Psalms 135:8
in Psalms 135He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of both man and beast.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Who smote the first-born of Egypt, Both of man and beast;
KJV
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
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This verse in Psalms 135
Commentary
7 notes on this verseWho smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast. Herein the Lord is to be praised; for this deadly smiting was an act of justice against Egypt, and of love to Israel. But what a blow it was! All the firstborn slain in a moment! How it must have horrified the nation, and cowed the boldest enemies of Israel! Beasts because of their relationship to man as domestic animals are in many ways made to suffer with him.
This site's exposition
struck down the firstborn of Egypt
on Psalms 135:8-12
The recital runs from the firstborn of Egypt and the signs sent against Pharaoh to the kings struck down and their land given to Israel. John Gill reads Sihon and Og as named because they were the first slain and the most powerful of them. Psalm 136:19 to 22 names the same two.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
We see therefore these things in that work of His; we praise, we marvel at, we bless God; let us see what He has done among men for His people. "Who smote the first-born of Egypt." But withal those divine doings are told which you might love, those are not told which you might fear. Attend, and see that also when He is angry, He does what He wills.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast. Herein the Lord is to be praised; for this deadly smiting was an act of justice against Egypt, and of love to Israel. But what a blow it was! All the firstborn slain in a moment! How it must have horrified the nation, and cowed the boldest enemies of Israel! Beasts because of their relationship to man as domestic animals are in many ways made to suffer with him. The firstborn of beasts must die as well as the firstborn of their owners, for the blow was meant to astound and overwhelm, and it accomplished its purpose. The firstborn of God had been sorely smitten, and they were set free by the Lord's meting out to their oppressors the like treatment.
Who smote the first-born of Egypt - See the parallel passages.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt - As the last and the greatest of the plagues brought upon the Egyptians; the chief and crowning judgment under which they were made willing that the children of Israel should go, and which was in fact the judgment which secured their freedom. This is selected here evidently for this reason, instead of recounting all the plagues which were brought upon the Egyptians. Both of man and beast - Exo 11:5. Margin, as in Hebrew, From man unto beast. That is, including both; smiting both.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שֶֽׁ֭הִכָּה | shehikah | who <he> struck down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| בְּכוֹרֵ֣י | bekhorei | [the] firstborn<s> of | H1060 → | 122 times |
| מִצְרָ֑יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| מֵ֝אָדָ֗ם | meadam | from humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| בְּהֵמָֽה׃ | behemah | animal[s] | H929 → | 190 times |
שֶֽׁ֭הִכָּהwho <he> struck down
shehikahH5221 →499 times
בְּכוֹרֵ֣י[the] firstborn<s> of
bekhoreiH1060 →122 times
מִצְרָ֑יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
מֵ֝אָדָ֗םfrom humankind
meadamH120 →551 times
עַד־unto
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
בְּהֵמָֽה׃animal[s]
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 12:12On 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…
it leads to
- Numbers 33:4
who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods.
- Psalms 82:6
I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’
- Numbers 33:4
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 136:10He struck down the firstborn of Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.
it leads to
- Psalms 78:51
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 78:51
Through
Psalms 78:51He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
it leads to
- Psalms 136:10
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 105:36
Then He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 12:29–30
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.
- Psalms 105:23
Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
- Psalms 136:10
About Psalms
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); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 135; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.