Exodus 11:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out." And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

NIV: All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave." Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

NASB: And all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.' And he left Pharaoh in the heat of anger.

CSB: All these officials of yours will come down to me and bow before me, saying: Get out, you and all the people who follow you. After that, I will get out." And he went out from Pharaoh’s presence fiercely angry.

NLT: All the officials of Egypt will run to me and fall to the ground before me. ‘Please leave!’ they will beg. ‘Hurry! And take all your followers with you.’ Only then will I go!' Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.

KJV: And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

NKJV: And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

Pharaoh hears these words from Moses, who continues to speak despite a death threat (Exodus 10:28–29). He is voicing the Lord's message: a dire promise that every "firstborn" in Egypt will die in the night (Exodus 11:4–6). This will not happen to the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 11:7) which the Egyptians have refused to set free. In fact, Egypt's ruler, Pharaoh, has been spiteful (Exodus 5:17–19), stubborn (Exodus 5:2; 7:13–14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34; 10:10), and deceitful (Exodus 8:15, 31–32; 9:34–35; 10:19–20) in his treatment of the Hebrews.

When God first sent Moses back into Egypt, the Lord predicted these events (Exodus 3:20; 4:21–23). This final plague (Exodus 7:21; 8:6, 17, 24; 9:6, 10, 24; 10:14, 23) will do more than break Egyptian resolve. It will cause them to actively push the Israelites away: to demand that the Hebrews take all they have, with additional treasures (Exodus 3:21–22; 11:1–3), and leave Egypt behind (Exodus 12:30–33).

This verse describes Moses' mood as one of "hot anger" or "fiercely angry." This parallels Jesus' emotions when driving corrupt businessmen from the temple in Jerusalem (John 2:15; Mark 11:15–17). Not all anger is sinful; in this case, Moses is angry that Pharaoh has defied God (Exodus 5:2; 10:3) and brought misery to the Egyptian people. Some anger is extremely dangerous. Forty years earlier Moses had fled Egypt because he faced death for an act of rage (Exodus 2:11–15). He would later suffer for an angry outburst against Israel (Numbers 20:7–12).

Exodus 11:4–10 records Moses' declaration of the final plague. He is still in the presence of Pharaoh, who has just threated Moses with death after the ninth plague (Exodus 10:28–29). In the night, God will kill every firstborn in Egypt—including those of cattle, slaves, and even the royal family itself. The Israelites will be spared, and Egypt will beg for the Israelites to leave. Moses then leaves, furious at Pharaoh. God reminds Moses that Pharaoh was never going to submit; these events happened to proclaim God's power to the world.

Immediately after being threatened by Pharaoh (Exodus 10:28–29), Moses is given more instructions from the Lord. He is to instruct the Israelites to ask Egyptians for jewelry. Recent events will have intimidated them enough to be generous. God also tells Moses to predict the last and worst plague: the death off all Egyptian firstborn. This will be the most terrible disaster of Egypt's entire history. It will also lead directly to Israelite freedom. Moses expresses this grim promise in furious anger but is reassured by God that this is all part of an expected plan.

Since the Lord sent Moses back into Egypt (Exodus 3—4), Pharoah has refused multiple commands to release the Hebrew slaves. This has brought nine epic disasters to his nation (Exodus 5—10). Most recently, Pharaoh has threatened to kill Moses if these discussions continue (Exodus 10:28–29). Moses hears instructions from the Lord which include a prediction about the last, and worst, of the plagues of Egypt. In the following chapter, God will establish the Passover and free the Israelites as Egypt mourns catastrophic losses (Exodus 12).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.