Exodus 11:4-8

"And Moses said, Thus saith Jehovah, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath not been, nor shall be any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how Jehovah doth make a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger."

Here is resumed the conversation between Moses and Pharaoh that was broken off for the parenthesis of Exodus 11:1-3. Pharaoh had just threatened Moses with death, and Moses, now knowing that total victory was assured, responded, "Very well", but before leaving, he thundered one more word from Jehovah.

"About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt ..." What midnight was this? All guessing here is useless, for it is not revealed. If the preparations for the institution of the Passover had already been made by Israel, which certainly could have been true, then that midnight could have been that of the very day Moses prophesied the final plague, but, on the other hand, if the detailed instructions for the slaying and eating of the Passover lamb were given to the people by Moses following this final interview with Pharaoh, then that midnight could well have been five or ten nights later. It seems more reasonable to us to suppose that the exact midnight was unspecified, leaving Pharaoh to be afraid and tremble every midnight until the fatal blow came. Certainly, all scholars agree that we do not know WHICH midnight was meant. "What midnight is meant cannot be determined."[17]

"All the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die ..." The critical canard that this widespread death of the first-born was merely a fabrication by later generations of Jews whose telling and retelling of the story changed some kind of a general epidemic into what is related here - that canard is as unreasonable as it is preposterous! Cannot anyone see that a general epidemic would never have resulted in Pharaoh's releasing a whole nation of slaves? In such an instance, he would have needed slaves more than ever. Such postulations are merely the mental reflexes of immoral and unbelieving minds. What is recorded here is truth. Pharaoh had continued to refuse the right of God's first-born (Israel) to worship Him (Exodus 4:22,23), and, "He will now experience the appropriate judgment, the death of his and Egypt's first-born, including even cattle."[18] We can only marvel at the notion advocated by some that because of the omission of this disaster from the monuments and records of pagan Egypt, it must not have been "anything remotely resembling the momentous event"[19] as presented in Exodus. Such a speculation is refuted by the fact the nation of Israel stands even yet as a living memorial to the tremendous event, and that the omission of it from Egyptian records was due solely to every people's reluctance to memorialize their shame and defeat. Did the first-born of Pharaoh really die? Yes, indeed. And, "If Tothmosis II was the Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus, the death of his first-born could have been the reason that he was succeeded by his widow!"[20]

"And there shall be a great cry ..." "The writer here sees the Exodus as an illustration of the eschatological victory of Yahweh,"[21] that is, as a type of the eternal judgment. Once the Israelites had cried under the whips of the slave-masters, but now the oppressors cry from the judgment inflicted by God.

"Not a dog shall move his tongue against man or beast (in Israel) ..." This is said to be a proverbial expression meaning either that "not a dog would bark," or that "no dog would harm." If it means the former, what a marvel this is? What prevented dogs from barking on a night when thousands of people were weeping and wailing all over Egypt? That God indeed controls, not merely, all men, but all animals is likewise seen in His stopping the mouths of the lions when Daniel was cast into their den.

"That ye may know how that Jehovah doth make a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel ..." These words could hardly have been addressed to any other than Pharaoh and are further proof that these verses are a continuation of the narrative interrupted by the parenthesis (Exodus 11:1-3).

"And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee ..." Pharaoh had forbidden Moses ever again to appear in his presence, but Moses' blunt reply is, "Very well, then let your servants appear in my presence." This of course happened, with even Pharaoh himself joining in the begging (Exodus 12:30-33).

"Shall come down ..." Rawlinson pointed out that, "Going from a nobler place to one of less distinction is called descending."[22]