Exodus 11

This chapter comes near the end of the ten plagues in Exodus. It follows the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, in chapter 10, and the scene in which Pharaoh tells Moses never to appear before him again. The tenth plague announced here takes place in chapter 12, together with the ordinances of the Passover.

Outline

• Verses 1–3: The LORD tells Moses that only after one more plague will Pharaoh let the people go, and He instructs that the people ask their neighbors for jewels of silver and gold. The people find favor with the Egyptians, and Moses is held in great esteem by Pharaoh's servants and by the people.
• Verses 4–8: Moses declares to Pharaoh that at midnight the firstborn will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the maidservant behind the mill, and even the firstborn of the cattle. Against Israel, he says, not even a dog will move its tongue. He then leaves Pharaoh's presence in great anger.
• Verses 9–10: The LORD says that Pharaoh will not listen, and the chapter concludes by noting that Pharaoh's heart was hardened (made stubborn) and that he did not let the people go.

Key Verses

• Exodus 11:5: "And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die" — reveals the nature of the final plague.
• Exodus 11:7: "the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel" — expresses the theme of distinction that runs through the entire plague narrative.
• Exodus 11:10: "and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart" — presents Pharaoh's stubbornness as the work of God.

People and Places

• Moses: Delivers God's word to Pharaoh.
• Aaron: Appears in verse 10 as the one who performed wonders together with Moses.
• Pharaoh: The title of the king of Egypt.
• Egypt: The land where Israel lived in bondage.

Points for Reflection

• Many interpreters read verses 4–8 as a direct continuation of the confrontation at the end of chapter 10, and regard verses 1–3 as an explanatory passage inserted between the two.
• The request for jewels of silver and gold (verse 2) is part of the process by which the promise of 3:21–22 is fulfilled in 12:35–36. Since Augustine, the "treasures of Egypt" have also been used as a figure for putting secular learning to use.
• Paul cites the hardening of Pharaoh's heart in Romans 9:18–23. The Calvinist tradition emphasizes God's sovereign decree, while the Arminian and Wesleyan traditions emphasize human responsibility, reading these verses together with passages in which Pharaoh hardened his own heart (8:15 and elsewhere). For details, see the article Predestination and Free Will.
• The death of the firstborn and the theme of distinction lead, by way of the Passover lamb, to 1 Corinthians 5:7 and Hebrews 11:28.