A
meme originating from the
Plagues of
Exodus:
Moses turned the
Nile to blood, demonstrating the power of
Jehovah (
YHWH) to
Pharoh
The
meme also appears in
Revelation 16: Two of the
angels that come bearing the last
seven judgements/plagues turn first the
oceans and then the
lakes and
rivers to blood.
Secularly, the term has come to mean "a lot of death," especially in
sensational news
headlines:
River of blood flows in war-torn Congo Chicago Tribune, July 10, 2001
And in
poetry:
And a river of blood flows
Through the courtyard of the cathedral
None left to mourn, only the softly-falling rain