Exodus 11

KJV · Chapter 11/40

1And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

2Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

3And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

4And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:

5And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

6And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

7But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

8And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

9And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.

10And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God announces to Moses the tenth and final plague: the death of every firstborn in Egypt at midnight, while the Israelites remain completely untouched, showing the difference between the two peoples.

Explanation

This brief but extremely dense chapter announces the climax of the entire confrontation between God and Pharaoh: the most terrible plague of all, which would finally break the Egyptian king's resistance. The precision with which God describes the reach of this plague — striking from Pharaoh's own son down to the son of the lowliest servant, and even the firstborn of the animals — shows that it would be no selective event, but universal throughout Egypt, except for those under God's specific protection. The statement 'that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel' (v. 7) sums up the central theological purpose of all the plagues: to reveal unmistakably who the one true God is. This chapter serves as a dramatic pause before the institution of the Passover in the following chapter, which will detail exactly how the Israelites would escape this final plague.

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