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Exodus 11

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Announcement of the Final Plague 1–3

1
And 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. ​
2
Speak 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. ​
3
And 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. ​

Moses Delivers the Judgment 4–8

4
And Moses said, Thus saith Jehovah, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: ​
5
and 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. ​
6
And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath not been, nor shall be any more. ​
7
But 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. ​
8
And 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. ​

God's Purpose in Pharaoh's Hardening 9–10

9
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh will not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. ​
10
And 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. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 11

Verse 1

one plague more — Nega, a stroke or blow, which occurs in Exodus only here. 'Thrust you out' is garash, doubled in the Hebrew: the verb of 'with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land' (Ex 6:1), and met on the night itself: 'they were thrust out of Egypt' (Ex 12:39). 'Altogether' is kalah, completely.

Verse 2

let every man borrow — Sha'al is to ask. The charge repeats Ex 3:22, 'every woman shall borrow of her neighbour… jewels of silver, and jewels of gold'; it is carried out in Ex 12:35–36, where Egypt 'lent unto them such things as they required'. It answers the word to Abram: 'afterward shall they come out with great substance' (Gen 15:14).

Verse 3

the man Moses was very great — Gadol, great: his standing follows the favour (chen) the LORD gave the people 'in the sight of the Egyptians', as he had promised (Ex 3:21). Of the same man the text later says, 'the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth' (Num 12:3). His standing is with Pharaoh's servants and with the people.

Verse 4

About midnight — Chatsot, midnight as a fixed hour; in the five books the word is found only here. The hour is kept: 'at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt' (Ex 12:29). 'Will I go out into the midst of Egypt' is the passing through of Ex 12:12, 'I will pass through the land of Egypt this night'.

Verse 5

all the firstborn — Bekor. This is the stroke announced in the message the LORD gave Moses for Pharaoh: 'Israel is my son, even my firstborn… I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn' (Ex 4:22–23). It reaches from Pharaoh on his throne to the maidservant 'behind the mill', and to the beasts; Ex 12:29 adds the captive in the dungeon.

Verse 6

a great cry — Tse'aqah, the noun of Israel's cry in Ex 3:7, 'have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters'. It now rises from Egypt: 'there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead' (Ex 12:30). The same superlative was said of the locusts (Ex 10:14).

Verse 7

not a dog move his tongue — Charats, to stir or move; the same figure marks Joshua's victory, when 'none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel' (Josh 10:21). 'Put a difference' is palah, the verb of Ex 8:22 and 9:4: the LORD sets a line between Egypt and Israel so that Israel may know.

Verse 8

bow down themselves unto me — The servants' coming is met on the night itself: Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and says, 'Rise up, and get you forth from among my people' (Ex 12:31), and the Egyptians are 'urgent' (Ex 12:33). 'That follow thee' is literally 'at thy feet' (regel). Moses 'went out' (yatsa), the verb of the LORD's going out in v.4.

Verse 9

my wonders may be multiplied — Mopheth, a wonder, the word of the first promise, 'I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders' (Ex 7:3). In Exodus it appears at 4:21, 7:3, 7:9 and 11:9–10. That Pharaoh 'shall not hearken' was said at the outset (Ex 7:4).

Verse 10

all these wonders — This is the summary of the nine plagues told from Ex 7:14 to Ex 10:29. The statement 'the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart' is made of the boils (Ex 9:12), the locusts (Ex 10:20) and the darkness (Ex 10:27), and here of the whole series. At Moses' death the record recalls 'all the signs and the wonders' sent 'in the land of Egypt' (Deut 34:11).