Exodus 11:1-10

The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here;¹ indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you away.² Tell the people that every man is to ask his neighbour and every woman is to ask her neighbour for objects of silver and gold.’³ The Lord gave the people favour⁴ in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was a man of great importance in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s officials, and in the sight of the people.⁵

Moses said, ‘Thus says the Lord: About midnight I will go out through Egypt. Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die,⁶ from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the livestock.⁷ Then there will be a loud cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as has never been nor will ever be again. But not a dog shall growl at any of the Israelites—not at people, not at animals—so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.⁸ Then all these officials of yours shall come down to me, and bow low to me,⁹ saying, “Leave us, you and all the people who follow you.” After that I will leave.’ And in hot anger¹⁰ he left Pharaoh.


The Lord said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh will not listen to you, in order that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.’ Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,¹¹ and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.



1 Pharaoh's projected relenting is finally given a specific timing.

2 A focus on the intensity of their release – the Egyptians, who would not let them go before, will actually drive them away.

3 Strange to place the looting in this context. It seems to be an important element to show the power the Israelites had gained over the Egyptians

4 A strange form of favor.

5 What kind of importance? I can imagine them fearing/hating his power, or I can imagine them sick of Pharaoh's actions and respecting Moses more than him as a man of true power. Interesting that it doesn't say “in the eyes of Pharaoh”.

6 A reflection of the plague that Egypt forced upon the Hebrews at the beginning. In fact, not even that bad, for the Egyptians intended to kill ALL of the Hebrews' male children, not just the firstborn.

7 Again, the slaves and the livestock (and the children, for that matter) suffer alongside Pharaoh, though they don't seem culpable at all.

8 Distinctions had been building for several plagues, but this is by far the strongest

9 The degree to which they will respect God is made clear

10 Fascinating to see Moses's hot anger...anger at Pharaoh for forcing things to this point?

11 The Lord is credited for hardening Pharaoh's heart. But if the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, who is Moses angry at?

Take-home: All the plagues will culminate in the worst plague yet, and then Pharaoh will finally let the people go with strong intensity. The favor the Israelites have been gaining due to the wonders is emphasized, as is the distinctions made between the Egyptians and the Israelites. Once again the question of God's culpability in Pharaoh's hardheartedness is brought up, especially considering Moses's “hot anger”.