Exodus 11:4

Exodus 11:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
• New International Version (NIV)So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Moses said, "Thus says the Lord: 'About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt;

Context of Exodus 11:4

2Speak so that all of the people [of Israel] may hear, and tell every man to ask from his neighbor, and every woman to ask from her neighbor, articles of silver, and articles of gold.” 3The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, [both] in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘At midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5and all the firstborn in the land [the pride, hope, and joy] of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the hand-mill, and all the firstborn of cattle as well. 6There shall be a great cry [of heartache and sorrow] throughout the land of Egypt, such as has never been before and such as shall never be again.

Exodus 11:4 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה כַּחֲצֹ֣ת הַלַּ֔יְלָה אֲנִ֥י יוֹצֵ֖א בְּת֥וֹךְ מִצְרָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• About midnightחָצוֹתchâtsôth · middleH2676
• About midnightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• will I go outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• into the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Exodus 11:4

• Exodus 12:12For I [the Lord] will pass through the land of Egypt on this night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal; against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments [exhibiting their worthlessness]. I am the Lord.
• Job 34:20In a moment they die, even at midnight The people are shaken and pass away, And the powerful are taken away without a [human] hand.
• Amos 4:10“I sent a plague among you like [those of] Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword and I captured your horses, I made the stench of your camp rise up into your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance],” says the Lord.
• Amos 5:17And in all vineyards there is wailing, For I will pass through your midst [in judgment],” says the Lord.
• Matthew 25:6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! The bridegroom [is coming]! Go out to meet him.’
• 2 Samuel 5:24And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall pay attention and act promptly, for at that time the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”
• Psalms 60:10Have You not rejected us, O God? And will You not go out with our armies?
• Isaiah 42:13The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will stir up His zeal like a man of war; He will shout out, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail [mightily] against His enemies.
• Micah 2:13The breaker [the Messiah, who opens the way] shall go up before them [liberating them]. They will break out, pass through the gate and go out; So their King goes on before them, The Lord at their head.”

Commentaries on Exodus 11:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4About midnight will I go out - Whether God did this by the ministry of a good or of an evil angel is a matter of little importance, though some commentators have greatly magnified it. Both kinds of angels are under his power and jurisdiction, and he may employ them as he pleases. Such a work of destruction as the slaying of the first-born is supposed to be more proper for a bad than for a good angel. But the works of God's justice are not less holy and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And Moses said - The following words must be read in immediate connection with the last verse of the preceding chapter. About midnight - This marks the hour, but not the day, on which the visitation would take place. There may have been, and probably was, an interval of some days, during which preparations might be made both for the celebration of the Passover, and the departure of the Israelites.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-10Verses 4-10 The death of all the first-born in Egypt at once: this plague had been the first threatened, but is last executed. See how slow God is to wrath. The plague is foretold, the time is fixed; all their first-born should sleep the sleep of death, not silently, but so as to rouse the families at midnight. The prince was not too high to be reached by it, nor the slaves at the mill too low to be noticed. While angels slew the Egyptians, not so much as…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9The final plague was the death of the firstborn sons. The Egyptians worshiped life. They gave so much attention to preparations for life after death because they wanted to ensure that it would be at least as good as their lives in Egypt. Death itself is in God’s hand. There is no underworld god who can ultimately defeat the God of life. Both life and death belong to the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Thus saith the Lord, About midnight--Here is recorded the announcement of the last plague made in the most solemn manner to the king, on whose hardened heart all his painful experience had hitherto produced no softening, at least no permanently good effect. will I go out into the midst of Egypt--language used after the manner of men.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 11:4

• Plague

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Moses
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Cry
• Die
• Firstborn
• Plague
• Divorce in the Old Testament
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis

Commentaries on Exodus 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings