Exodus 11

Exodus 11:1

VI. THE PASSOVER AND THE DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN (11:112:30)11:1-10 Moses had not yet departed from Pharaoh’s presence. In verses 4-8 he is still speaking to the ruler. The first three verses may be thought of as a parenthesis. In view of the tenth and final plague, God told Moses to have the Israelites ask (not “borrow,” as in KJV) for gold and silver articles from the Egyptians. Moses warned Pharaoh that all the firstborn . . . of Egypt would be slain at midnight of the appointed date (see Exo_12:6), that the Israelites would not be affected by the slaughter, and that Pharaoh’s officials would bow down, begging the Hebrews to leave at once and en masse. Then Moses left the potentate in great anger. The warning fell on deaf ears, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart still more.