Commentary - Exodus 11:4-8

Bird's-eye view

This passage is the formal announcement of the tenth and final plague upon Egypt. After a long and escalating series of judgments, each designed to dismantle a particular deity in the Egyptian pantheon, Yahweh now strikes at the very heart of Egypt's identity and future: the firstborn son. This is not just another plague; it is the ultimate plague, the de-creation of Egypt. The announcement is delivered by Moses to Pharaoh, and it is a declaration of war from the sovereign God of heaven and earth. The central theme is God's absolute authority over life and death, and His sovereign right to make a distinction between His covenant people and those who stand in rebellion against Him. The passage is thick with covenantal language and legal force. It is the final verdict in a divine lawsuit, and the sentence is death. The climax is not just the prophecy of death, but the prophecy of Egypt's complete humiliation, where Pharaoh's own servants will beg the Israelites to leave. Moses, acting as God's plenipotentiary, delivers this final word and departs from Pharaoh's presence in "hot anger," signifying the end of all negotiations and the imminent execution of the sentence.

This event is the foundation of the Passover, and as such, it is saturated with gospel typology. The death of the firstborn is a terrifying picture of the wages of sin. The distinction God makes between Israel and Egypt points to the doctrine of election. The deliverance of Israel through this final judgment is a foreshadowing of our deliverance from sin and death through the ultimate judgment that fell upon God's own firstborn Son, Jesus Christ. This is not just a historical account of a bad night in Egypt; it is a revelation of the character of God, the nature of sin, the necessity of substitutionary atonement, and the glory of sovereign grace.

Outline

Context In Exodus

Exodus 11 comes at the end of a long and dramatic confrontation between Yahweh, represented by Moses and Aaron, and the gods of Egypt, represented by Pharaoh. Nine plagues have already struck the land, each one a targeted assault on some aspect of Egyptian life and worship. The Nile, the source of life, turned to blood. Frogs, a symbol of fertility, became a curse. Gnats and flies afflicted the people, while the Egyptian magicians were rendered powerless. The livestock died, boils afflicted man and beast, hail destroyed the crops, locusts ate what was left, and a palpable darkness covered the land. With each plague, Pharaoh's heart has grown harder, a process described as both his own stubborn act and a divine judgment from God. The previous chapter ended with Pharaoh threatening Moses with death if he ever saw his face again (Exod 10:28). Moses agreed, but not before delivering this one final, devastating prophecy. This chapter, therefore, is the culmination of the entire plague narrative. It is the final move in the chess match, and it is checkmate. What follows in chapter 12 is the institution of the Passover and the execution of this very judgment, leading directly to the liberation of Israel from their bondage.

Key Issues

The De-Creation of Egypt

What God is doing in the ten plagues is not a series of disconnected magic tricks. He is systematically unmaking the created order in Egypt. He is turning their world upside down to demonstrate that He alone is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. The Egyptians worshiped the Nile, so God turned it to death. They worshiped the sun god, Ra, so God turned out the lights. They worshiped gods of fertility and life, so God sent plagues of death upon their animals and their own bodies. In this final plague, God strikes at the principle of futurity and inheritance itself. The firstborn son was the carrier of the family name, the heir of the property, the future of the nation. In the ancient world, the firstborn represented the whole. By striking the firstborn, God was striking down all of Egypt in principle. Pharaoh himself was considered the son of Ra, a divine being, and his firstborn was the next god in line. This plague was a direct assault on the throne of Pharaoh and the entire religious and political structure of Egypt. It was the ultimate demonstration that Yahweh, not Pharaoh, is the Lord of life and death. This is de-creation as a prelude to a new creation, the birth of the nation of Israel out of the death of Egypt.

Verse by Verse Commentary

4 So Moses said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,

Moses speaks, but the words are not his own. He begins with the authoritative prophetic formula, "Thus says Yahweh." This is not a negotiation or a suggestion; it is a divine decree. And notice who the actor is. It is Yahweh Himself. "I am going out." In the previous plagues, God had used means like Moses' rod, or natural phenomena like hail and locusts. But this final judgment is so severe, so ultimate, that God declares He will execute it personally. He is not sending an angel at this point in the announcement; He is coming Himself, as the great divine warrior, to walk through the land of His enemies. The timing is also precise: "about midnight." This is the darkest hour, a fitting time for the darkest of all judgments. It is a time of deep sleep and vulnerability, a time when the terror would be most profound.

5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the servant-girl who is behind the millstones; and all the firstborn of the cattle.

The scope of the judgment is absolute and terrifyingly democratic. It touches every level of Egyptian society, from the highest to the lowest. It begins at the top, with the heir to the throne of the self-proclaimed god-king, Pharaoh. This is a direct strike against the royal succession and the divine pretensions of the Egyptian monarchy. But it does not stop there. It goes all the way down to the most humble and powerless member of society, the servant-girl grinding grain. No one is exempt. This demonstrates that the guilt of Egypt is corporate. The whole nation, from top to bottom, is complicit in the oppression of God's people. And the judgment extends even to the firstborn of the cattle, showing God's authority over the entire created order, and perhaps as a strike against the animal deities of Egypt. This sweeping sentence of death reveals the terrible nature of sin. It is no respecter of persons.

6 Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.

The result of this universal death will be a universal cry of anguish. This is the logical and emotional consequence of the plague. Every house will be a house of mourning. The grief will be national, public, and overwhelming. The text emphasizes its uniqueness. This sorrow will be a historical benchmark, an unprecedented and unrepeatable cataclysm of grief. This fulfills what God had said earlier, that He would deal with Egypt in a way that would be told throughout the generations. The cry of the Egyptians here is a terrible echo of the cry of the Israelites under their bondage, which God heard at the beginning of the story (Exod 2:23-24). God is a God of justice, and He hears the cries of the oppressed. Now, He will cause the oppressors to cry out, not in repentance, but in the agony of loss.

7 But for any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may know how Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’

In stark and dramatic contrast to the cacophony of grief in Egypt, there will be an unnatural, supernatural peace in the dwellings of Israel. The expression "a dog will not even bark" (literally, "sharpen its tongue") is a proverbial way of saying there will be absolute tranquility and security. Not the slightest disturbance will trouble them. And the purpose for this contrast is explicitly stated: "that you may know how Yahweh makes a distinction." The word for "makes a distinction" is a word that means to set apart, to make wonderful or distinct. This is the heart of the matter. God is demonstrating His sovereign election. He has chosen Israel to be His people, not because of their own righteousness, but because of His own gracious purpose. This plague is not a random disaster; it is a precise, surgical strike that perfectly distinguishes between the people of God and the enemies of God. This is a physical manifestation of the spiritual reality of election.

8 Then all these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

This is the final humiliation of Pharaoh. Not only will his land be devastated and his heir killed, but his own royal court, his "servants," will come to Moses, the man he had threatened to kill, and bow down before him. They will not just permit Israel to leave; they will beg them to leave. This is a complete reversal of the power dynamic. The slaves have become the masters, and the masters have become the supplicants. Moses, as God's representative, receives the submission that is due to God. Only after this complete capitulation will Moses and the people go out. The exodus will not be an escape; it will be a triumphant, victorious procession. The final clause is telling. Moses departs "in hot anger." This is not a petty, sinful outburst. It is a righteous indignation, a reflection of the holy wrath of God against Pharaoh's blasphemous and obstinate rebellion. After all the patience God has shown, all the warnings He has given, the time for talk is over. The time for judgment has come. Moses' anger is the righteous anger of a man who stands in the presence of God and sees evil for what it is.

Application

This passage, like all of Scripture, is about Jesus Christ. The final plague on Egypt is a terrifying display of God's wrath against sin, and it should drive us to the cross. We are all, by nature, citizens of Egypt, enslaved to the pharaoh of this world, Satan, and under the sentence of death. The wages of sin is death, and this story shows us what that looks like in vivid color. There is a midnight coming for every person who is not sheltered by the grace of God.

But God, in His great mercy, has made a distinction. Just as He set apart Israel, He has set apart a people for Himself, the church. And just as He provided a way of salvation for Israel through the blood of a lamb, He has provided our salvation through the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. On the night of the first Passover, the angel of death passed over every house that was marked with the blood. The firstborn inside was safe, not because he was innocent, but because a substitute had died in his place. This is the gospel in miniature. God's own firstborn Son was not spared. The judgment that we deserved, the full measure of God's "hot anger" against sin, fell upon Him at Calvary. He endured the ultimate cry of dereliction so that we might enjoy an ultimate and supernatural peace.

Therefore, the application is twofold. For those outside of Christ, it is a stark warning. Do not harden your heart as Pharaoh did. The patience of God has a limit. The judgment is real, and it is coming. Flee to Christ and be sheltered under His blood. For those who are in Christ, this is a profound comfort. God has made a distinction. He has set you apart. You are safe, not because of your own goodness, but because of His sovereign choice and the finished work of His Son. Your response should be one of humble gratitude, leading to a life of obedience. You have been brought out of Egypt. Do not live as though you are still a slave.