A Tenth and Final Plague Threatened (Exodus 11:1-10)

1 The Lord [had] said to Moses [previously in 3:19-22 and 7:3-5], “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. [Pharaoh will be so humiliated and the punishment so severe, that he will not only let you go but require that you do by force if need be.] 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” [God’s plan was to give them great financial resources.] 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. [The Egyptians had come to respect Moses and the Hebrews out of fear—their God was crushing theirs—and out of pragmatism—get rid of these people before they get rid of us! The only person keeping them from going was Pharaoh.]

4 So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord [the prophetic message formula]: ‘About midnight [the darkest, deepest time of night when most people are asleep, vulnerable and defenseless] I [personally] will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. [In the previous plagues God had caused something to happen. In the case of insects, they had done the harm. Now God would do it himself. Was allowing these people to die quietly in their sleep an act of grace?] 6 There shall be a great cry [the same word as used of the Israelites under their great oppression; the tables are turned] throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again [unparalleled]. [The grief will come in the morning discovery of the night’s losses. Was it fair for so many to experience loss when it was Pharaoh who disobeyed God? Why did God not kill Pharaoh and Pharaoh alone? Why kill the firstborn of cattle as well? Did families with firstborn daughters suffer as well?] 7 But not a dog [think rat in modern times] shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me [and not to Pharaoh], saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger [because he was under the threat of death]. 9 Then the Lord [had] said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land. [God is in control.]