What is the context?
God gives Moses another sign. He puts his hand inside his cloak, takes it out diseased and white as snow, then repeats the action and finds it restored. God shows that both the affliction and its removal are under His command.
God then tells him what to do if the people still refuse to believe: take water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground, where it will become blood. That third sign is announced here; it has not yet been performed in this conversation. Each sign answers Moses’ fear that the people will reject his claim to have been sent by God.
How is this passage commonly understood?
The teachers agree that the signs establish Moses’ commission, but give different explanations of the diseased and restored hand. Calvin especially connects it with Moses being restored from obscurity to a position of service. Wesley also sees a picture of Israel being cleansed and delivered from its ruined condition. These are their explanations of what the sign may picture; the stated purpose in verses 8–9 is to bring the people to believe.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The sign involving Nile water looks ahead to the judgment announced in Exodus 7:14–18. There the river itself will turn to blood as God confronts Pharaoh’s refusal to release His people. What begins as evidence for Israel also points toward the power God will exercise against their oppressor.
A later parallel appears in Revelation 16:4–7, where waters become blood and the judgment is connected with the bloodshed of God’s servants. The repeated image places the Exodus signs within a wider theme: God sees the suffering of His people and holds their persecutors accountable.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.