Essay for Exodus 7:28
וְשָׁרַ֣ץ הַיְאֹר֮ צְפַרְדְּעִים֒ וְעָלוּ֙ וּבָ֣אוּ בְּבֵיתֶ֔ךָ וּבַחֲדַ֥ר מִשְׁכָּבְךָ֖ וְעַל־מִטָּתֶ֑ךָ וּבְבֵ֤ית עֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ וּבְעַמֶּ֔ךָ וּבְתַנּוּרֶ֖יךָ וּבְמִשְׁאֲרוֹתֶֽיךָ׃
And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs.
The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
As preparation for the next meeting with Pharaoh, Moshe is once more reminded that the king will not listen to him. Taking a page from his speech at the Bush, God instructs Moshe and Aharon to use the “sign” that had previously served to convince the people: snake magic. Yet despite Aharon’s one-upping the Egyptian magicians in the warm-up for the plagues, Pharaoh remains unconvinced. This episode helps to prepare for what follows, and indeed contains a virtual glossary of Exodus words. Some of these are: “speak,” “send,” “harden,” “heart,” “sign/portent,” “hand,” “bring out,” “know,” “staff,” “hearken,” “midst.”
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