A judgment, and a mercy
The Death of the Firstborn
The tenth and final blow falls at midnight. The LORD Himself passes through Egypt, and the firstborn in every house without the blood die, while Israel is spared under the Passover.
“And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.”Exodus 12:29
What happened
What happened. God told Moses of one plague more, after which Pharaoh would let Israel go entirely. "About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 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 is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts" (Exodus 11:4-5). There would be "a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt," but against Israel "shall not a dog move his tongue" (Exodus 11:6-7). God instructed Israel to keep the Passover, each household taking a lamb, killing it, and striking its blood on the doorposts and lintel. "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:29). Pharaoh rose in the night, "and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead" (Exodus 12:30). He called Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Rise up, and get you forth from among my people" (Exodus 12:31). At last the king who had hardened his heart through nine plagues was broken, and Egypt urged Israel out in haste.
What it meant
What it meant. This was the plague that severed the bondage. In it God declared the deepest purpose of all the plagues, the sweeping word that gathers every judgment into one, "against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD" (Exodus 12:12). Notice that even here, at the climax, the text does not itemize a god for each plague; it gives the general judgment over them all. This should make us cautious about a rigid god-by-god scheme, however popular, and content with what Scripture actually says. The death of the firstborn answered Pharaoh's own cruelty, for he had ordered Israel's sons cast into the river (Exodus 1:22), and it struck Egypt's future and pride at once. Above all it revealed the seriousness of sin and the reality of divine judgment. Yet in the same night God made a way of escape, for the difference between death and deliverance was not nationality or merit but the blood of a lamb upon the door.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. The death of the firstborn is the dark backdrop against which the Passover shines, and the Passover is the clearest picture in the Old Testament of the cross. Death passed through Egypt, and only the blood of the lamb held it back. So Paul says without hesitation, "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). What the lamb's blood did for one night, the blood of Christ does forever, turning away the judgment we deserve. Jesus is Himself the firstborn who was given up to death that we might live, "the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29) and "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18). John saw Him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The judgment is real, but for all who are covered by the Lamb, it passes over.
Questions people ask
Why did God strike the firstborn specifically?
The firstborn held special honor and represented a family's future and strength. The judgment also answered Pharaoh's own command to kill Israel's baby boys (Exodus 1:22). Above all it set the stage for salvation by the blood of the lamb, the difference between every household that died and every household that lived.
Does Exodus say each plague destroyed a different Egyptian god?
No. At this final plague God gives the summary word, "against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" (Exodus 12:12), a general judgment over them all. Specific god-by-god connections are scholarly inferences, sometimes plausible, but not stated by the text.
Were the Israelites spared automatically?
No, they had to obey. Each household killed a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts, and God promised, "when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). The blood applied in faith, not their bloodline alone, was what sheltered them.