22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sethri. (The ancestors of the Jews).
23 Aaron took Elizabeth, the daughter of Aminadab, the sister of Naasson, to wife, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (The ancestors of the Jews).
24 The sons of Korah: Asher, Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of Korah. (The ancestors of the Jews).
25 Eleazar the son of Aaron took one of the daughters of Phuthiel to wife, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levitical generations according to their families. (The ancestors of the Jews).
26 Aaron and Moses, these are the ones to whom the LORD said, «Bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.» (The purpose of Moses and Aaron for the «great» mission).
27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt; these are Moses and Aaron. (It is impossible to disobey the «higher forces»).
28 So at the time when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, (Repetition of what was said).
29 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, «I am the LORD! Tell Pharaoh, King of Egypt, all that I am telling you. (In other words, Moses is obliged to follow instructions, not to reason).
30 But Moses said before the LORD, «Behold, I am not a man of words.»: how will Pharaoh listen to me? (Moses again says that he is not able to express himself tolerably).
Chapter 7
1 But the Lord said to Moses: Look, I have made you a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron, your brother, will be your prophet: (Again repeating what has already been said – in order to better seal).
2 You will say whatever I command you, and Aaron your brother will tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go out of his land; (The end justifies the means!).
3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will show a multitude of my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt; (Miracles are necessary, how can they be without them to affect the public).
4 Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my army, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments; (Pharaoh’s reaction will be clear).
5 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them. (That is, the chief priest is the lord).
6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, and so they did. (They are already sealed).
7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they began to speak to Pharaoh. (Moses – 40, Aaron – 41,5).
8 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: (New instructions).
9 If Pharaoh says to you, «Do a miracle,» then you say to Aaron, «Take your rod and throw it before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.» (Magic tricks begin, snakes began to appear en masse due to the deterioration of the water).
10 Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and did as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and he became a serpent. (One of the vases of ancient Lagash, Sumer, depicts two crowned snakes with wings, the other vase depicts snakes wrapped around a rod, it dates back to the middle of the III millennium BC).
11 And Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers; and these magi of Egypt did the same with their enchantments.: (Enchantment means enchantment, enchantment, that is, hypnosis, it is also possible that various snakes have emerged from the wands).
12 Each of them threw down his rod, and they became serpents, but the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods. (Most likely, Aaron’s snake was just more venomous and aggressive).
13 Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. (Pharaoh is still against Aaron and Moses, who of those in power admits his weakness!).
14 And the LORD said to Moses, «Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn: he does not want to let the people go. (Moses complains to his patron, as a man would do in relation to his master).
15 Go to Pharaoh tomorrow: behold, he will come out to the water, you stand in his way, on the bank of the river, and take the rod that turned into a serpent in your hand (a new instruction, so the Lord God does not have the necessary power to influence Pharaoh).
16 And say to him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; but, behold, you have not obeyed hitherto. (Previous indication).
17 Thus saith the LORD: By this you will know that I am the LORD: with this rod, which is in my hand, I will strike the water that is in the river, and it will turn into blood (A new «miracle»).
18 And the fish in the river will die, and the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be disgusted to drink water from the river. (The priest knows that the harbingers of a volcanic eruption begin, therefore he threatens the Egyptian pharaoh with all sorts of troubles).
19 And the LORD said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of the Egyptians: over their rivers, over their streams, over their lakes, and over every receptacle of their waters, and they will turn into blood, and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in wooden and stone vessels. (The biblical myth of the transformation of water into blood goes back to the Sumerian myth «Inanna and Shukallituda», where we are talking about a goddess who, wanting to take revenge on the person who insulted her, turned all the waters of the country into blood).
20 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. And [Aaron] lifted up the rod and struck the river water before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water in the river turned into blood, (The fulfillment of the «miracle»).
21 And the fish in the river died out, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (Various underwater volcanoes can be harbingers of underwater volcanic activity, the activity of which is manifested on the surface of rivers by the release of huge masses of steam and gas, the emission of slag and gases, which lead to the appearance of red water, as it were, as a result, fish and aquatic vegetation die, which indicates that the «river stank», that is, it has become unsuitable for drinking and household use).
22 And the magi of Egypt did the same by their enchantments. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (The Magi of Egypt also used the situation to their advantage).
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and his heart was not moved by this either. (Most likely, he did not guess the reasons – volcanic activity, and considered it all the machinations of the gods. As for Santorini (Tyra, Cyclades archipelago), variations are possible here. There is also an assumption by Alexey Morozov («Science and Religion», 1990, No. 3) that the reform is connected with the eruption of the Santorini volcano in about 1380 BC. Clouds that covered the sky, poisonous rains, cold – all this could cause a sharp transition to increased worship of the «angry» Sun god. Santorini is an active shield volcano on the island of Tyre, another name Fira, in the Aegean Sea, the eruption of which led to the death of Aegean cities and settlements on the islands of Crete, Tyre and the Mediterranean coast. The eruption dates back to 1645—1600 BC (according to various estimates), the eruption had a power of 7 points. The eruption destroyed the Minoan civilization of Crete and caused a giant tsunami about 18 m high (according to other estimates up to 100 m). The ash cloud stretched for 200—1000 km. The Aegeans were skilled sailors, warriors and merchants, and their fleet reigned supreme in the Mediterranean. The island of Tyre was the metropolis of the Aegeans, where the capital of Tyre and other settlements were located on the slopes of Mount