Joel M Bradshaw

 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.

25Seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.–Exodus 7

Think of these 10 plagues as Israel’s God, Yahweh, showing Himself superior to save and all other options impotent and powerless. With each plague, Yahweh attacked the god on there home turf or in their lane or area of expertise. Yahweh is alone in His category. He is mighty to save. He hardens hearts and delivers whom He will.

The Nile River was central to Egyptian life and worship.

Hapi was worshiped for bringing mud along the banks of the river. This made farming possible and was the basis for the bricks Pharaoh commanded of the Hebrews. Khnum was seen as the Nile protector. Sat was the goddess of the periodic flooding of the Nile. Anuket was the goddess of the Nile’s cataracts.

Even when Pharaoh’s magi were able to reproduce the plague in small form, the text still said that the Yahweh’s miracle lasted for seven days. It was so bad that the people had to undergo a major digging project just to survive.–JMB

Yahweh-1 Other gods-0