CCChurch CommonsBible Reader

Shared Word Translation

Exodus 11

1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “One more blow I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will send you away from here. When he sends you away completely, he will drive you out from here. 2
Speak, please, in the hearing of the people: let each man ask his neighbor, and each woman her neighbor, for articles of silver and articles of gold.”

3
And the LORD gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants and in the eyes of the people.

4
And Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, 5
and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the slave woman behind the millstones, and every firstborn of livestock. 6
There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as has never been and such as will never again be. 7
But against all the children of Israel, not even a dog will sharpen its tongue, against human or animal, so that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8
Then all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Go out—you and all the people at your feet!’ After that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in burning anger.

9
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my signs may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10
Moses and Aaron performed all these signs before Pharaoh. But the LORD strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not send the children of Israel out of his land.

Study help

Notes

Translation notes for Exodus 11.

v01

11:1 — “one more blow”: The word translated “blow” can refer to an affliction or a striking. It gathers the coming death of the firstborn into the sequence of judgments already brought upon Pharaoh and Egypt.

v02

11:2 — “ask”: The Hebrew verb ordinarily means “ask” or “request,” not necessarily “borrow.” The text presents the Israelites receiving silver and gold articles from their Egyptian neighbors as they prepare to leave.

v05

11:5 — “the slave woman behind the millstones”: The movement from Pharaoh on the throne to an enslaved woman at the grinding stones reaches across Egypt’s social order. The judgment described is not limited to the royal household.

v07

11:7 — “not even a dog will sharpen its tongue”: This vivid expression depicts complete quiet and absence of threat among Israel, in contrast to the great cry throughout Egypt.

v08

11:8 — “the people at your feet”: The phrase may refer to those who follow Moses or are under his leadership. Its bodily image portrays the whole people gathered to depart with him.

v10

11:10 — “strengthened Pharaoh’s heart”: The chapter closes by naming the LORD as the one who strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, while also recounting Pharaoh’s refusal to send Israel away. The narrative holds divine purpose and Pharaoh’s resistance together without explaining away either.

v08

“the people at your feet”: The phrase may refer to those who follow Moses or are under his leadership.

Study help

Vocabulary

Selected source-language vocabulary for Exodus 11.

v01

**11:1

נֶגַע (negaʿ):** “Blow” or “affliction.” Here it names the final judgment that will compel Pharaoh not merely to release Israel but to drive them away.

v03

**11:3

חֵן (ḥēn):** “Favor.” The LORD gives Israel favor in Egyptian eyes, reversing the expected relation between an enslaved people and the land that has oppressed them.

v05

**11:5

בְּכוֹר (bekhôr):** “Firstborn.” Repeated through the verse, the term marks the scope of the coming death across human households and livestock.

v07

**11:7

יַפְלֶה (yapleh):** “Makes a distinction” or “sets apart.” The verb emphasizes the LORD’s decisive differentiation between Egypt and Israel in this judgment.

v09

**11:9

מוֹפֵת (môpēt):** “Sign” or “wonder.” These acts are not merely displays of power; they make known the LORD’s purpose within Egypt.

v01

נֶגַע (negaʿ)

“Blow” or “affliction.” Here it names the final judgment that will compel Pharaoh not merely to release Israel but to drive them away.

v03

חֵן (ḥēn)

“Favor.” The LORD gives Israel favor in Egyptian eyes, reversing the expected relation between an enslaved people and the land that has oppressed them.

v05

בְּכוֹר (bekhôr)

“Firstborn.” Repeated through the verse, the term marks the scope of the coming death across human households and livestock.

v07

יַפְלֶה (yapleh)

“Makes a distinction” or “sets apart.” The verb marks the LORD’s decisive differentiation between Egypt and Israel in this judgment.