New Living Translation
Exodus 11:4
4Moses had announced to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt.
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
2Tell all the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3(Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.) Moses had announced to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt. 5All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die. 6Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again.
Read all of Exodus 11Exodus 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 12:12On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord!
- Job 34:20In a moment they die. In the middle of the night they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.
- Amos 4:10“I sent plagues on you like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago. I killed your young men in war and led all your horses away. The stench of death filled the air! But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
- Amos 5:17There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will destroy them all,” says the Lord.
- Matthew 25:6“At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
- 2 Samuel 5:24When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”
- Psalms 60:10Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies?
- Isaiah 42:13The Lord will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.
- Micah 2:13Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile, out through the gates of the enemy cities, back to your own land. Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you.”
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
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries