Exodus 11 · Verse 5

Exodus 11:5

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 is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

Exodus 11:5, King James Version

Exodus 11:5 in other translations

BSB	and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle.
WEB	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.
ASV	and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle.
YLT	and every first-born in the land of Egypt hath died, from the first-born of Pharaoh who is sitting on his throne, unto the first-born of the maid-servant who is behind the millstones, and all the first-born of beasts;
DARBY	And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sitteth on his throne, even unto the firstborn of the bondwoman that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of cattle.
BBE	And death will come to every mother's first male child in all the land of Egypt, from the child of Pharaoh on his seat of power, to the child of the servant-girl crushing the grain; and the first births of all the cattle.
Webster	And all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even to the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts.

What does Exodus 11:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. And all the first-born in the land ... shall die--The time, the suddenness, the dreadful severity of this coming calamity, and the peculiar description of victims, among both men and beasts, on whom it was to fall, would all contribute to aggravate its character. the maid-servant that is behind the mill--The grinding of the meal for daily use in every household is commonly done by female slaves and is considered the lowest employment. Two portable millstones are used for the purpose, of which the uppermost is turned by a small wooden handle, and during the operation the maid sits behind the mill.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 The first-born of Pharaoh, etc. - From the heir to the Egyptian throne to the son of the most abject slave, or the principal person in each family. See Clarke's note on Exo 12:29. The maid-servant that is behind the mill - The meanest slaves were employed in this work. In many parts of the east they still grind all their corn with a kind of portable mill-stones, the upper one of which is turned round by a sort of lever fixed in the rim. A drawing of one of these machines as used in China is now before me, and the person who grinds is represented as pushing the lever before him, and thus running round with the stone. Perhaps something like this is intended by the expression Behind the mill in the text. On this passage Dr. Shaw has the following observation: - "Most families grind their wheat and barley at home, having two portable mill-stones for that purpose, the uppermost of which is turned round by a small handle of wood or iron that is placed in the rim. When this stone is large, or expedition required, a second person is called in to assist; and as it is usual for women alone to be concerned in this employment, who seat themselves over against each other with the mill-stone between them, we may see, not only the propriety of the expression (Exo 11:5) of sitting behind the mill, but the force of another, (Mat 24:41), that two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." - Travels, p. 231, 4th edit. These portable mills, under the name of querns, were used among our ancestors in this and the sister kingdoms, and some of them are in use to the present day. Both the instrument and its name our forefathers seem to have borrowed from the continent. They have long existed among the inhabitants of Shetland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 11:4-10

The death of all the first-born in Egypt at once: this plague had been the first threatened, but is last executed. See how slow God is to wrath. The plague is foretold, the time is fixed; all their first-born should sleep the sleep of death, not silently, but so as to rouse the families at midnight. The prince was not too high to be reached by it, nor the slaves at the mill too low to be noticed. While angels slew…

Read the full comment on Exodus 11:4-10 →

Exodus 11:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּמֵ֣תu.Metand he will dieH4191

כָּל\־kol-everyH3605

בְּכוֹר֮be.khOrfirstbornH1060

בְּאֶ֣רֶץbe.'E.retzin [the] land ofH776

מִצְרַיִם֒mitz.ra.YimEgyptH4714

מִבְּכ֤וֹרmi.be.Khorfrom [the] firstborn ofH1060

פַּרְעֹה֙par.'OhPharaohH6547

הַיֹּשֵׁ֣בhai.yo.Shevwho sitsH3427

עַל\־'al-onH5921

כִּסְא֔וֹkis.'Othrone hisH3678

עַ֚ד'aduntoH5704

בְּכ֣וֹרbe.Khor[the] firstborn ofH1060

הַשִּׁפְחָ֔הha.shif.Chahthe maidservantH8198

אֲשֶׁ֖ר'a.SherwhoH834

אַחַ֣ר'a.Char[is] behindH310

הָרֵחָ֑יִםha.re.Cha.yimthe hand-millH7347

וְכֹ֖לve.Kholand everyH3605

בְּכ֥וֹרbe.Khorfirstborn ofH1060

בְּהֵמָֽה\׃be.he.MahlivestockH929

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 11:5

Psalms 78:51
And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
Exodus 12:29
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 13:15
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
Matthew 24:41
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Exodus 12:12
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
Psalms 105:36
He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.
Exodus 4:23
And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Psalms 136:10
To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psalms 135:8
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
Hebrews 11:28
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Lamentations 5:13
They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.
Isaiah 47:2
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the firstborn.
4:23; 12:12,29; 13:15; Ps 78:51; 105:36; 135:8; 136:10; Heb 11:28
behind.
Jud 16:21; Isa 47:2; La 5:13; Mt 24:41

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Exodus 11:4
And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Exodus 11:5
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 is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
Exodus 11:6
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.

Read all of Exodus 11

Exodus 11:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y morirá todo primogénito en tierra de Egipto, desde el primogénito de Faraón que se sienta en su trono, hasta el primogénito de la sierva que está tras la muela; y todo primogénito de las bestias.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	et tout premier-né dans le pays d’Égypte mourra, depuis le premier-né du Pharaon, qui est assis sur son trône, jusqu’au premier-né de la servante qui est derrière la meule, et tout premier-né des bêtes.
German Elberfelder 1871	und alle Erstgeburt im Lande Ägypten soll sterben, von dem Erstgeborenen des Pharao, der auf seinem Throne sitzt, bis zum Erstgeborenen der Magd, die hinter der Mühle ist, und alle Erstgeburt des Viehes.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	et morietur omne primogenitum in terra Ægyptiorum, a primogenito Pharaonis, qui sedet in solio ejus, usque ad primogenitum ancillæ quæ est ad molam, et omnia primogenita jumentorum.