Exodus — Chapter 11
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1Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one more plague. After that, he will allow you to leave this place. And when he lets you go, he will drive you out completely.
2Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”
3And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.
4So Moses declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
5and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle.
6Then a great cry will go out over all the land of Egypt. Such an outcry has never been heard before and will never be heard again.
7But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
8And all these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.” And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.
9The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.
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 tells Moses that one final plague remains: at midnight, every firstborn in Egypt will die, from Pharaoh's own son to the firstborn of slaves and livestock, while not even a dog will bark against Israel, showing that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and His people (vv. 1-7). God also instructs the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold before they leave (v. 2). Moses, held in high regard by Pharaoh's officials, delivers this warning and leaves Pharaoh's presence in fierce anger, while the chapter notes that the LORD had hardened Pharaoh's heart so that all these wonders would be multiplied in Egypt (vv. 8-10).
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).
Places on this map
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
- Gosheneastern Nile Delta, EgyptThe eastern Delta, well watered grazing country on the edge of Egypt rather than in its heart, which is exactly why shepherds were settled there and could stay distinct. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
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.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the shape of the rescue from Egypt and where the story is going.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Exodus -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Favor in a Hostile Place (v.3) — God gives Israel favor in the eyes of the very Egyptians who enslaved them, changing how they were seen right before they left. Can you trust God to open doors or soften opinions in situations that currently feel hostile toward you?
- Moving at Midnight (v.4) — God announces He will act at the darkest hour of the night, the moment least expected. If you're in a midnight season right now, can you trust that God may be about to move?
- A Difference Rooted in Grace, Not Merit (v.7) — While judgment falls on Egypt, God draws a clear line of protection around Israel, not because they were better but because they were His. Do you rest in the fact that your safety before God is based on His provision rather than your own goodness?
- Righteous Anger at Injustice (v.8) — Moses leaves Pharaoh's presence in genuine anger at the cruelty and stubborn rebellion he has witnessed. Is there a place for righteous anger in your own life, aimed at real injustice rather than personal offense?