He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.
Parallel translations
- WEB He struck also all the firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their manhood.
- BSB Then He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.
- NKJV He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, The first of all their strength.
- NASB He also fatally struck all the firstborn in their land, The first fruits of all their vigor.
- NLT Then he killed the oldest son in each Egyptian home, the pride and joy of each family.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the pride of their strength. It matters because this final plague broke Pharaoh's resistance.
Overview
The tenth and climactic plague was the death of every Egyptian firstborn (Exodus 12:29-30). The 'first fruits of their manhood' marked the nation's strength and future. This judgment, from which Israel was spared by the Passover lamb's blood, points forward to Christ our Passover, whose blood delivers His people from death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 136:10To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
- Heb 11:28Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
- Gen 49:3Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
- Ps 78:51And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
- Exod 11:4–5And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
- Exod 4:23And 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.
- Exod 12:29–30And 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.
- Exod 12:12For 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.
- Ps 135:8Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 105:36 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.