Exodus 11 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

Chapter 11 is a transition point in the book. The previous nine plagues (in their three sequences of three) have come to an end and the last plague, the death of the firstborn, is about to occur, along with the Passover and the Exodus itself. It is difficult to know if the events in chapter 11 all are recorded in the order in which they happened. For translation, you should follow the order of the text if it will not confuse your readers.It may be helpful to think that after the end of [chapter 10](../10/01.md), Yahweh spoke to Moses immediately, before he actually left Pharaoh’s presence ([11:1–2](../11/01.md)). [11:3](../11/03.md) is a comment suggesting that the Egyptians will be willing to do as the Israelites are told to ask them to do in [v. 2](../11/02.md). In verses [11:4–7](../11/04.md) Moses gives Pharaoh and his officials a message from Yahweh that Yahweh is giving to Moses right at that moment. At the end of [v. 8](../11/08.md) Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence (completing the interaction from the [end of ch. 10](../10/28.md)). [11:9](../11/09.md) may either be Yahweh telling Moses what is going to happen, or it could be part of the summary that occurs in [v. 10](../11/10.md). Verse 10 summarizes what has happened in [chapters 5–10](../05/01.md) (especially the plagues in [chapters 7–10](../07/01.md)) in preparation for the great last plague.