Exodus 11:1–10, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Exodus 11:1–10
The Death of the Firstborn Is Announced
One more plague, then they will be driven out
The LORD tells Moses there is one plague more; afterward Pharaoh will let them go, even thrust them out altogether. Israel is to ask neighbors for silver and gold jewels. Moses is very great in Egypt in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and the people.
Midnight will reach from the throne to the mill
About midnight the LORD will go out through Egypt. Every firstborn shall die, from Pharaoh's firstborn on the throne to the firstborn of the maidservant behind the mill, and the firstborn of beasts. There will be a great cry unlike any before or after. Against Israel not a dog will move its tongue, so that Egypt may know the LORD puts a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
Servants will bow and urge them out. Moses leaves in great anger. Pharaoh will not listen, that wonders may be multiplied; the LORD hardens his heart. This announcement is the climax of the plague cycle, not a separate riddle. Egyptian grief, including children's deaths, must remain visible beside the promised release. The text does not make children, servants, or animals guilty for a king's refusal.
How this should shape us
Reject any justice that makes children, prisoners, servants, or families pay for a leader. If you must name a dreadful judgment, keep the cry of the bereaved in the sentence, and do not rehearse this midnight as a weapon against Egyptians or any living people.
Teach it back
Explain Exodus 11:1–10 in your own words. Include both movements, its place in Exodus, one historical or compositional uncertainty, one affected person or group, and one conclusion the complete context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Careful interpreters agree that the received text states the following: One final plague will compel departure; midnight death reaches from Pharaoh's heir to the enslaved woman's firstborn and animals, producing a great cry and a decisive distinction. They disagree over source layers, date, historical recovery, archaeology, Hebrew details, ritual development, legal use, and canonical relationship in different proportions; this study treats the final form directly while marking those alternatives as probable or uncertain rather than settled fact.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exodus 11:1–10, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech, law, ritual vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Exod.xml, words and morphology for 11:1–10
Supports: Unit-bounded Hebrew, syntax, lexical, textual, name, measure, legal, ritual, and older-English notes; silence is not evidence.
NET Bible Exodus PDF, complete 127-page PDF, translation and verse-attached translator notes for 11:1–10
Supports: Canonical plague sequence, composite details, Pharaoh negotiations, hardening, moral difficulty, Egyptian setting, and limits of naturalistic reconstruction.
Yale Bible Study, 'The Plagues,' complete study guide pp. 1–4, 'Two Sources,' 'Purpose of the Plagues,' and 'Natural Phenomena'; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Supports: Household rite, festival traditions, firstborn practices, literary development, and Jewish memorial horizon.
Yale Bible Study, 'Passover,' complete study guide pp. 1–5, sections on Exodus 12–13, Passover, unleavened bread, firstborn, and memorial practice; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Supports: Relationship among firstborn judgment, protection, consecration, redemption, household ritual, and literary-development alternatives.
Frankel, 'Laws of the Firstborn: How They Were Connected to the Tenth Plague,' complete article, especially sections on Exodus 11–13, Passover blood, firstborn humans and animals, memorialization, and alternative redaction history; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Supports: Distinct Hebrew hardening terms, narrative sequence, source-critical alternatives, moral agency problem, and limits of a single retributive explanation.
Frankel, 'Taking Control of the Story: God Hardens Pharaoh's Heart,' complete article sections on the hardening roots, Priestly and non-Priestly sequences, editorial proposals, sea notices, and traditional ethical readings; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Exodus 11:1–10, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Exodus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech, law, ritual vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Exod.xml, words and morphology for 11:1–10
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Exodus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2026-08-12
Supports: Unit-bounded Hebrew, syntax, lexical, textual, name, measure, legal, ritual, and older-English notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Exodus PDF, complete 127-page PDF, translation and verse-attached translator notes for 11:1–10
Open source ↗open university course study guide
The Plagues Study Guide
Joel S. Baden and John J. Collins
Yale Bible Study, 2019 course edition
Supports: Canonical plague sequence, composite details, Pharaoh negotiations, hardening, moral difficulty, Egyptian setting, and limits of naturalistic reconstruction.
Exact location: Yale Bible Study, 'The Plagues,' complete study guide pp. 1–4, 'Two Sources,' 'Purpose of the Plagues,' and 'Natural Phenomena'; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Open source ↗open university course study guide
Passover Study Guide
Joel S. Baden and John J. Collins
Yale Bible Study, 2019 course edition
Supports: Household rite, festival traditions, firstborn practices, literary development, and Jewish memorial horizon.
Exact location: Yale Bible Study, 'Passover,' complete study guide pp. 1–5, sections on Exodus 12–13, Passover, unleavened bread, firstborn, and memorial practice; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Open source ↗modern jewish scholarly literary and ritual study
Laws of the Firstborn: How They Were Connected to the Tenth Plague
David Frankel
TheTorah.com, 2023
Supports: Relationship among firstborn judgment, protection, consecration, redemption, household ritual, and literary-development alternatives.
Exact location: Frankel, 'Laws of the Firstborn: How They Were Connected to the Tenth Plague,' complete article, especially sections on Exodus 11–13, Passover blood, firstborn humans and animals, memorialization, and alternative redaction history; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Open source ↗modern jewish scholarly source and redaction study
Taking Control of the Story: God Hardens Pharaoh's Heart
David Frankel
TheTorah.com, 2016
Supports: Distinct Hebrew hardening terms, narrative sequence, source-critical alternatives, moral agency problem, and limits of a single retributive explanation.
Exact location: Frankel, 'Taking Control of the Story: God Hardens Pharaoh's Heart,' complete article sections on the hardening roots, Priestly and non-Priestly sequences, editorial proposals, sea notices, and traditional ethical readings; applied to Exodus 11:1–10
Open source ↗