Psalms 78:44
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
Psalms 78:44
Verse 44: “And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.” The psalmist recounts specific plagues: blood in the Nile and other water sources turning bitter or undrinkable. These signs were among the most tangible assaults on Egyptian life, illustrating God’s judgment against oppression and his power over creation. For Israel, these miracles confirmed God’s supremacy and secured their deliverance.
The plagues demonstrate God’s authority over natural order and his intolerance of injustice. They reveal God’s justice against those who oppose his people and his plan. Thematically, this passage signals that God will go to great lengths to liberate the oppressed and to reveal his glory through dramatic intervention.
In modern life, this calls believers to trust God when circumstances seem “undrinkable”—to trust him in situations that seem irredeemable or chaotic. It also invites compassion for those who suffer due to injustice, encouraging advocacy and practical aid. The core wisdom: when life runs dry, turn toward God who can turn “water to blood” into deliverance by his power, not by human cleverness.
Cross-References: Exodus 7:14–25; Exodus 9:23–25; Revelation 16:4–7; Psalm 105:29