Exodus 4:23 - Exposition

I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn . For the fulfilment of the threat, see Exodus 12:29 . Moses did not utter it till all other arguments were exhausted, and he knew that he was having his last interview with the monarch ( Exodus 10:29 ; Exodus 11:4 , Exodus 11:5 ). In this reserve and in the whole series of his dealings with the Egyptian king, we must regard him as simply carrying out the special directions which, after his return to Egypt, he continually received from the Almighty. (See Exodus 6:11 ; Exodus 7:9 , Exodus 7:15 19: Exodus 8:1 , Exodus 8:5 , Exodus 8:16 , Exodus 8:20 , etc.)