Exodus 11:5
in Exodus 11and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and all the first-born 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.
KJV
And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
⋯
This verse in Exodus 11
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Two points are to be noticed: 1. The extent of the visitation: the whole land suffers in the persons of its firstborn, not merely for the guilt of the sovereign, but for the actual participation of the people in the crime of infanticide Exo 1:22. 2. The limitation: Pharaoh’s command had been to slay ALL the male children of the Israelites, but only one child in each Egyptian family was to die. If Tothmosis II was the Pharaoh, the visitation fell with special severity on his family. He left no son, but was succeeded by his widow.
This site's exposition
from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth
Genesis spent fifty chapters putting the younger ahead of the elder, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Ephraim over Manasseh, and Exodus turns and deals with the firstborn directly. The words answer Exodus 4:22 and 4:23, where God called Israel his firstborn son and told Pharaoh what a refusal would cost, so the last plague was named before the first one fell. The stroke reaches from the throne to the handmill, which puts it on the house that gave the order at 1:22 and on the house that grinds the grain. Exodus 13:2 will take up the survivors with sanctify unto me all the firstborn, and that is the first occurrence of sanctify in Scripture.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Isidore of SevilleQUESTIONS ON THE OLD TESTAMENT, EX 14:16 · Written before 636.
proposed
Finally the firstborn of the Egyptians are destroyed. They are the principalities and powers and the rulers of this world of darkness. Or they are the originators and inventors of the false religions that existed in this world. The truth of Christ put an end …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Warning is here given to Pharaoh of the last and conquering plague which was now to be inflicted. This was the death of all the first-born in Egypt at once, which had been first threatened ( ch. iv. 23 , I will slay thy son, thy first-born ), but is last executed; less judgments were tried, which, if they had done the work would have prevented this.
And all the firstborn in the land of Eygpt shall die,....
The time is fixed--about midnight, the very next midnight, the dead time of the night; when they were all asleep, all their first-born should sleep the sleep of death, not silently and insensibly, so as not to be discovered till morning, but so as to rouse the families at midnight to stand by and see them die. The extent of this plague is described,
The prince that was to succeed in the throne was not too high to be reached by it, nor were the slaves at the mill too low to be taken notice of. Moses and Aaron were not ordered to summon this plague; no I will go out, saith the Lord,
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Two portable millstones are used for the purpose, of which the uppermost is turned by a small wooden handle, and during the operation the maid sits behind the mill.
The first-born of Pharaoh, etc. - From the heir to the Egyptian throne to the son of the most abject slave, or the principal person in each family. See Clarke’s note on Exo 12:29. The maid-servant that is behind the mill - The meanest slaves were employed in this work. In many parts of the east they still grind all their corn with a kind of portable mill-stones, the upper one of which is turned round by a sort of lever fixed in the rim. A drawing of one of these machines as used in China is now before me, and the person who grinds is represented as pushing the lever before him, and thus running round with the stone. Perhaps something like this is intended by the expression Behind the mill in the text. On this passage Dr. Shaw has the following observation: - “Most families grind their wheat and barley at home, having two portable mill-stones for that purpose, the uppermost of which is turned round by a small handle of wood or iron that is placed in the rim. When this stone is large, or expedition required, a second person is called in to assist; and as it is usual for women alone to be concerned in this employment, who seat themselves over against each other with the mill-stone between them, we may see, not only the propriety of the expression (Exo 11:5) of sitting behind the mill, but the force of another, (Mat 24:41), that two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” - Travels, p. 231, 4th edit. These portable mills, under the name of querns, were used among our ancestors in this and the sister kingdoms, and some of them are in use to the present day. Both the instrument and its name our forefathers seem to have borrowed from the continent. They have long existed among the inhabitants of Shetland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, etc.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Who is fit to sit upon Pharaoh’s throne after him. 22 Pharaoh’s first-born did not sit on the throne of Egypt, hence I.E.’s comment.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
THUS SAITH THE ETERNAL: ABOUT MIDNIGHT WILL I GO OUT INTO THE MIDST OF EGYPT. Moses said this to Pharaoh and to his servants, as he mentioned at the end of his words, And all these thy servants shall come down unto me. 91 Verse.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמֵ֣ת | umet | and he will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בְּכוֹר֮ | bekhor | firstborn | H1060 → | 122 times |
| בְּאֶ֣רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִצְרַיִם֒ | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| מִבְּכ֤וֹר | mibekhor | from [the] firstborn of | H1060 → | 122 times |
| פַּרְעֹה֙ | paroh | Pharaoh | H6547 → | 274 times |
| הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב | haiyoshev | who sits | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כִּסְא֔וֹ | kiso | throne his | H3678 → | |
| עַ֚ד | ʾad | unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| בְּכ֣וֹר | bekhor | [the] firstborn of | H1060 → | 122 times |
| הַשִּׁפְחָ֔ה | hashifchah | the maidservant | H8198 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אַחַ֣ר | ʾachar | [is] behind | H310 → | 715 times |
| הָרֵחָ֑יִם | harechayim | the hand-mill | H7347 → | |
| וְכֹ֖ל | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בְּכ֥וֹר | bekhor | firstborn of | H1060 → | 122 times |
| בְּהֵמָֽה׃ | behemah | livestock | H929 → | 190 times |
וּמֵ֣תand he will die
umetH4191 →839 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
בְּכוֹר֮firstborn
bekhorH1060 →122 times
בְּאֶ֣רֶץin [the] land of
beeretzH776 →2504 times
מִצְרַיִם֒Egypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
מִבְּכ֤וֹרfrom [the] firstborn of
mibekhorH1060 →122 times
פַּרְעֹה֙Pharaoh
parohH6547 →274 times
הַיֹּשֵׁ֣בwho sits
haiyoshevH3427 →1079 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כִּסְא֔וֹthrone his
kisoH3678 →
עַ֚דunto
ʾadH5704 →1261 times
בְּכ֣וֹר[the] firstborn of
bekhorH1060 →122 times
הַשִּׁפְחָ֔הthe maidservant
hashifchahH8198 →
אֲשֶׁ֖רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אַחַ֣ר[is] behind
ʾacharH310 →715 times
הָרֵחָ֑יִםthe hand-mill
harechayimH7347 →
וְכֹ֖לand every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
בְּכ֥וֹרfirstborn of
bekhorH1060 →122 times
בְּהֵמָֽה׃livestock
behemahH929 →190 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 12:29Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon,…
it leads to
- Psalms 78:51
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 105:36
Then He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 135:8
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of both man and beast.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 136:10
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 4:23
and I told you to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But since you have refused to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son!’”
- Psalms 78:51
Through
Exodus 13:15And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn…
it leads to
- Exodus 12:29
Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 12:29
Through
Psalms 135:8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of both man and beast.
it leads to
- Exodus 12:12
On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 12:12
Through
Psalms 78:51He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
it leads to
- Psalms 105:23
Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
- Psalms 105:23
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Isidore of Seville, QUESTIONS ON THE OLD TESTAMENT, EX 14:16; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.