And struck all the firstborn in Egypt, The first and best of their vigor in the tents of Ham.
Parallel translations
- WEB and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
- KJV And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
- BSB He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
- NKJV And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
- NLT He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.
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 final plague broke Pharaoh's resistance.
Overview
The death of the firstborn, 'the chief of their strength,' was the climactic plague that secured Israel's release. It was averted only for those under the blood of the Passover lamb. This points directly to Christ, our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7), whose blood shields His people from judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 105:23Israel also came into Egypt. Jacob lived in the land of Ham.
- Ps 106:22Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome things by the Red Sea.
- Ps 135:8Who struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and animal;
- Ps 105:36He struck also all the firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their manhood.
- Ps 136:10To him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- Exod 12:29–30At midnight, Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of livestock.
- Exod 13:15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
- Gen 49:3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
- Exod 12:12For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Yahweh.
- Gen 10:6The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
- Heb 11:28By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.
- Gen 9:22–25Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
- Ps 105:27They performed miracles among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
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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 78:51 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.