Saturday, November 25, 2006

Exodus 11

Plague 10: Death for Egypt’s Firstborn


(1) Then the Lord* said to Moses, “I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country. In fact, he will be so eager to get rid of you that he will force you all to leave.


*Lord: Yahweh


(2) Tell all the Israelite men and women to ask* their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”


*ask: The Hebrew word is shaw-al' and means "request," "demand," and so on, as well as "borrow." There was no promise of returning the items. The children of Israel had worked as slaves for those from whom they received the valuable items.


(3) (Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)


(4) Moses had announced to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt.


(5) All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die.


   This is exactly what God told Moses what would finally happen in Exodus 4:21-24: And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go. Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’” This will be an attack on the god Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead. Only Yahweh has power over life and death! This is also payback for what the other Pharaoh did to the firstborn of the Hebrews in chapter 1.


   The firstborn in Egyptian and Israelite cultures was significant, but the firstborn of Pharaoh was most important. Pharaoh was considered a god, the son of Re, the sun god, for the specific purpose of ruling over Re’s chief concern, the land of Egypt. For the purpose of re-creation, the supreme god assumed the form of the living king and gave seed which was to become the next king and the next “son of Re.” Moreover, the Pharaoh was the incarnation of the god Horus, a falcon god whose province was the heavens. Horus represented the living king who succeeded the dead king Osiris. Every living king was Horus, every dead king Osiris. To strike any firstborn was to destroy the heir, who embodied the hopes and aspirations of the Egyptians, but to strike the firstborn son of Pharaoh was to destroy this cardinal doctrine of the divine kingship of Egypt. Such a blow would be enough for Pharaoh, for then he would drive the Israelites out. - Net Bible: http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm


   Each night, according to Egyptian teaching, the sun fought and killed the snake Apophis who symbolized the hostile darkness, so that the sun could shine again. But this night it would not be the sun, but it would be Yahweh Who would go forth and he would slay, not the snake Apophis, but all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, including the firstborn of the house of Pharaoh who was himself destined to become an incarnation of the sun. Everything would be turned upside down. The gods of Egypt would be put into disarray. - Commentary on Exodus (part 2): www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus2.html


(6) Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again.


(7) But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction* between the Egyptians and the Israelites.


*distinction: This "distinction" is implicitly what being sanctified means - to be set apart as holy, separated from the world for God's purpose.


   The whole point at issue has been the honoring of Yahweh as God of the whole earth. Those who honored Him would be safe (and this would apply even if they were Egyptians if they followed His instructions), those who refused to honor Him would experience His judgment. - Commentary on Exodus (part 2): www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus2.html


(8) All the officials of Egypt will run to me and fall to the ground before me. ‘Please leave!’ they will beg. ‘Hurry! And take all your followers with you.’ Only then will I go!” Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.


   The scene is awesome. There in the throne room of Pharaoh, Moses looked around at all the high officials in Pharaoh’s court and indicated them. They were standing there horrified and angry and possibly a little apprehensive at the effrontery of Moses and totally subservient to Pharaoh. The last thing they had in mind was bowing to Moses. But he pointed out that despite themselves they would shortly bow to him and would plead with him to leave Egypt along with all his people. And then, once they had done that, he would go. We can imagine how they must have felt at that moment. They hated this man and what he had done to Egypt, but they were also terrified of him. For they had experienced what power he had. Yet they knew that Pharaoh had endured through it all and was still adamant, and they dared not oppose Pharaoh. What then could he possibly do to change Pharaoh’s mind? And yet in their heart of hearts there must have been fear at some unknown that they could not conceive of which might yet strike Egypt. And it was because they were not sure what he could do, that they let him go. - Commentary on Exodus (part 2): www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus2.html



   This was no longer the timid Moses. He was now equal to Pharaoh, no, even above him. And he was angry at all Pharaoh’s duplicity. Pharaoh had constantly made promises and then reneged on them. His word could no longer be trusted. Furthermore Moses himself had suffered the humiliation earlier of being hustled out of Pharaoh’s presence, no doubt with little ceremony. And that had been a humiliation for Yahweh too, for Moses was His ambassador. And so Moses strode out in hot anger without another word leaving Pharaoh bristling on his throne. But it was the righteous anger of Moses that would prevail. - Commentary on Exodus (part 2): www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus2.html


(9) Now the Lord had told Moses earlier, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, but then I will do even more mighty miracles in the land of Egypt.”


(10) Moses and Aaron performed these miracles in Pharaoh’s presence, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart*, and he wouldn't let the Israelites leave the country.


*hardened Pharaoh’s heart: Pharaoh had his mind made up long before the plagues began. He couldn't believe that someone was greater than he, the son of Amon-Ra.



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • "Cruden's Complete Concordance" - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "Breath of the Holies: Secrets of Moses' Tabernacle" - DVD by Perry Stone

  • "In Search of the Mountain of God" by Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "Life Application Study Bible" - New Living Translation version - Tyndale House Publishers

  • "Symbols of Judaism" by Marc-Alai Ouaknin - Barnes & Noble Books, publisher

  • "The Companion Bible" by E. W. Bullinger - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "The Exodus Revealed: Searching for the Red Sea Crossing" - (2001), DVD, Studio: Questar, ASIN: B00005AUE2, available from Amazon.com

  • "The Defender's Study Bible" -World Bible Publishers

  • "The Miracle of Passover" - DVD by Zola Levitt

  • "The NIV Application Commentary - Exodus" – Peter Enns – Zondervan™

  • "The Ten Commandments" (1956 film) from Paramount Pictures, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Charlton Heston as Moses

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)