Exodus 11

1 The LORD said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether.

2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.”

3 The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

4 Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt,

5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of livestock.

6 There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor will be any more.

7 But against any of the children of Israel a dog won’t even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.

8 All these servants of yours will come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, “Get out, with all the people who follow you;” and after that I will go out.’” He went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

9 The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh won’t listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Around Exodus 11

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Exodus 11 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Moses is warned that one more plague is coming, and that after it Pharaoh will not just let Israel go, he will thrust them out. The people are told to ask their neighbors for silver and gold, and the LORD gives them favor with the Egyptians. Moses himself is very great in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants.

Then Moses speaks the last warning. “About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt” Every firstborn will die, from Pharaoh's son on the throne to the servant girl at the mill, and the firstborn of livestock. The cry throughout Egypt will be greater than any before or after. Against Israel not even a dog will bark.

Moses leaves Pharaoh in hot anger. The chapter closes by saying that Pharaoh would not listen, and his heart remained hardened.

Background

This short chapter is the last warning before the Passover night. It is among the hardest in the book, since it speaks of the death of children, and the text says plainly what is coming. The people of Israel are set apart from Egypt in the language of the chapter, and Moses leaves in anger, so he is not a calm bystander. Christians and Jews have read the plagues as God's judgment on an empire that enslaved and killed (see Exodus 1). Exodus 12 tells how Israel is kept safe.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 22 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes