Albert Barnes Commentary Exodus 7:1

"And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." — Exodus 7:1 (ASV)

With this chapter begins the series of miracles performed in Egypt. They are progressive. The first miracle is performed to accredit the mission of the brothers; it is purely for accreditation and is unaccompanied by any infliction.

Then come signs showing that the powers of nature are subject to the will of Yahweh. Each of these initial plagues brings grave consequences to the Egyptians, yet does not inflict severe loss or suffering. Following these, in rapid succession, come ruinous and devastating plagues: pestilence on livestock, boils, hail and lightning, locusts, darkness, and finally, the death of the firstborn.

Each of these inflictions has a demonstrable connection with Egyptian customs and phenomena, and each is directly aimed at some Egyptian superstition. All are marvelous, not primarily because they reverse natural laws, but because they develop forces inherent in nature and direct them to a special end.

The effects correspond with these characteristics. The first miracles are neglected. The following plagues initially alarm and then, for a time, subdue the king, who does not yield until his firstborn is struck.

Even that blow leaves him capable of a last effort, which completes his ruin and the deliverance of the Israelites.

I have made you a god—or, as a marginal note in the original text suggests, “I have appointed you.” Moses will stand in this special relation to Pharaoh: God will address Pharaoh by him (Moses) as by a prophet—that is, by one appointed to speak in God’s name. The passage is an important one as illustrating the primary and essential characteristic of a prophet: he is the declarer of God’s will and purpose.