Exodus — Chapter 11
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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.
1And Jehovah said unto Moses, Yet one plague more will I bring 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 them ask every man of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
3And Jehovah gave the people favor 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 Jehovah, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
5and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle.
6And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath not been, nor shall be 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 Jehovah doth make a distinction 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 hot anger.
9And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh will 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 Jehovah hardened Pharaoh`s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
1The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will release you from this place. When he releases you, he will drive you out completely from this place.
2Instruct the people that each man and each woman is to request from his or her neighbor items of silver and gold.”
3(Now the Lord granted the people favor with the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.)
4Moses said, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
5and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
6There will be a great cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.
7But against any of the Israelites not even a dog will bark against either people or animals, so that you may know that the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’
8All these your servants will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” Then Moses went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
9The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites from his land.
1Yahweh said to Moses, “Yet one plague more will I bring on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether.
2Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.”
3Yahweh gave the people favor 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.
4Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt,
5and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of livestock.
6There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor shall be any more.
7But against any of the children of Israel a dog won’t even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal; that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.
8All these servants of yours will come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, “Get out, with all the people who follow you”; and after that I will go out.’” He went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
9Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh won’t listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go out of his land.
Summary
God announces the final plague — the death of every firstborn in Egypt — and tells Moses that after this Pharaoh will drive Israel out.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Egypt: The tenth plague announced. Death will pass through the entire land of Egypt (v.4).
- Goshen (implied): Israel dwells separately; God makes a distinction — "not a dog shall move his tongue" against Israel (v.7).
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the finality of the tenth plague announcement, God's distinction between Egypt and Israel, and the theological significance of the firstborn's death as judgment on Pharaoh's claim to deity.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Difference" on v.7 (MTP Vol. 13, No. 741) "Not a dog shall move his tongue — what perfect peace! While Egypt wails with the greatest cry in its history, Israel sleeps in safety. Not a dog barks. Not a sound disturbs them. This is the difference God puts between His people and the world. The same night, the same darkness, the same midnight hour — but utterly different experiences. One household weeps over a dead firstborn; the next household (under the blood) sleeps in peace. The difference is not in the people but in the BLOOD. Not in their merit but in God's mercy. Not in their goodness but in His grace. Christian, you are safe — not because you are better than the world, but because you are under the blood."
Reflection
- 1. "About midnight will I go out" (v.4). God acts at midnight — the darkest hour. If you're in a midnight season, God may be about to move. Don't give up at the darkest point.
- 2. "Not a dog move his tongue" (v.7). God's protection of His people is absolute. While the world experiences judgment, those under the blood are at peace. Are you under the blood of Christ? Then rest — you are safe.
- 3. "The LORD doth put a difference" (v.7). The difference between judgment and safety is not your goodness — it's God's grace and the blood's covering. Don't trust your own merit; trust His provision.
- 4. "He went out from Pharaoh in a great anger" (v.8). There is a place for righteous anger — anger at injustice, at cruelty, at stubborn rebellion against God. Not all anger is sin. But it must be directed at the right target.
- 5. God gave Israel "favour in the sight of the Egyptians" (v.3). God can change how others see you. He can give you favor in hostile environments. Trust Him to open doors that seem permanently closed.