preceding movement: Aaron's staff becomes a great serpent before Pharaoh; Egyptian ritual experts imitate the sign, but Aaron's staff swallows theirs while Pharaoh's heart remains firm. This unit escalates that movement: A morning warning, struck Nile, dead fish, foul water, Aaron's extended staff, magicians' imitation, and Pharaoh's disregard begin the plague cycle with overlapping narrative details. At 7:18, the wording “And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink…” makes this verse's contribution precise. Reading 7:18 as “And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink…” keeps the verse tied to the before-and-after logic of “The Nile Turns to Blood”.
What Remains True
Because Exodus 7:18 contributes “And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink…” to “The Nile Turns to Blood,” its proportionate enduring truth is: The narrative contests imperial refusal and displays divine power, while its escalating harm and hardening language require moral seriousness rather than triumphalism.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Exodus 7:14–25 — The Nile Turns to BloodSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Exodus 7:14–25, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Exodus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech, law, ritual vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Exod.xml, words and morphology for 7:14–25
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Exodus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2026-08-12
Supports: Unit-bounded Hebrew, syntax, lexical, textual, name, measure, legal, ritual, and older-English notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Exodus PDF, complete 127-page PDF, translation and verse-attached translator notes for 7:14–25
Open source ↗