At midnight, Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Show the surrounding paragraph
Exodus 12:29-30 sits inside this longer paragraph.
At midnight, Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said! Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!”
Parallel Translations
-
At midnight, Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.
Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
-
And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Show all 3 translations
-
And it came to pass at midnight, that the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle.
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (26)
- Psalms 78:51 (v29) and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
- Exodus 4:23 (v29) and I have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me;” and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’…
- Psalms 105:36 (v29) He struck also all the firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their manhood.
- Psalms 135:8 (v29) He struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and animal.
- Exodus 11:4-5 (v29) Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt…
Show all 26 cross-references
- Psalms 136:10 (v29) to him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- Exodus 11:6 (v30) There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor will be any more.
- Exodus 12:12 (v29) For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will…
- Numbers 8:17 (v29) For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of…
- Exodus 13:15 (v29) When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the…
- Numbers 33:4 (v29) while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom Yahweh had struck among them. Yahweh also executed judgments on their gods.
- Hebrews 11:28 (v29) By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.
- Exodus 9:6 (v29) Yahweh did that thing on the next day; and all the livestock of Egypt died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
- Numbers 3:13 (v29) for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in…
- Job 34:20 (v29) In a moment they die, even at midnight. The people are shaken and pass away. The mighty are taken away without a hand.
- Isaiah 51:14 (v29) The captive exile will speedily be freed. He will not die and go down into the pit. His bread won’t fail.
- Jeremiah 38:6 (v29) Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down…
- Jeremiah 38:13 (v29) So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
- Amos 5:17 (v30) In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 9:11 (v29) As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 (v29) For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then…
- Hebrews 12:23 (v29) to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made…
- Proverbs 21:13 (v30) Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.
- Matthew 25:6 (v30) But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’
- James 2:13 (v30) For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Isaiah 24:22 (v29) They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; and after many days they will be…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv29–30 The tenth plague.
The tenth plague.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv29–30 Exo 12:29 And it came to pass, that at…
Exo 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
Ver. 29. From the firstborn of Pharaoh.] See Exo 12:12.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv29–30 At midnight; a great aggravation of the plague; for…
At midnight; a great aggravation of the plague; for then darkness itself strikes men with horror, and makes any calamity more terrible; then they were. asleep and secure, and least expected such a stroke.
All the first-born, both of man and beast, whether male or female. Some extend it to all that were first-born; and so many persons might be killed in one house, as both father and mother, and several sons, which might be the first-born by several mothers, and sons’ sons or daughters, &c. Others confine it to the first-born child in the family. I conceive the heads of the family are not included, for these, though they might be the firstborn children of their parents’ families, yet were not, nor ever are called or accounted, the first-born of their own families, but the heads and roots of them: but for all the rest, I conceive they are all included, because all such were really first-born, and did first open their mother’s womb; and all such were to be set apart unto the Lord, instead of these first-born of the Egyptians now slain, Exo 13:12,15, and therefore are in both places to be understood in the same latitude.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v29 Here we have, I. The Egyptians' sons, even their…
Here we have, I. The Egyptians' sons, even their first-born, slain, Exo 12:29, Exo 12:30. If Pharaoh would have taken the warning which was given him of this plague, and would thereupon have released Israel, what a great many dear and valuable lives might have been preserved! But see what obstinate infidelity brings upon men. Observe, 1. The time when this blow was given: It was at midnight, which added to the terror of it. The three preceding nights were made dreadful by the additional plague of darkness, which might be felt, and doubtless disturbed their repose; and now, when they hoped for one quiet night's rest, at midnight was the alarm given. When the destroying angel drew his sword against Jerusalem, it was in the day-time (Sa2 24:15), which made it the less frightful; but the destruction of Egypt was by a pestilence walking in darkness, Psa 91:6. Shortly there will be an alarming cry at midnight, Behold, the bridegroom cometh. 2. On whom the plague fastened - on their first-born, the joy and hope of their respective families. They had slain the Hebrews' children, and now God slew theirs. Thus he visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children; and he is not unrighteous who taketh vengeance. 3. How far it reached - from the throne to the dungeon. Prince and peasant stand upon the same level before God's judgments, for there is no respect of persons with him; see Job 34:29, Job 34:20. Now the slain of the Lord were many; multitudes, multitudes, fall in this valley of decision, when the controversy between God and Pharaoh was to be determined. 4. What an outcry was made upon it: There was a great cry in Egypt, universal lamentation for their only son (with many), and with all for their first-born. If any be suddenly taken ill in the night, we are wont to call up neighbours; but the Egyptians could have no help, no comfort, from their neighbours, all being involved in the same calamity. Let us learn hence, (1.) To tremble before God, and to be afraid of his judgments, Psa 119:120. Who is able to stand before him, or dares resist him? (2.) To be thankful to God for the daily preservation of ourselves and our families: lying so much exposed, we have reason to say, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed."
II. God's sons, even his first-born, released; this judgment conquered Pharaoh, and obliged him to surrender at discretion, without capitulating. Men had better come up to God's terms at first, for he will never come down to theirs, let them object as long as they will. Now Pharaoh's pride is abased, and he yields to all that Moses had insisted on: Serve the Lord as you have said (Exo 12:31), and take your flocks as you have said, Exo 12:32. Note, God's word will stand, and we shall get nothing by disputing it, or delaying to submit to it. Hitherto the Israelites were not permitted to depart, but now things had come to the last extremity, in consequence of which, 1. They are commanded to depart: Rise up, and get you forth, Exo 12:31. Pharaoh had told Moses he should see his face no more; but now he sent for him. Those will seek God early in their distress who before had set him at defiance. Such a fright he was now in that he gave orders by night for their discharge, fearing lest, if he delayed any longer, he himself should fall next; and that he sent them out, not as men hated (as the pagan historians have represented this matter), but as men feared, is plainly discovered by his humble request to them (Exo 12:32): "Bless me also; let me have your prayers, that I may not be plagued for what is past, when you are gone." Note, Those that are enemies to God's church are enemies to themselves, and, sooner or later, they will be made to see it. 2. They are hired to depart by the Egyptians; they cried out (Exo 12:33), We be all dead men. Note, When death comes into our houses, it is seasonable for us to think of our own mortality. Are our relations dead? It is easy to infer thence that we are dying, and, in effect, already dead men. Upon this consideration they were urgent with the Israelites to be gone, which gave great advantage to the Israelites in borrowing their jewels, Exo 12:35, Exo 12:36. When the Egyptians urged them to be gone, it was easy for the to say that the Egyptians had kept them poor, that they could not undertake such a journey with empty purses, but, that, if they would give them wherewithal to bear their charges, they would be gone. And this the divine Providence designed in suffering things to come to this extremity, that they, becoming formidable to the Egyptians, might have what they would, for asking; the Lord also, by the influence he has on the minds of people, inclined the hearts of the Egyptians to furnish them with what they desired, they probably intending thereby to make atonement, that the plagues might be stayed, as the Philistines, when they returned the ark, sent a present with it for a trespass-offering, having an eye to this precedent, Sa1 6:3, Sa1 6:6. The Israelites might receive and keep what they thus borrowed, or rather required, of the Egyptians, (1.) As justly as servants receive wages from their masters for work done, and sue for it if it be detained. (2.) As justly as conquerors take the spoils of their enemies whom they have subdued; Pharaoh was in rebellion against the God of the Hebrews, by which all that he had was forfeited. (3.) As justly as subjects receive the estates granted to them by their prince. God is the sovereign proprietor of the earth, and the fulness thereof; and, if he take from one and give to another, who may say unto him, What doest thou? It was by God's special order and appointment that the Israelites did what they did, which was sufficient to justify them, and bear them out; but what they did will by no means authorize others (who cannot pretend to any such warrant) to do the same. Let us remember, [1.] That the King of kings can do no wrong. [2.] That he will do right to those whom men injure, Psa 146:7. Hence it is that the wealth of the sinner often proves to be laid up for the just, Pro 13:22; Job 27:16, Job 27:17.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv29–30 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night,....…
And he called for Moses and Aaron by night,.... Not that Pharaoh went in person, but he sent his servants to call them; for they never saw his face more after he had drove them from his presence; but now was fulfilled what Moses told him, that his servants should come to him in a very suppliant manner, and entreat him and his people to get away in all haste, Exo 10:28. Where Moses and Aaron now were is not certain, probably in the city, or suburbs of it, where Pharaoh's palace was, for it is not likely that they were gone to Goshen:
and said, rise up; from their beds in which they now were, being midnight:
Read full note →
and get ye forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; even all of them, without any exception of women or children as before; and without limiting them to place or time, where they should go, and how long they should stay, and without obliging them to promise to return:
and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said; as they had entreated they might, and as they had demanded in the name of the Lord that they should; to which now he gave his consent, though he afterwards repented of it.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv29–30 Verse 29. Smote all the first born] If we…
Verse 29. Smote all the first born] If we take the term first-born in its literal sense only, we shall be led to conclude that in a vast number of the houses of the Egyptians there could have been no death, as it is not at all likely that every first-born child of every Egyptian family was still alive, and that all the first-born of their cattle still remained. And yet it is said, Ex 12:30, that there was not a house where there was not one dead. The word therefore must not be taken in its literal sense only. From its use in a great variety of places in the Scriptures it is evident that it means the chief, most excellent, best beloved, most distinguished, c. In this sense our blessed Lord is called the FIRST-BORN of every creature, Col 1:15, and the FIRST-BORN among many brethren, Ro 8:29 that is, he is more excellent than all creatures, and greater than all the children of men. In the same sense we may understand Re 1:5, where CHRIST is called the FIRST-BEGOTTEN from the dead, i.e., the chief of all that have ever visited the empire of death, and on whom death has had any power; and the only one who by his own might quickened himself. In the same sense wisdom is represented as being brought forth before all the creatures, and being possessed by the Lord in the beginning of his ways, Pr 8:22-30; that is, the wisdom of God is peculiarly conspicuous in the production, arrangement, and government of every part of the creation. So Ephraim is called the Lord's FIRST-BORN, Jer 31:9. And the people of Israel are often called by the same name, see Ex 4:22: Israel is my son, my FIRST-BORN; that is, the people in whom I particularly delight, and whom I will especially support and defend. And because the first-born are in general peculiarly dear to their parents, and because among the Jews they had especial and peculiar privileges, whatever was most dear, most valuable, and most prized, was thus denominated. So Mic 6:7: Shall I give my FIRST-BORN for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Shall I give up the most beloved child I have, he that is most dear and most necessary to me, in order to make an atonement for my sins! In like manner the Prophet Zechariah, speaking of the conversion of the Jews to the Gospel of Christ, represents them as looking on him whom they have pierced, and being as one that is in bitterness for his FIRST-BORN; that is, they shall feel distress and anguish as those who had lost their most beloved child. So the Church triumphant in the kingdom of God are called, Heb 12:23, the general assembly and Church of the FIRST-BORN, i.e., the most noble and excellent of all human if not created beings. So Homer, Il. iv., ver. 102: Αρνων πρωτογονων ρεξειν κλειτην ἑκατομβην· "A hecatomb of lambs all firstlings of the flock." That is, the most excellent of their kind.
In a contrary sense, when the word first-born is joined to another that signifies any kind of misery or disgrace, it then signifies the depth of misery, the utmost disgrace. So the FIRST-BORN of the poor, Isa 14:30, signifies the most abject, destitute, and impoverished. The FIRST-BORN of death, Job 18:13, means the most horrible kind of death. So in the threatening against Pharaoh, Ex 11:5, where he informs him that he will slay all the first-born, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon the throne; to the first born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill, he takes in the very highest and lowest conditions of life. As there was no state in Egypt superior to the throne, so there was none inferior to that of the female slave that ground at the mill. The Prophet Habakkuk seems to fix this as the sense in which the word is used here; for speaking of the plagues of Egypt in general, and the salvation which God afforded his people, he says, Hab 3:13: Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people - thou woundedst the HEAD (ראש rosh, the chief, the most excellent) of the house of the wicked - of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. And the author of the book of Wisdom understood it in the same way: The master and the servant were punished after one manner; and like as the king, so suffered the common people - for in one moment the NOBLEST OFFSPRING of them was destroyed, Wisdom 18:11,12. And in no other sense can we understand the word in Ps 89:27, where, among the promises of God to David, we find the following: Also I will make him my FIRST-BORN, higher than the kings of the earth; in which passage the latter clause explains the former; David, as king, should be the FIRST-BORN, of God, i.e., he should be higher than the kings of the earth - the MOST EMINENT potentate in the universe. In this sense, therefore, we should understand the passage in question; the most eminent person in every family in Egypt, as well as those who were literally the first-born, being slain in this plague. Calmet and some other critics particularly contend for this sense.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v29 This plague is distinctly attributed here and in Exo…
This plague is distinctly attributed here and in Exo 12:23 to the personal intervention of the Lord; but it is to be observed that although the Lord Himself passed through to smite the Egyptians, He employed the agency of “the destroyer” Exo 12:23, in whom, in accordance with Heb 11:28, all the ancient versions, and most critics, recognize an Angel (compare 2Ki 19:35; 2Sa 24:16).
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v30 Pharao, who it seems was not the eldest son.…
Pharao, who it seems was not the eldest son. Where the first-born of a family had a son, both were consigned to destruction. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv29–30 at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born in…
at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt--At the moment when the Israelites were observing the newly instituted feast in the singular manner described, the threatened calamity overtook the Egyptians. It is more easy to imagine than describe the confusion and terror of that people suddenly roused from sleep and enveloped in darkness--none could assist their neighbors when the groans of the dying and the wild shrieks of mourners were heard everywhere around. The hope of every family was destroyed at a stroke. This judgment, terrible though it was, evinced the equity of divine retribution. For eighty years the Egyptians had caused the male children of the Israelites to be cast into the river [Exo 1:16], and now all their own first-born fell under the stroke of the destroying angel. They were made, in the justice of God, to feel something of what they had made His people feel. Many a time have the hands of sinners made the snares in which they have themselves been entangled, and fallen into the pit which they have dug for the righteous [Pro 28:10]. "Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth" [Psa 58:11].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v29 TENTH JUDGMENT STROKE, Exo_12:29-36.
TENTH JUDGMENT STROKE, Exo_12:29-36.
And now arose the awful “midnight cry,” as the flower of every house fell before the destroyer.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv29–30 29. Execution of the threat of Exo_11:4 f. (J).
29. Execution of the threat of Exo_11:4 f. (J).
the captive, &c.] In Exo_11:5 ‘the bondmaid that is behind the mill.’
Read full note →
29–36. The death of the Egyptian first-born; and preparations of the Israelites for their departure.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv29–30 (29) All the firstborn.—The Hebrew word used applies only…
(29) All the firstborn.—The Hebrew word used applies only to males.
The firstborn of Pharaoh.—The law of primogeniture prevailed in Egypt, as elsewhere generally. The Pharaoh’s eldest son was recognised as “hereditary crown prince,” and sometimes associated in the kingdom during his father’s lifetime. This had been the case with Lameses II., probably the Pharaoh from whom Moses fled (Exo_2:15); but the practice was not common. In any case, however, the eldest son of the reigning monarch occupied a most important position, and his loss would be felt as a national calamity.
Read full note →
The firstborn of the captive.—The variation of phrase between this verse and Exo_11:5 is curious, but appears not to be of any significance. The writer simply means, in both places, “all, from the highest to the lowest.”
All the firstborn of cattle.—Rather, of beasts, as in Exo_11:5. (On the reasons for beasts being included in the calamity, see the Note on that passage.)
THE TENTH PLAGUE.
(29, 30) The nature of the tenth plague is indubitable, but as to the exact agency which was employed there may be different views. In every family in which the firstborn child had been a male, that child was stricken with death. Pharaoh’s firstborn son—the erpa suten sa—the heir to his throne, was taken; and so in all other families. Nobles, priests, tradesmen, artisans, peasants, fishermen—all alike suffered. In the hyperbolic language of the narrator, “there was not a house where there was not one dead.” And the deaths took place “at midnight,” in the weirdest hour, at the most silent time, in the deepest darkness. So it had been prophesied (Exo_11:4); but the particular night had not been announced. As several days had elapsed since the announcement, the Egyptians may have been wrapt in fancied security. Suddenly the calamity fell upon them and “there was a great cry.” Death did not come, as upon the host of Sennacherib, noiselessly, unperceivedly, but “with observation.” Those who were seized woke up and aroused their relatives. There was a cry for help, a general alarm, a short, sharp struggle and then a death.
The visitation is ordinarily ascribed to God Himself (Exo_4:23; Exo_11:4; Exo_12:12; Exo_12:27; Exo_12:29; Exo_13:15, &c), but in Exo_12:23 to “the destroyer.” It has been already shown that this expression points to angelic agency. That agency, however, does not exclude a further natural one. As in 2 Samuel 24 the seventy thousand whom the destroying angel killed (Exo_12:16) are said to have been slain by a pestilence (Exo_12:15), so it may have been here. Pestilence often rages in Egypt in the spring of the year, and carries off thousands in a very short space. As with so many of the other plagues, God may here too have employed a natural agency. None the less would the plague have been miraculous—(1) in its intensity; (2) in its coming at the time prophesied, viz., midnight; (3) in its selection of victims, viz., the firstborn males only, and all of them; (4) in its avoidance of the Israelites; and (5) in its extension, as prophesied, to the firstborn of animals.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv29–30 Vers. 29, 30. THE TENTH PLAGUE. At last the…
Vers. 29, 30. THE TENTH PLAGUE. At last the time had come for the dealing of the final blow. Nine plagues had been sent, nine inflictions endured, and no serious effect had been produced. Once or twice Pharaoh had wavered, had made profession of submitting himself, had even acknowledged his sin. But each time he had relapsed into obstinacy. Now at length the fiat had gone forth for that last plague which had been announced the first. (Exo_4:23) Pharaoh"s own son, his firstborn, the heir to his throne, was smitten with death, in common with all the other male Egyptians who had "opened the womb." What the effect on the king would have been, had he alone suffered, we cannot certainly say. As it was, the whole population of the country, nobles, tradesmen, peasants, suffered with him; and the feeling aroused was so intense that the popular movement left him no choice. The Egyptians everywhere "rose up in the night" (ver. 30), and raised "a great cry," and insisted that the Israelites should depart at once (ver. 33). Each man feared for himself, and felt his life insecure, so long as a single Israelite remained in the land.
At midnight. As prophesied by Moses. (Exo_11:4) The day had not been fixed, and this uncertainty must have added to the horror of the situation. The first-born of Pharaoh. We have no proof that the eldest son of Menephthah died before his father, unless we take this passage as proving it. He left a son, called Seti-Menephthah, or Seti II, who either succeeded him, or reigned after a short interval, during which the throne was held by Ammonmes, a usurper. The first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon. This phrase takes the place of another expression, viz. "the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill". (Exo_11:5) In both cases, the general meaning is, "all, from the highest to the lowest." This is perhaps the whole that is in the writer"s thought; but it is also true that captives in dungeons were in some cases employed in turning hand-mills. (Jud_1:16:21) And all the first-born of cattle. Rather, "of beasts." There is no limitation of the plague to domesticated animals.
Read full note →
Vers. 29, 30. The death of the first-born.
From the death of the first-born we may learn:
I THE SEVERITY OF GOD"S LONG DEFERRED JUDGMENTS. That punishment will overtake the wicked sooner or later was the conviction of heathendom no less than of the Jewish and Christian worlds. Horace says may halt, but yet it rarely fails to overtake the guilty one at last." Tibullus though at first thy sin no judgment meet, vengeance will come at length with silent feet." But the greater heaviness of the punishment that is long deferred does not appear to have attracted their notice. Yet experience might have taught it them. Who has not seen the long triumphant career of a thoroughly bad man, crowned with success for years, seeming to turn all he touched to gold, "flourishing," as the Psalmist has it, "like a green bay tree," yet ending in calamities and misfortunes so striking, and so heaped one upon another, as to draw general attention? It is invidious, perhaps, to note instances; but the present generation has seen at least one example among the crowned heads of Europe. And Scripture is full of examples. How long God"s Spirit strove with men in the antediluvian world, as they proceeded from one wickedness to another, heaping up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, till the flood came and swept away the ungodly! For what a prolonged term of years must the long-suffering of God have borne with the cities of the plain, as they more and more corrupted themselves, till in all Sodom there were not ten godly men left! And then, how signal the punishment! Again, what an instance is Ahab of the operation of the law! Flourishing in every way, in spite of his numerous sins his idolatries, cruelties, selfishness, meanness, hatred of God"s servants victorious over Benhadad, supported by all the forces of Jehoshaphat, encouraged by his successes to undertake an aggressive war against Syria and then struck down in a moment, slain by an arrow shot at a venture (1Ki_22:34) his blood licked up by dogs his wife and seventy sons murdered! The Pharaohs and the Egyptians had now worked their wicked will on Israel for a century or more, since the king arose "who knew not Joseph all this time they had been treasuring up to themselves wrath (Rom_2:5) and now it had fallen upon them in full force. Let sinners beware of trying the forbearance and long-suffering of God too far let them tremble when all goes well with them, and no punishmentcomes. Let them be assured that the account of their offences is strictly kept, and that for each they will have to suffer. Delay does but mean accumulation. However long suspended, the bolt will fall at last, and it will be proportioned in its severity to the length of the delay, and the amount of the wrath stored up.
II THE SUDDENNESS WITH WHICH THEY COME UPON MEN. It was night it was the hour of repose, of peace, silence, tranquillity. All had gone to rest unsuspectingly. No one anticipated evil. Each said to himself, as he lay down, "To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant," when suddenly, without warning, there was death everywhere. Fathers saw the light of their eyes snatched from them mothers beheld their darlings struggling in the agonies of dissolution. A shrill, prolonged cry sounded throughout the land. So the flood came upon man unawares (Luk_17:27) and a sudden destruction overthrew the cities of the plain (ib. 28, 29) and Ahab found himself mortally wounded when he was thinking of nothing but victory and in the height of his pride Herod Agrippa was seized with a fearful malady and Uzziah"s leprosy smote him in a moment and in the night of his feast was Belshazzar slain. Wicked men are for the most part thinking of nothing less when the judgments of God fall upon them. They have said to their soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry," when the dread sentence goes forth fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." God"s judgments often come in the night. We know not what a day, nor what a night may bring forth. Let us commend our souls to God when we lie down to rest, and repeat the prayer of the Litany against sudden death.
III THE IMPARTIALITY WITH WHICH THEY ARE DEALT OUT UPON ALL CONDITIONS OF MEN. "Pale death smites equally the poor man"s but and the king"s palace," says a heathen moralist. And so it is with all God"s judgments. He is no respecter of persons. "Without respect of persons he judgeth according to every man"s work". (1Pe_1:17) Greatness furnishes no security against him. His messengers can enter the palace, elude the sentinels, pass the locked doors, make their way into the secret chamber, smite the monarch, sleeping or waking, with disease, or death, or frenzy. Nor can obscurity escape him; "All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." The lowest dungeon, the most wretched garret, the obscurest cellars are within his ken, their inmates known, the moral condition of each and all of them noted. His judgments find men out as easily in the darkest haunts of vice, or the most wretched abodes of poverty, as in royal mansions. And as greatness will not prevent him from chastising, so neither will meanness The "woman behind the mill," the "captive in the dungeon" are his creatures and his servants, no less than the great, and must be either his true servants, or rebels against his authority. If they are the-latter, their obscurity and insignificance will not save them from his judgments, any more than the great man"s greatness will save him. Vice must not look for impunity because it is low-placed, and hides itself in a corner.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
Vers. 29-31. The death of the first-born,
On this see Exo_11:4-7. Observe here
I THIS JUDGMENT IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF REPRESENTATION. Hitherto, the plagues had fallen on the Egyptians indiscriminately. Now, a change is made to the principle of representation. Egypt, Israel also, is represented in its first-born. When a death-penalty was to be inflicted, the lines had to be drawn more sharp and clear. We are reminded that this principle of representation holds a vitally important place in God"s moral government. The illustrations which more immediately affect ourselves are, first, the representation of the race in Adam, and second, its representation in Christ. (Rom_5:12-21) Hence it is not altogether fanciful to trace a relation to Christ even in this judgment on the first-born.
1. Christ is the great first-born of the race. We catch some glimpse of this by looking at the matter from the side of Israel. Israel, as God"s son, his first-born, is admitted to have been a type of Christ. (cf. Mat_2:15) Much more were the first-born in Israel the special representatives of this peculiar feature in the calling of the nation types of Christ. They resembled him in that they bore the guilt of the rest of the people. But Christ, as the Son of man, sustained a relation to more than Israel. He is, we may say, the great First-born of the race. Egypt as well as Israel was represented in him.
2. The death of Christ is not only God"s great means of saving the world, but it is God"s great judgment upon the sin of the world. It is indeed the one, because it is the other. There is thus in the death of Christ, beth the Israel side and the Egypt side. There is some shadow of vicarious endurance of penalty of the one suffering for, and bearing the guilt of, the many even in the destruction of Egypt"s first-born.
3. The death of Christ, which brings salvation to the believing, is the earnest of final doom to the unbelieving portion of the race. This also is exhibited in principle in the history of the exodus. In strictness, the firstborn were viewed as having died, both in Israel and Egypt. The Egyptian first-born died in person; the Israelitish first-born in the substituted Lamb. The death of a first-born in person could typify judgment in the room, or in the name, of others; but the first-born being himself one of the guilty, his death could not (even in type) properly redeem. Hence the substitution of the lamb, which held forth in prophecy the coming of the true and sinless first-born, whose death would redeem. But Christ"s death, to the unbelieving part of mankind the wilfully and obstinately unbelieving is a prophecy, not of salvation, but of judgment. God"s judgment on sin in the person of Christ, the first-born, is the earnest of the doom which will descend on all who refuse him as a Saviour. And this was the meaning of the death of the first-born in Egypt. That death did not redeem, but forewarned Egypt of yet worse doom in store for it if it continued in its sins. The first-born endured, passed under, God"s judgment, for the sin of the nation; and so has Christ passed under, endured God"s judgment, for the sin even of the unbelieving. Egypt, not less than Israel, was represented in him; but to the one (Egypt as representative of hostility to the kingdom of God) his death means doom; to the other (Israel as representative of the people of God) it means salvation.
II THIS JUDGMENT COMPELLED PHARAOH TO RELAX HIS HOLD ON ISRAEL. It was the consummating blow. Imagination fails in the attempt to realise it. As we write, accounts come to hand of the terrific storm of Oct. 14 (1881), attended by a lamentable loss of life on the Berwickshire coast of Scotland. The storm was sudden, and preluded by an awful and ominous darkness. Cf. with remarks on ninth plague the following: noticed a black-looking cloud over by the school, which shortly spread over all the sky out by the Head. Sea, sky and ground all seemed to be turning one universal grey-blue tint, and a horrible sort of stillness fell over everything.. The women were all gathering at their doors, feeling that something awful was coming. No fewer than 200 fishermen and others are believed to have perished, the village of Eyemouth alone losing 129. So connected by intermarriage is the population of the villages and hamlets, that there is scarcely a family in any of them which is not called to mourn its dead. The scenes are heart-rending. Business in every shape and form is paralysed." An image this, and yet how faint, of the cry that went up in Egypt that night, when in every house there was found one dead. Yet no stroke less severe would have served the purpose, and this one is to be studied in view of the fact that it did prove effectual for its end. Observe,
1. It was a death-stroke. Death has a singular power in subduing and melting the heart. It is the most powerful solvent God can apply to a rebellious nature. It is sometimes tried when gentler means have failed. God removes your idol. He lays your dear one in the dust. You have resisted milder influences, will you yield to this? Your heart is for the moment bowed and broken, will the repentance prove lasting, or will it be, like Pharaoh"s, only for a time?
2. It is a death-grip upon the soul which is needed to make sin relax its hold upon it. "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gut hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul". (Psa_116:3, Psa_116:4) God comes in the preaching of his law, and lays his hand, a hand carrying death in it, upon the soul of the trembling transgressor, who then for the first time realises the fatal and unspeakably awful position in which he has placed himself by sin. It is a death-sentence which is written in his conscience.
3. That which completes the liberation of the soul is a view of the meaning of the death of christ. Terror alone will not melt the heart. There is needed to effect this the influence of love. And where is love to be seen in such wonderful manifestation as at the Cross of Christ? What see we there? The first-born of the race expiring in awful agony under the judgment of God for our sins. Is not this a spectacle to melt the heart? It is powerful enough, if earnestly contemplated, to make the Pharaoh that is within us all relinquish his grip upon the captive spirit. What read we of the prospective conversion of Israel? shall look on Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son; and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born". (Zec_12:10) See again Act_2:36, Act_2:37, "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts," etc. Cf. also Rev_2:7. The Cross inspires mourning
(1) By the spectacle it presents of holy suffering.
(2) By the recollection of who it is that there suffers.
(3) By the thought that it is our own sins which are the cause of this suffering.
(4) By the thought that it is the judgment of God in the infliction of the curse of sin which the Holy one is thus enduring.
(5) By the conviction of sin, and the dread of Divine justice, thus awakened.
(6) Above all, by the infinite love shown in this gift of the Son, and in the Son"s willingness to endure this awful agony and shame for our salvation. J.O.
HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART Vers. 29-42. Egypt"s sorrow: Israel"s joy.
I THE JUDGMENT OF EGYPT EMBLEM AND PROMISE OF THE WORLD"S JUDGMENT.
1. The time of visitation; midnight, when all were wrapt in deepest slumber and, notwithstanding the warning which had been given, busy only with dreams. The world will be surprised in the midst of its false security. "As it was in the days of Noel etc.
2. Its universality. There were none so high that God"s hand did not reachthem, and none so low that they were overlooked.
3. The after anguish. The whole nation, steeped the one moment indeceitful slumber, the next torn with the most heartrending and hopeless grief. Their sin had slain their dearest and best.
4. It is a hopeless sorrow. Their grief cannot bring back their dead. Theanguish of the wicked, like Esau"s, will find no place for repentance.
II THE DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL THE EMBLEM AND PROMISE OF THE FULL ENFRANCHISEMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
1. All that God had ever asked for them is granted. The demand forfreedom to the people of God, and the breaking of the yoke laid upon the poor, will yet be obeyed in fear by the persecutor and the oppressor.
2. It is pressed upon them with all the eagerness of deadly fear. Israel neverso desired the boon as the Egyptians that they should now accept it. The persecutors will come and worship at the Church"s feet.
3. They go forth laden with the treasures of Egypt. (Isa_60:5-17)
4. They go forth awed by the proof of God"s faithfulness. To a day had hekept the promise given to the fathers (ver. 41). The prophecies, now dim and misunderstood, will then be read in the light of God"s deeds, and like Israel of old, we shall know that God has kept the appointed time. U.
HOMILIES BY H.T. ROBJOHNS Vers. 29-42. March at midnight.
is that night of Jehovah". (Exo_12:42) Observe the striking words of the text! "The night of Jehovah," a night in which he specially appeared and acted on behalf of Israel. For a description of the scenery of this eventful night see Dr. W. M. Taylor"s "Moses," 99-101. In the treatment of this subject considerable exposition will be necessary. For material, see expository section of this commentary. It may, in order to include all important points, be marshalled thus (under each head we give suggestive hints):
I THE HAND THAT SMOTE. Most, if not all the nine earlier plagues, had a natural basis, the tenth had none. It was purely supernatural. They blended mercy (first warning and then withdrawal) with judgment. This was pure judgment. In them there was indeed a call to faith, but also room for unbelief. The demonstrations of God are seldom absolute. But the tenth judgment was awfully impressive. There is very little evidence of any secondary instrumentality, angelic, or any other; but see in the Heb_12:13, Heb_12:23. Jehovah this time smote with his own hand.
II THE VICTIMS. Firstborns. Of all beasts. Of men. But here distinguish between the first-borns of fathers and of mothers. In the tenth plague it was so, that the first-borns of mothers were the destroyed. (Exo_13:2) Now, these were the "sanctified" unto the Lord, first, as "living sacrifices," and as representing the consecration of each family, and then of the entire nation. But failing this consecration, their lives were forfeited. This was the case at that moment with the Israelites and Egyptians alike. In the case of the Egyptians the life of the first-born was taken, in that of the Israelites atoned for. Hence emerges a law of the Kingdom of God, that every soul that will not voluntarily consecrate himself to the Lord, must involuntarily come under the cloud of condemnation.
III THE OBJECTIVE. The gods of Egypt. (Exo_12:12) This was so with the nine plagues, it was especially so with the tenth. The heir to the throne was regarded as an incarnation of the Deity; by this plague God pronounced him common clay with the rest. But the first-born of animals also fell. This was a blow again st the animal worship of the land.
IV COMPLETENESS OF THE VICTORY. Here discuss whether Pharaoh"s permission was conditioned or unconditioned; and show that with Pharaoh"s resistance God"s demands increased, and that the king"s surrender must have been absolute, in spite of Exo_14:8, Exo_14:9. Note the pathos of the prayer of the now broken-hearted, Bless me also," Exo_12:32.
V THE BATTLE ARRAY. See Exo_13:18. Perhaps a good translation, instead of "harnessed," would be "militant," as including the outer armedness, and the inner valorous and jubilant spirit; both which ideas are in the original. Observe; the nine or ten months of preparation, the organisation in which the "elders" and Hebrew "clerks" of the works may have taken part, the arms they surely possessed, as witness the battle at Rephidim how probably they had become marshalled into detachments and places of rendezvous been appointed.
VI THE FESTAL RAIMENT. Israel "asked," Egypt "gave," under Divine influence, (Exo_12:36) gold, silver, and raiment; these might be regarded as the "spoils" of Israel"s victory, under God. These spoils were such as women might ask of women, (see Exo_3:22 is Feminine in the Hebrew) and such as women value. They were to be put not only on themselves, but on sons and daughters. The contributions of the Egyptian women must have been immense in quantity and value. Now then, why this spoiling? That Israel might march, not like a horde of dirty, ragged slaves, but in festal army. Compared with the slavery of Egypt the future might have been one long holiday, one holy day unto the Lord.
VII PARTAKERS OF THE JOY (12:38). Low caste people probably; even as it is at this day in the mission field of India. But the lesson is obvious the Lord"s salvations are for the sinful, the outcast, and the miserable.
VIII TRUTHS SUGGESTED.
1. The moment of salvation is the beginning of a new time. Israel"s history as a nation dates from that night (122). So the history of a soul dates from its conversion to God.
2. The new time is a festal time.
3. The redeemed should assume festal attire, (Luk_15:22) a bright eye, a cheerful countenance, etc.
4. Still he must don armour, and the Church must be militant.
5. The Church should welcome all comers; for the miserable need salvation, and the most rude are capable of some service. Comp. Deu_29:11, with Exo_12:38.
6. The salvations of God are full-orbed in their completeness. From the months of preparation till Israel went out in festal array, all was complete.
7. The moment of salvation is to be held in everlasting remembrance. (see Exo_12:42) So of the still greater salvation. R.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v29 A great cry in Egypt.
Exo_12:29-30
A great cry in Egypt.
Read full note →
The death of the firstborn of Egypt
I. We see here that Gods vengeance is as certainly executed upon the rebellious as it is threatened. Men cannot elude the stroke of heaven.
II. We see here that Gods vengeance is upon all sinners, no matter what their social position, whether king or beggar. He takes the rich from their wealth, the poor from their misery; and perhaps in the next life the relations of men may be inverted--the poor man may be the prince, and the prince the slave in the dungeon.
III. We see here that Gods vengeance comes upon sinners when they least expect it, and in their moments of fancied security. The darkness cannot hide from Him, We know not what will be in the approaching night.
IV. We see mere that Gods vengeance may make the most obstinate sinners yield to the demands of heaven. It is well to avoid the penalties of sin, though this is the very lowest motive for obedience to the will of heaven. The submission of Pharaoh
1. It was immediate upon the plague.
2. It was complete in its obedience.
3. It was comprehensive in its injunction.
4. It was welcomed by the Egyptians. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Not a house where there was not one dead
I. We shall notice some of the particulars detailed in this remarkable history. It is of no utility we read it, if it be not with care for our instruction.
1. Evidently there was a Divine design in this event. All events are of Providence, and not a single death takes place, however man seeks to shun it, without its concurrence. But in this ease, God obviously determined on giving palpable proof of His hand, that the blindest of the Egyptians should be able to see and own it.
(1) There was method in the dispensation.
(2) The time was remarkable.
(3) There was no death in any of the families of the Israelites.
2. Let us ascertain what was the design of God in this peculiar visitation of the Egyptians. He may bear long in patience with the unjust and cruel, but not always, and the lingering stroke will fall the more heavily at last.
II. When God resolves on punishing the rebellious, it is impossible to stay his hand.
1. How sudden was the infliction l No sign was given to the rebellious of this particular calamity; for they had been furnished with signs which, they had net properly regarded.
2. What may we suppose were the contemplations and feelings of the Israelites during these solemn proceedings? No doubt they had often been tempted to think hardly of Providence that had given them such evil things, and the Egyptians their good things of wealth and prosperity, at their cost. Now what a reverse! He is not unrighteous who taketh vengeance.
III. The scenes of mortality, still so common in our world, ought to produce in us a disposition to thine of our own approaching dissolution. Let two things be well considered.
1. A sense of the transitory nature of earthly scenes unquestionably is most necessary as a preparation and stimulus to seek the salvation of the soul. 2 What is it to be prepared for death? There is no other question equal in importance to this. You must see and feel yourself a lost sinner without Christ as your Saviour. (Essex Remembrancer.)
The marks of spiritual death
1. The first mark of spiritual death which I shall mention is that of living in any open and acknowledged sin; such as profane swearing, sabbath breaking, drunkenness, adultery, covetousness, and such like.
2. Another mark of spiritual death is a dependence in whole or in part upon ourselves for salvation. One of the first acts of the Spirit of God upon the heart is to convince men of sin.
3. A third mark of this state is, when under the preaching of the gospel, no change takes place in the life or conversation.
4. Another mark of this state is, a practical preference of the creature to the Creator, or of self to God. When the soul is quickened by the Holy Spirit, it makes God its chief happiness.
5. Another mark of those who ai e spiritually dead is, living without private and secret prayer. (J. H. Stewart, M. A.)
A kings bereavement
Henry I., on his return from Normandy, was accompanied by a crowd of nobles and his son William. The white ship in which the prince embarked lingered behind the rest of the royal fleet, while the young nobles, excited with wine, hung over the ships side taunting the priest who came to give the customary benediction. At last the guards of the kings treasure pressed the vessels departure, and, driven by the arms of fifty rowers, it swept swiftly out to sea. All at once the ships side struck on a rock at the mouth of the harbour, and in an instant it sank beneath the waves. One terrible cry, ringing through the stillness of the night, was heard by the royal fleet, but it was not until the morning that the fatal news reached the king. He fell unconscious to the ground and rose never to smile again! (H. O. Mackey.)
A fathers grief
On the death of his only son, the famous Edmund Burke wrote as follows: The storm has gone over me, and I lie like one of those old oaks which the late hurricane has scattered around me. I am stripped of all my honour. I am torn up by the roots, and lie prostrate on the earth. I am alone. (J. Tinling, B. A.)
The last plague, and the deliverance of the Israelites
Two questions naturally arise here: Why in this judgment upon the life of man should precisely the firstborn have been slain? and if the judgment was for the overthrow of the adversary and the redemption of Israel, why should a special provision have been required to save Israel also from the plague?
1. In regard to the first of these points, there can be no doubt that the slaying of the firstborn of Egypt had respect to the relation of Israel to Jehovah; Israel, said God, is My son, My firstborn: if thou refuse to let him go, I will slay thy son, thy firstborn (Exo_4:22-23). But in what sense could Israel be called Gods firstborn son? Something more is plainly indicated by the expression, though no more is very commonly found in it, than that Israel was peculiarly dear to God, had a sort of firstborns interest in His regard. It implies this, no doubt, but it also goes deeper, and points to the Divine origin of Israel as the seed of promise; in their birth the offspring of grace, as contradistinguished from nature. As the firstborn in Gods elect family is to be spared and rescued, so the firstborn in the house of the enemy, the beginning of his increase, and the heir of his substance, must be destroyed: the one a proof that the whole family were appointed to life and blessing; the other, in like manner, a proof that all who were aliens from Gods covenant of grace, equally deserved, and should certainly in due time inherit, the evils of perdition.
2. In regard to the other question which concerns Israels liability to the judgment which fell upon Egypt, this arose from Israels natural relation to the world, just as their redemption was secured by their spiritual relation to God. For, whether viewed in their individual or in their collective capacity, they were in themselves of Egypt: collectively, a part o! the nation, without any separate and independent existence of their own, vassals of the enemy, and inhabitants of His doomed territory; individually, also, partakers of the guilt and corruption of Egypt. It is the mercy and grace alone of Gods covenant which makes them to differ from those around them; and, therefore, to show that while, as children of the covenant, the plague should not come nigh them, not a hair of their head should perish, they still were in themselves no better than others, and had nothing whereof to boast, it was, at the same time, provided that their exemption from judgment should be secured only by the blood of atonement. (P. Fairbairn, D. D.)
A picture of the wrath to come
Is this a dreadful picture? Yet it is but a type of what must be--a shadow merely of the wrath to come to all the unsprinkled souls tenements in eternity. Ye that affect to think so lightly of death and eternity! see here this shadow and gather the elementary ideas of what shall be, from what has been already, under the government of God. Standing, in imagination, amid these complicated horrors in Egypt--the groans of the dying, mingling with the shrieks of the living, throughout a whole empire--all earthly pomp and power levelled to mingle its unavailing cries with the lowest and meanest in a common woe,--here see what it is for God to whet His glittering sword and His hand to take hold on vengeance. (S. Robinson, D. D.)
Gods direct interference
It is to be observed that in this last plague God is represented as descending in His own Person. It is no longer the man Moses, standing as a mediator between the king of Egypt and the King of kings. God Himself awakes to judgment; He hath girt His sword upon His thigh, and is come down;--Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt (Exo_11:4). This solemn assurance, though it might well strike terror into the hearts of the miserable Egyptians, would encourage and confirm the Israelites. What God had undertaken could not fail, could not miscarry. The course of Moses policy with Pharaoh hitherto had brought them no deliverance, but some increase of their sufferings, and many disappointments. Now they might feel assured that the promised rescue was at hand. The God of their fathers has given over the Egyptians appointed unto death, and is gathering the Israelites together for safety and release. Through the fall of Egypt salvation is come unto Israel; and the judgment which slays the one people is ordained as a type of mercy and redemption for the other, to be commemorated evermore. If God made use of natural means in a supernatural manner, as in the case of the locusts, and generally of the other plagues, the miracle would not, on that account, be less miraculous. But there are circumstances in the account of this plague which distinguish it from any known or specific form of disease. The firstborn only were smitten; these were singled out in every family with unerring precision, the houses of the Israelites, wherever the blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the door-posts being passed over. The death of all those thousands, both of man and beast, took place at the same instant--at midnight. Every one of these extraordinary events had been foretold by Moses. Whatever explanations modern scepticism may suggest, they were admitted without hesitation both by the Egyptians and the Jews to be the Lords doing, and marvellous in their eyes. The God whom they knew not had come among them, and made His presence felt: they stood face to face with their Creator. Fear fell upon them, and a horrible dread overwhelmed them; their flesh trembled for fear of Him, and they were afraid of His judgments. The sins of the parents were now visited upon the children: the seed of evildoers was cut off. Slaughter was prepared for the children, for the iniquity of their fathers. Is God unrighteous, then, that taketh vengeance? No;this is an act of retribution. The Egyptians had slain the children of the Israelites, casting their infants into the river. Now the affliction is turned upon themselves; the delight of their eyes is taken from them; all their firstborn are dead, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat upon his throne, unto the firstborn of the captive that was in his dungeon. (T. S. Millington.)
Midnight terror
A Southern lady, writing of the early days of the war in America, says--The fear of an uprising of the blacks was most powerful with us at night. The notes of the whip-poor-wills in the sweet.gum swamp near the stable, the mutterings of a distant thunderstorm, even the rustle of the night wind in the oaks that shaded my window, filled me with nameless dread. In the daytime it seemed impossible to associate suspicion with those familiar tawny or sable faces that surrounded us. We had seen them for so many years smiling or saddening with the family joys or sorrows: they were so guileless, patient, and satisfied. What subtle influence was at work that should transform them into tigers thirsting for our blood? But when evening came again, the ghost that refused to be laid was again at ones elbow. Rusty bolts were drawn and rusty fire-arms loaded. A watch was set where never before had eye or ear been lent to such a service. (H. O. Mackey.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v29 The Slaughter of the First-Born and the Exodus. —
The Slaughter of the First-Born and the Exodus. —
v. 29. And it came to pass that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of cattle. It was a supernatural visitation, a divine punishment which was here meted out, in spite of all the attempts to explain the facts in a natural way. The very fact that the firstborn only was stricken in every case, from the highest to the lowest, shows that it could not have been a mere accident of the Egyptian pest, nor would it have struck both man and beast all in the same night.
Read full note →
v. 30. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, there was lamenting from one end of the country to the other; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. God’s punishment spared none.
v. 31. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, the matter would not even wait for the coming of the morning, and said, Rise up and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. It was now not a mere permission, but a royal mandate, which showed signs of extreme excitement. The children of Israel were to have free hand to act as they thought best, to worship the Lord as they had indicated.
v. 32. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. All the former conditions were forgotten, and his terror reduced Pharaoh to the state where he begged to be left the blessing of Jehovah as a guarantee against further plagues.
v. 33. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste, they almost resorted to violence in hurrying the departure of the children of Israel; for they said, We be all dead men. That is often the effect when God visits His enemies with such a terrible destruction, that even the survivors are filled with a dread and panic which sees nothing but death on all sides.
v. 34. And the people (the children of Israel ) took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. "They had already put enough unleavened dough for seven days into the baking pans, and carried these on their shoulders, wrapped up in their outer garments, or rather in wrapping-cloths, such as might be used for mantles or wallets. " (Lange. )
v. 35. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold, costly vessels and jewelry, and raiment;
v. 36. and the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. The children of Israel simply demanded, and the Egyptians readily gave what was asked, glad, apparently, that they could give, if only it would mean the removal of the strangers out of their midst. And they spoiled the Egyptians, they took along all these treasures as rich plunder and as a well earned compensation, as a blessing of God.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v29 at midnight
at midnight
"in the middle of the night"
Read full note →
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt ... all the firstborn of cattle
Here, "firstborn" always refers to the oldest male offspring. See how you translated a similar phrase in Exodus 11:5.
who sat on his throne
This refers to Pharaoh.
the firstborn of the person in prison
"to the firstborn of people in prison." This refers to prisoners, in general, and not to a specific person in prison.
There was loud lamenting in Egypt
This can be stated with a verbal form. AT: "All the Egyptians cried loudly" (See: Abstract Nouns)
for there was not a house where there was not someone dead
This double negative emphasizes the positive. AT: "because someone was dead in every house" (See: Double Negatives)
translationWords
firstborn
Pharaoh
throne
prison
cow
servant
lament
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.