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Exodus Chapter
Eleven
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 11
Moses having an intimation
from the Lord that one plague more would be brought on Pharaoh, and then he
would let Israel go, when they should borrow of their neighbours jewels of gold
and silver, the people being in great favour with the Egyptians, Exodus 11:1, he
declares to Pharaoh, before he went out of his presence, the slaying of all the
firstborn in Egypt, which would issue in the dismission of Israel, and then he
went out from him in great anger, Exodus 11:4, but
still Pharaoh would not hearken, and his heart was hardened, and he refused
again to let Israel go, Exodus 10:9.
Exodus 11:1 And the Lord said to Moses,
“I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let
you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of
here altogether.
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `One plague
more I do bring in on Pharaoh, and on Egypt, afterwards he doth send you away
from this; when he is sending you away, he surely casteth you out altogether
from this [place];
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... While in the presence of Pharaoh, by a secret impulse upon
his mind; or he had saidF13ויאמר
"dixerat", some in Vatablus, Ainsworth, Cartwright; so Aben Ezra. ,
which some refer as far back as to his appearance to him in Midian, Exodus 4:23, which
is too remote; rather it refers to the last time he went to Pharaoh, being sent
for by him; and the words may be rendered, "for the Lord had said"F14"Dixerat
enim", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Rivet. ; and so are a reason why
Moses was so bold, and expressed himself with so much confidence and assurance
to Pharaoh, that he would see his face no more:
yet will I
bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; upon him and
all his subjects, for the following one would affect all the families of Egypt,
in which there was a son:
afterwards he
will let you go hence; out of Egypt readily, at once, and not attempt to stop or retard
your going:
when he shall
let you go; declare his will, give leave and orders for it:
he shall surely
thrust you out hence altogether; absolutely, entirely, without any exception
or limitation, them, their wives, their children, their flocks and herds, and
whatsoever belonged to them, without any restraint upon them in any respect,
and without any condition of return, or fixing any time for it, but the
dismission should be general, unlimited, and unconditional; or, "in
thrusting he shall thrust you out"F15גרש
יגרש "expellendo expellet", Pagninus,
Montanus, Drusius; so Fagius, Vatablus, Cartwright. , with force and vehemence,
with urgency and in great haste.
Exodus 11:2 2 Speak
now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and
every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.”
YLT 2speak, I pray thee, in the ears of the
people, and they ask -- each man from his neighbour, and each woman from her
neighbour, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold.'
Speak now in
the ears of the people,.... This cannot be understood of the whole body of the people
being gathered together, but of some of the principal ones, who should communicate
it to others, and so from one to another, until all the heads and masters of
families became acquainted with it:
and let every
man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of
silver, and jewels of gold; to ornament themselves with at the feast
they were going to keep: the Samaritan and Septuagint versions add, and
clothing or raiment, and such it is certain they did borrow, Exodus 12:35 or
vesselsF16כלי σκευη
Sept. "vasa", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Piscator,
Drusius; "instrumenta", Junius & Tremellius. of different forms,
made of gold and silver, such as were fit and proper to be used at sacrifices
and feasts, and which will account for the vessels given by princes, Numbers 7:1 for the
doing of which the divine authority was sufficient; though there seems to be a
reason for it in justice, that they might be paid for their hard service they
had been made to serve for so many years, without having a proper reward for
it: the word may be rendered, "let every man ask", &c.
Exodus 11:3 3 And
the Lord
gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was
very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the
sight of the people.
YLT 3And Jehovah giveth the grace of the people in
the eyes of the Egyptians; also the man Moses [is] very great in the land of
Egypt, in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of the people.
And the Lord
gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians,.... So that
they freely and willingly lent them the things they asked of them; which seems
to be said by way of anticipation, for this was not done until the following
plague was inflicted, see Exodus 12:35,
moreover, the
man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt; his name was famous
throughout the whole land, because of the signs and wonders, and miracles
wrought by him; they took him to be a very extraordinary person, as he was, and
had him in great esteem, because at his entreaty the plagues were removed from
them, when they had been wrought on them; and this made them the more willing
to lend the above things to the people of Israel when they asked them of them,
because of their great respect to Moses, and whom, if they did not cordially
love, yet they feared, and might imagine that if they did not comply with the
request of his people, he might resent it, and employ his power against them; and
thus he stood, either beloved or feared, or both:
in the sight of
Pharaoh's servants; his ministers, courtiers, and counsellors: and in the sight of
the people; the common people, the inhabitants of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 11:4 4 Then
Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will
go out into the midst of Egypt;
YLT 4And Moses saith, `Thus said Jehovah, About
midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
And Moses said,.... To
Pharaoh before he left him, when he had told him he should see his face no
more; for the three preceding verses are to be read in a parenthesis, being
placed here by the historian, as giving some light to this last discourse and
transaction between Moses and Pharaoh:
thus saith the
Lord, about midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; perhaps to
the capital and metropolis of it, which might stand in the midst of it, as
usually does the royal city; or it may only signify that he would go into the
very heart of it, and steer his course all around in every part and quarter of
it, slaying the firstborn everywhere in all towns and cities throughout the
kingdom, as follows; in order to which he is said to go out, either from the
place where Moses used to go and pray to him, and where he met him and gave him
his orders and instructions, or out of the land of Goshen, where he dwelt among
the Israelites; or rather it only signifies the manifestation of himself in
some work and action of his, the exertion of his power in inflicting punishment
for sin: thus God is sometimes said to go forth out of his place when he is
about to exercise judgment in the earth; for this must be understood consistent
with his omnipresence, see Isaiah 26:21 and
this was to be done about midnight, the middle of the night following the
present day, which was the fourteenth of the month of Abib or Nisan; it was in
the morning of that day Moses had this discourse with Pharaoh, and in the
evening of it the passover was kept, and about the middle of the night the
firstborn were slain, as follows.
Exodus 11:5 5 and
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is
behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.
YLT 5and every first-born in the land of Egypt
hath died, from the first-born of Pharaoh who is sitting on his throne, unto
the first-born of the maid-servant who [is] behind the millstones, and all the
first-born of beasts;
And all the
firstborn in the land of Eygpt shall die,.... By the destroying
angel inflicting a disease upon them, as Josephus saysF17Antiqu. l.
2. c. 14. sect. 6. , very probably the pestilence; however, it was sudden and
immediate death, and which was universal, reaching to all the firstborn that
were in the families of the Egyptians in all parts of the kingdom:
from the
firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne: this
periphrasis, "that sitteth upon his throne", either belongs to
Pharaoh, and is a description of him who now sat upon the throne of Egypt; and
the Septuagint version leaves out the pronoun "his"; and so it is the
same as if it had been said the firstborn of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; or else,
to the firstborn, and describes him who either already sat upon the throne with
his father, as was sometimes the case, that the firstborn was taken a partner
in the throne, in the lifetime of his father; or who was the presumptive heir
of the crown, and should succeed him, and so the Targum of Jonathan,"who
shall or is to sit upon the throne of his kingdom:"
even unto the
firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; or
"behind the two mills"F18אחר הרחים "post molas", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus,
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "after the mill stones",
Ainsworth. , or "two millstones"; for it was the custom then, as with
the Arabs now, as Doctor Shaw relatesF19Travels, p. 231. Ed. 2. , to
grind their corn with hand mills, which were two stones laid on one another,
and in the uppermost was a handle, with which it was turned about by women,
between whom the two stones were placed, and so they might be said to be behind
them; though the phrase used does not necessarily suppose that they sat behind
the mill, for it may as well be rendered "by" or "near the
mill"F20 παρα το
μυλον, Sept. "ad molam", V. L. "apud molas",
Noldius, p. 11. No. 75. : this is not to be understood of the firstborn, as
behind the mill, or at it, and grinding, as Aben Ezra interpret's it, but of
the maidservant; it being the business of such in early times to turn these
mills, and grind corn, as it is now in Arabia, as the above traveller relates;
and so it was in Judea, in the times of Christ, Matthew 24:41 and
HomerF21 μεν αλετευουσι
μυλης, &c. Homer. Odyss. 7. l. 109. , in his times, speaks of
women grinding at the mill; see Gill on Matthew 24:41, the
design of these expressions is to show that none would escape this calamity
threatened, neither the king nor his nobles, nor any of his subjects, high and
low, rich and poor, bond and free: and all the firstborn of beasts: such as had
escaped the plagues of the murrain and boils: this is added, not because they
were such as were worshipped as gods, as Jarchi observes, but to increase their
misery and aggravate their punishment, these being their property and
substance, and became scarce and valuable, through the preceding plagues of the
murrain, boils, and hail, which destroyed many of their cattle.
Exodus 11:6 6 Then
there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not
like it before, nor shall be like it again.
YLT 6and there hath been a great cry in all the
land of Egypt, such as there hath not been, and such as there is not again.
And there shall
be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt,.... Of parents for the
loss of their firstborn sons, their heirs, the support and glory of their
families; children for the loss of their elder brethren; and servants for the
loss of the prime and principal in their masters' houses; and all in a dreadful
fright, expecting instantly death themselves:
such as there
was none like it, nor shall be like it any more; for though the later
destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea might be a greater loss, yet
not occasion greater mourning; since that was only a loss of military persons,
and did not affect at least so many families as this; and though their king was
lost also, it might not give them so much concern, since through his ill
conduct, his hardness and obstinacy, he had been the means of so many plagues
inflicted on them.
Exodus 11:7 7 But
against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man
or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference
between the Egyptians and Israel.’
YLT 7`And against all the sons of Israel a dog
sharpeneth not its tongue, from man even unto beast, so that ye know that
Jehovah doth make a separation between the Egyptians and Israel;
But against any
of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast,.... That is,
as no hurt should be done to man or beast among them, to the firstborn of
either of them, so there would be no noise or cry in their dwellings, but the
profoundest silence, stillness, and quietness among them; though this is
generally understood of what would be their case when on their march departing
out of Egypt, which was immediately upon the slaying of the firstborn; and, if
literally understood, it was a very extraordinary thing that a dog, which barks
at the least noise that is made, especially in the night, yet not one should
move his tongue or bark, or rather "sharpen"F21לא יחרץ non acuet, Noldius, p.
517. No. 1471. so Jarchi. his tongue, snarl and grin, when 600,000 men, besides
women and children, with their flocks and herds, set out on their journey, and
must doubtless march through many places where dogs were, before they came to
the Red sea; though it may also be interpreted figuratively, that not an
Egyptian, though ever so spiteful and malicious, and ill disposed to the
children of Israel, should offer to do any hurt either to the Israelites or
their cattle, or exclaim against them on account of the slaughter of their
firstborn, or say one word against their departure, or attempt to stop them,
but on the contrary would hasten their going, and be urgent for it:
that ye may
know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel; by preserving
them and theirs, when the firstborn of Egypt were destroyed, and by causing
stillness and quietness among them when there was an hideous outcry and doleful
lamentation among the Egyptians; and by bringing Israel quietly out from among
them, none offering to give the least molestation.
Exodus 11:8 8 And
all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get
out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he
went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
YLT 8and all these thy servants have come down
unto me, and bowed themselves to me, saying, Go out, thou and all the people who
[are] at thy feet; and afterwards I do go out;' -- and he goeth out from
Pharaoh in the heat of anger.
And all these
thy servants,.... Pharaoh's nobles, ministers, courtiers and counsellors, who
were then in his presence, and stood about him, to whom Moses pointed:
shall come down
unto me; from Pharaoh's palace, which might be built on an eminence, to
the place where Moses had dwelt during the time he had been in Egypt, which
might lie lower; or these should come from Zoan, or from Memphis, whichever of
them was now the royal city, to the land of Goshen, which lay lower than the
other part of Egypt; or it may only denote the submission of Pharaoh's,
servants, that they should in the time of their distress be so humble and
condescending as to come themselves to Moses, and as it follows:
and bow down
themselves unto me; in the most obsequious manner, humbly entreating, and earnestly
begging him:
saying, get
thee out, and all the people that follow thee; or "are at thy
feet"F23ברגליך "in pedibus
tuis", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; "sub pedibus tuis", Munster,
Vatablus; "qui est ad pedes tuos", Cartwright. , that were at his
beck and command, and under his power, as Aben Ezra; or that followed his
counsel and advice, as Jarchi, that did as he directed them, and went after him
as their leader and commander, even everyone of them; they that brought up the
rear, he, and all of them, would be desired to depart, and not a man remain
behind: this was fulfilled, Exodus 12:31,
and after that
I will go out; out of the land of Egypt, Moses, and all the children of Israel:
and he went out
from Pharaoh in a great anger; as soon as he had said the above words,
because he had bid him be gone from him, and had threatened him with his life,
if ever he saw his face more; and because he was so rebellious against God,
whose zeal inspired the heart of Moses with indignation against him, though the
meekest man on earth, and for whose glory he was concerned; though some
understand this of Moses going out from Pharaoh, when he and not Moses was in
great anger, because of what Moses had now threatened him with, and told him
what would be the issue of things, the submission of him and his nobles, and
the dismission of Israel; but this sense is not favoured by the accents.
Exodus 11:9 9 But
the Lord
said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied
in the land of Egypt.”
YLT 9And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Pharaoh doth
not hearken unto you, so as to multiply My wonders in the land of Egypt;'
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... Not at this time when he went out from Pharaoh, but some
time before this, for the words may be rendered, "the Lord had said"F24ויאמר "dixerat autem", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Rivet. , for so he had, as is related, Exodus 7:3, but the
historian makes mention of it here, to show that Moses was not ignorant of the
event of things; he knew that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened from time to
time, and that one plague after another must be inflicted, before he would let
the people go; and therefore when he prayed for the removal of any, it was not
in expectation that he would abide by his promise, but to do the will of God,
and the duty of his calling:
Pharaoh shall
not hearken unto you; to Moses and Aaron, and let the people of Israel go as required
of him:
that my wonders
may be multiplied in the land of Egypt; which Jarchi interprets
of the smiting of the firstborn, dividing the waters of the Red sea, and the
destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it; but since these words were said
before any of the plagues, were inflicted, it may refer to them all.
Exodus 11:10 10 So
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened
Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
YLT 10and Moses and Aaron have done all these
wonders before Pharaoh, and Jehovah strengtheneth Pharaoh's heart, and he hath
not sent the sons of Israel out of his land.
And Moses and
Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, Which are related in the
preceding chapters:
and the Lord
hardened Pharaoh's heart: one time after another, and yet more and more:
so that he
would not let the children of Israel go out of his land; until the
last plague, the slaying of the firstborn, was brought upon him and his people,
related in the following chapter.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》