7287. Verses 8-13. And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall say unto you, saying, Give you a wonder, then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh; it shall become a water-serpent. And Moses and Aaron came unto Pharaoh; and they did so as Jehovah had commanded; and Aaron cast his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a water-serpent. And Pharaoh called also the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments. And they cast forth every man his rod, and they became water-serpents; and Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh's heart was made firm, and he heard them not; as Jehovah had spoken. "And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying," signifies instruction; "When Pharaoh shall say unto you," signifies if they have doubt concerning the Divine; "saying, give you a wonder," signifies and they therefore desire to be confirmed; "then thou shalt say unto Aaron," signifies influx and communication; "Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh," signifies the power which is shown; "it shall become a water-serpent," signifies that thereby mere fallacies and the derivative falsities will reign among them; "and Moses and Aaron came unto Pharaoh, and they did so as Jehovah had commanded," signifies the effect; "and Aaron cast his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a water-serpent," signifies that mere fallacies and the derivative falsities would reign among them; "and Pharaoh called also the wise men and the sorcerers," signifies abuse of Divine order; "and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments," signifies thus to appearance the same by perverting the ends of order; "and they cast forth every man his rod, and they became water-serpents," signifies power from order that they became dull in respect to the noticing of truth; "and Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods," signifies that this power was taken away from them; "and Pharaoh's heart was made firm," signifies obstinacy; "and he heard them not," signifies that they who were in evils from falsities did not receive; "as Jehovah had spoken," signifies prediction.