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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Exodus, Chapter XI].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1706)
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>E X O D U S</B></FONT>
<BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XI.</FONT>
<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
</CENTER>
<FONT SIZE=-1>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Pharaoh had told Moses to get out of his presence
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+10:28"><I>ch.</I> x. 28</A>),
and Moses had promised this should be the last time he would trouble
him, yet he resolves to say out what he had to say, before he left him;
accordingly, we have in this chapter,
I. The instructions God had given to Moses, which he was now to
pursue
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:1,2">ver. 1, 2</A>),
together with the interest Israel and Moses had in the esteem of the
Egyptians,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:3">ver. 3</A>.
II. The last message Moses delivered to Pharaoh, concerning the death
of the firstborn,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:4-8">ver. 4-8</A>.
III. A repetition of the prediction of Pharaoh's hardening his
heart,
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:9">ver. 9</A>),
and the event answering to it,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:10">
ver. 10</A>.</P>
</FONT>
<A NAME="Ex11_1"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_2"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_3"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Plagues of Egypt.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1491.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague
<I>more</I> upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you
go hence: when he shall let <I>you</I> go, he shall surely thrust you
out hence altogether.
&nbsp; 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow
of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of
silver, and jewels of gold.
&nbsp; 3 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> gave the people favour in the sight of the
Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses <I>was</I> very great in the land of
Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of
the people.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Here is, I. The high favour Moses and Israel were in with God. 1. Moses
was a favourite of Heaven, for God will not hide from him the thing he
will do. God not only makes him his messenger to deliver his errands,
but communicates to him his purpose (as the man of his counsel) that he
would bring one plague more, and but one, upon Pharaoh, by which he
would complete the deliverance of Israel,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
Moses longed to see an end of this dreadful work, to see Egypt no more
plagued and Israel no more oppressed: "Well," says God, "now it is near
an end; the warfare shall shortly be accomplished, the point gained;
Pharaoh shall be forced to own himself conquered, and to give up the
cause." After all the rest of the plagues, God says, <I>I will bring
one more.</I> Thus, after all the judgments executed upon sinners in
this world, still there is one more reserved to be brought on them in
the other world, which will completely humble those whom nothing else
would humble. 2. The Israelites were favourites of Heaven; for God
himself espouses their injured cause, and takes care to see them paid
for all their pains in serving the Egyptians. This was the last day of
their servitude; they were about to go away, and their masters, who had
abused them in their work, would not have defrauded them of their
wages, and have sent them away empty; while the poor Israelites were so
fond of liberty that they would be satisfied with that, without pay,
and would rejoice to get that upon any terms: but he that <I>executeth
righteousness and judgment for the oppressed</I> provided that the
labourers should not lose their hire, and ordered them to demand it now
at their departure
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>),
<I>in jewels of silver and jewels of gold,</I> to prepare for which
God, by the plagues, had now made the Egyptians as willing to part with
them upon any terms as, before, the Egyptians, by their severities, had
made them willing to go upon any terms. Though the patient Israelites
were content to lose their wages, yet God would not let them go without
them. Note, One way or other, God will give redress to the injured, who
in a humble silence commit their cause to him; and he will see to it
that none be losers at last by their patient suffering any more than by
their services.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. The high favour Moses and Israel were in with the Egyptians,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
1. Even the people that has been hated and despised now came to be
respected; the wonders wrought on their behalf put an honour upon them
and made them considerable. How great do they become for whom God thus
fights! Thus <I>the Lord gave them favour</I> in the sight of the
Egyptians, by making it appear how much he favoured them: he also
changed the spirit of the Egyptians towards them, and made them to be
pitied of their oppressors,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+106:46">Ps. cvi. 46</A>.
2. <I>The man Moses was very great.</I> How could it be otherwise when
they saw what power he was clothed with, and what wonders were wrought
by his hand? Thus the apostles, though otherwise despicable men, came
to be magnified,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+5:13">Acts v. 13</A>.
Those that honour God he will honour; and with respect to those that
approve themselves faithful to him, how meanly soever they may pass
through this world, there is a day coming when they will look great,
very great, in the eyes of all the world, even theirs who now look upon
them with the utmost contempt. Observe, Though Pharaoh hated Moses,
there were those of Pharaoh's servants that respected him. Thus in
Caesar's household, even Nero's, there were some that had an esteem for
blessed Paul,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+1:13">Phil. i. 13</A>.</P>
<A NAME="Ex11_4"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_5"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_6"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_7"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_8"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_9"> </A>
<A NAME="Ex11_10"> </A>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>4 And Moses said, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, About midnight will I go
out into the midst of Egypt:
&nbsp; 5 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 <I>is</I> behind the mill; and
all the firstborn of beasts.
&nbsp; 6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of
Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any
more.
&nbsp; 7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog
move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that
the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
&nbsp; 8 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.
&nbsp; 9 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto
you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.
&nbsp; 10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh:
and the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let
the children of Israel go out of his land.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Warning is here given to Pharaoh of the last and conquering plague
which was now to be inflicted. This was the <I>death of all the
first-born in</I> Egypt at once, which had been first threatened
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+4:23"><I>ch.</I> iv. 23</A>,
<I>I will slay thy son, thy first-born</I>), but is last executed; less
judgments were tried, which, if they had done the work would have
prevented this. See how slow God is to wrath, and how willing to be met
with in the way of his judgments, and to have his anger turned away,
and particularly how precious the lives of men are in his eyes: if the
death of their cattle had humbled and reformed them, their children
would have been spared; but, if men will not improve the gradual
advances of divine judgments, they must thank themselves if they find,
in the issue, that the worst was reserved for the last. 1. The plague
itself is here particularly foretold,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:4-6"><I>v.</I> 4-6</A>.
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,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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>I will go out, saith the Lord,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
<I>It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;</I>
what is hell but this? 2. The special protection which the children of
Israel should be under, and the manifest difference that should be put
between them and the Egyptians. While angels drew their swords against
the Egyptians, there should not so much as a dog bark at any of the
children of Israel,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
An earnest was hereby given of the difference which shall be put in the
great day between God's people and his enemies: did men know what a
difference God puts, and will put to eternity, between those that serve
him and those that serve him not, religion would not seem to them such
an indifferent thing as they make it, nor would they act in it with so
much indifference as they do. 3. The humble submission which Pharaoh's
servants should make to Moses, and how submissively they should request
him to go
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
<I>They shall come down, and bow themselves.</I> Note, The proud
enemies of God and his Israel shall be made to fall under at last
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+3:9">Rev. iii. 9</A>),
and shall be found liars to them,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+33:29">Deut. xxxiii. 29</A>.
When Moses had thus delivered his message, it is said, <I>He went out
from Pharaoh in a great anger,</I> though he was the meekest of all the
men of the earth. Probably he expected that the very threatening of the
death of the firstborn would have induced Pharaoh to comply, especially
as Pharaoh had complied so far already, and had seen how exactly all
Moses's predictions hitherto were fulfilled. But it had not that
effect; his proud heart would not yield, no, not to save all the
firstborn of his kingdom: no marvel that men are not deterred from
vicious courses by the prospects given them of eternal misery in the
other world, when the imminent peril they run of the loss of all that
is dear to them in this world will not frighten them. Moses, hereupon,
was provoked to a holy indignation, being grieved (as our Saviour
afterwards) for the <I>hardness of his heart,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+3:5">Mark iii. 5</A>.
Note, It is a great vexation to the spirits of good ministers to see
people deaf to all the fair warnings given them, and running headlong
upon ruin, notwithstanding all the kind methods taken to prevent it.
Thus Ezekiel went in <I>the bitterness of his spirit</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+3:14">Ezek. iii. 14</A>),
because God had told him that the house of Israel would not hearken to
him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
To be angry at nothing but sin is the way not to sin in anger. Moses,
having thus adverted to the disturbance which Pharaoh's obstinacy gave
him, (1.) Reflects upon the previous notice God had given him of this
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>):
<I>The Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken to you.</I> The
scripture has foretold the incredulity of those who should hear the
gospel, that it might not be a surprise nor stumbling-block to us,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+12:37,38,Ro+10:16">John xii. 37, 38; Rom. x. 16</A>.
Let us think never the worse of the gospel of Christ for the slights
men generally put upon it, for we were told before what cold
entertainment it would meet with. (2.) He recapitulates all he had said
before to this purport
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+11:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
that Moses did all these wonders, as they are here related, before
Pharaoh (he himself was an eye-witness of them), and yet he could not
prevail, which was a certain sign that God himself had, in a way of
righteous judgment, hardened his heart. Thus the Jews' rejection of the
gospel of Christ was so gross an absurdity that it might easily be
inferred from it that <I>God had given them the spirit of slumber,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+11:8">Rom. xi. 8</A>.</P>
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